There is no question that selecting a pastor from a pool of men is difficult at best. As I have said in earlier writings, there tends to be a problem with the selection process. A bad or inefficient selection process can lead to disaster. One hour with a man, meeting with deacons is not enough time or energy spent to sift through theology and beliefs. But how should it be done? How can we be sure were getting who God wants us to get? The underlying factor is the right process not a popularity context.
If I were to be asked to set up a process for selecting a pastor this is the route that I would take. Also, when interested churches approach me I have a process that I personally go through. These measures are in place for a reason, for which I will explain later. First, let me share with you the process that I would set up and that will explain my personal approach as well.
Given the current leadership structure, not an elder led church, which is the common place in most of today’s church. I would first establish three men who exhibit a spiritual desire to serve God. Maybe these men are deacons, teachers or fellow ministers. However, they must have the qualities and character of bearing fruit in the church.
These men must pray and seek what it is God wants them to have. They must ask what will bring glory to God in this process. I do not recommend soliciting resumes. I am not against that process but this is not a job one is applying for. And by submitting resumes almost all people make theirs more than what it should be. There is nothing wrong with an information sheet of his current work history, churches he’s served and family information but that’s about all a resume will do.
My first step would be for these men to look around at their own congregation. There could be a man there that has the desire to pastor. Then I would begin talking with other Christian brethren about the need for their local fellowship. There could be men who are not pastoring a church but have a desire to teach and shepherd a flock. Word of mouth recommendations are just that. Once a person recommends someone that is the first step. I would encourage those selected with seeking a pastor to gather names and then come together after several weeks or even months and pray together.
Now the fun begins! Invite those men who the committee has agreed to contact to meet with them. After a brief hour or so meeting with these men you can come to an agreement that bears witness with each other. There may be some things said in these initial conversations that will disqualify or bring about more questions. Once the pool has been narrowed to about 3 or less you can begin the lengthy process of qualifying them biblically.
The first step is to go word by word the qualifications given in I Timothy 3:1-7. I believe that a man must have a ‘desire’ to be an elder/pastor. If that desire is not there and he is just looking for a job it should be evident. For time sake, I will not go thoroughly go through each one but for the church that is considering a pastor they should extensively expound every quality. In order to verify the qualifications that are required it cannot be done in a couple of hours or one meeting with a potential pastor.
How many people have went to potential pastors home and spent several hours with him? How many have went out into the public where he banks, shops and does business to see if he is of a good report. Notice, the passage says, “Must have a good report of them that are without…” In other words, he must have a good standing with those who are not saved. Now, will a lost man always view a Christian in a good manner, probably not? However, I believe that the majority of his business to those outside the church should be of a good report. I have never known a local church to conduct this type of qualification research.
Aside from looking into the details of seeing if a man is qualified the potential pastor should bring to the table what his views are theologically, in detail that is. He should also have a document prepared about his ministry views. In other words, he should be able to explain in somewhat detail that over time things will change. How he views youth, children, young adult and other ministries in the church may not reflect the current status quo. The leaders need to know this.
The last thing I would do as a potential pastor for a church is to hold a church wide question and answer session. This is where the potential pastor comes and formally introduces himself and shares some of his thoughts and vision with the church. Then after this time of sharing the floor can be opened up for questions. This should be an opportunity for members to ask questions that they personally have that don’t get asked by the committee. The pastor should not answer in a way that he thinks will get him the pastor’s job. He should be biblical and truthful. Now is the time to let people know where you stand and where you would like to go. I would set aside 2 hours for such a time of questions.
Now when the time comes to ‘vote’ the members of the church can do so with a clear, biblical reason. So when the pastor announces a change in the way things are done, people cannot say anything.
