I’ve
given the following information for a Baptist Church seeking a pastor. It is geared more toward a smaller
church. Hope some will find this
useful.
Electing
a Pastor Search Committee / Pulpit Committee
1. Have an announced Business Meeting for the
purpose of electing a Pulpit Committee.
2. Do not just open the floor up for
nominations. Sometimes someone not
qualified immediately volunteers (or is nominated); then no one wants to offend
them, so they are elected. Then, you
have a mess.
3. One option is to have each person put three (or
4, 5) names on a card. The three who
receive the most votes are elected.
Or,
have them write names of two (or three) men, and two women.
Note:
To avoid embarrassment, it may be best not to announce how many votes each
person receives. Just mention the ones
who received the most votes.
4. Another option is for leadership (deacons, staff,
etc.) to nominate three (or more) representative people for the committee. Then, the church votes on this
nomination.
5. The committee will have two primary
jobs.
Find
supply preachers or an interim pastor.
Second,
begin the search for a pastor.
Your
Director of Missions, local Baptist Association, or a neighboring pastor or evangelist
may be of help in this process. But your
church as the final say.
Pastor
Search Committee
1. Have the church vote on a Pastor Search
Committee (aka Pulpit Committee). A
church usually varies between men and women, age, and other diverse
issues. Make sure they are mature,
knowledgeable church members. Usually 3
or more.
2. Get the word out, that you are seeking a
pastor, to the Southern Baptist Texan (or your own state Baptist paper), local
Baptist Association, Louisiana Baptist Message (baptistmessage.com), HBU,
SWBTS, ABU, ETBU; Criswell College; LC; or others. Maybe contact an evangelist or pastor. Narrow down resumes.
An
ad such as: Seeking Pastor. Friendship
Baptist Church, mailing address, city, state, zip code; website, email
address. (You may want to just give a
mailing address. Do you really want to
print out 30 resumes?)
3. Be mindful of the biblical qualifications of
a pastor: 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus
1:5-9. Remember the biblical terms
“pastor (shepherd),” “bishop (overseer),” “elder” refer to the same office of
pastor.
4. Does the pastoral candidate sincerely agree
with the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the doctrinal statement of the
Southern Baptist Convention? Does he
believe in the fundamental (basic) doctrines of Christianity? Does he believe in Baptist Distinctive
doctrines? Does he believe in the
inerrancy of the Bible (the Bible is totally true and trustworthy)? Does he believe personal faith in Jesus
Christ is the only way to Heaven and salvation?
Ask him about his view of same-sex marriage. If you use the old Church Covenant, ask him
about it.
5. What does he believe about evangelism, local
revival meetings, evangelists, missions, Sunday School, Second Coming
(premillennial or other), drugs and alcohol, visiting, getting along with
church members?
6. Is he Calvinist (Reformed Baptist, Doctrines
of Grace)? All Baptists are to some
degree Calvinist, but does he believe Jesus died for all humanity, or just the
elect? Does he believe God chooses some
people for Heaven, and some for Hell?
Does he believe anyone can be saved?
See Adrian Rogers’ booklet on “Predestined for Hell? Absolutely Not!”
(lwf.org).
If
a church wants a Calvinist pastor, they certainly have the right to call
one. On the other hand, if a church
desires a non-Calvinist (aka Moderate Calvinist; Traditionalist) as pastor,
they have the right to seek and call him.
7. Will he be supportive of the Southern Baptist
Convention, Southern Baptists of Texas, local Baptist Association, Southern
Baptist Texan? Is he comfortable being a
conservative Southern Baptist? Is he
supportive of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the International Mission
Board; Cooperative Program; Samaritan’s Purse; Gideons?
8. Has he lived, and does he live, a life that
is morally clean? In this sense is he blameless? Ask him to tell about his wife and
family. Will he agree to a sex offender
background check? Is he careful in counseling others? Does he pay his debts?
9. Ask about his personal salvation (testimony),
baptism, call to preach, education, his experience, and his daily walk with the
Lord.
10. Ask who are some of his favorite preachers,
authors. What Bible translation does he
use?
11. What are some of his hobbies, interests? Hunting, fishing, sports, gardening,
etc.?
12. Check his references. Maybe check with his Baptist Association
Director of Missions or the SBTC.
13. When the time comes for him to leave, is he
willing to leave on a positive note?
Even if things have not worked out well?
After all, if you call him, you would call him to help, not hurt your
church. On the other hand, the church
needs to be sure to treat him well.
14. Discuss salary and cost of living adjustments
(COLA). Pay him as well as you are able;
he has to pay his bills and provide for his family like everyone else.
Give
him a raise when you can (note: a COLA is not a raise in salary, it is just
keeping up with inflation).
Discuss
a parsonage or if he wants to purchase his own home. The parsonage should be considered his as
long as he is your pastor; respect his, and his family’s privacy.
Discuss
his retirement with GuideStone Financial Resources, SBC. If possible, the church should give an amount
equal to 10% of his salary, but not taken out of his salary, to his GuideStone
retirement. He may choose to take an additional
amount out of his regular salary for the church to send to GuideStone for his
retirement. This is important. GuideStone can also give guidance about
retirement, as well as guidance about a preacher’s taxes (guidestone.org). You can also call them for information.
Consider
investing his retirement in the Equity Index Fund, a fund that roughly mirrors
the S & P 500. It has done well for
me through the years.
15. Would he be supportive of Spanish language
ministry, or other special ministries your church may have? Would he be
supportive of your present staff?
16. Discuss the kind of worship music:
Traditional, Contemporary, Blended service.
17. Don’t get too picky. No pastor is perfect. But beware of someone with a good
personality, that does not meet other qualifications.
18. During this process be positive and
supportive of your church. And, pray,
pray, pray for God’s guidance.
19. The committee may want to go hear him preach
at his church, or get him to preach at an area church where you can hear
him.
Once
the committee is agreed, have him preach at your church “In View of a
Call.” This means that afterward you
would recommend him to the church, and the church vote on whether or not to
call him as pastor.
Is
he a good, biblical preacher? Does he
care about the lost? Does he preach in a
way that is interesting and easy to understand?
20. Don’t leave a preacher hanging. Be up front and honest with him. If you have personally dealt with him, let him
know if you are no longer considering him as pastor. Treat him well.
Note
on Interim Pastor or Supply Preachers
Many
prefer to have an Interim Pastor or Supply Preacher who in no way would be
interested in becoming the regular pastor.
Otherwise, the Pulpit Committee may be ready to call a pastor while a
group in the church may be wanting the interim as pastor, leading to
division.
On
the other hand, some small churches will purposely get a prospective pastor to
supply preach a Sunday or two just to check him out. Just keep all this in mind.
Also,
if he is presently a pastor, during this process you cannot expect him to take
off more than a Sunday from his church.
You
can find other doctrinal information at gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com under “Fundamental
Doctrines,” “Doctrine,” “Calvinism,” “Baptism,”
etc.
-David
R. Brumbelow, gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com, April 20, AD 2020.
Labels: Pastor Search Committee, Pulpit Committee,
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