Imagine! As a member of your church’s governance board you’ve been appointed chair of the Search Committee for a new senior pastor. The current senior pastor leaves in 6 months to take a new call. Under their ministry, over the last 12 years the church has doubled in size to average currently 280 adult worship attenders. Two years ago the church added an associate pastor to oversee pastoral care and develop the church’s small group ministry. In addition there’s a full time employed receptionist/administrative assistant.  How do you go about this challenging task?

12 Sets of Questions for the Search Committee to Consider

1. What level of prayer support has been engaged for this Committee? What else is needed? How should communication flow between the Committee and intercessors?
   
   
2. Have you considered an intentional interim pastor instead of a permanent placement? When a long serving (10 years plus) senior pastor leaves, usually the next senior pastor has a more negative, short term ministry experience. Also, an intentional interim is particularly helpful when there’s been a conflict/crisis (eg. church split, death of the pastor’s spouse, loss of missional direction or staff conflict) during the current senior pastor’s incumbency. A trained and skilled intentional interim can facilitate healing and help refocus the church’s direction. If you feel an intentional interim is the better option for your church, at this point in time, I suggest you give only brief consideration to questions 3-12 below and present a report with your recommendation to your church’s governance board.
   
   
3. What is the church’s missional DNA? Missional DNA comprises a church’s:
   • Foundational Purpose – Its reason for existing eg. to love (God and people) and evangelism;
   • Basic Beliefs –  4-7 – not just doctrinal beliefs, but also communal and cultural beliefs eg. people can change;
   • Core Values – 4-7 essential principles that generate a sense of emotional commitment and inform your missional direction – the ‘what matters most’ of your Christian community;
     
     (Why no more than 7 beliefs and values? Because people won’t remember them.)
   • Motivational Vision – A vision is a picture of your church’s preferred future. (While the vision must be owned and adopted by the governance board and supported by the leadership ministry team the core of a vision is given by God to individual leaders
     
     – eg. Abraham, Moses, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul. The senior pastor therefore as the church’s missional and pastoral leader should discern the core of the vision and needs to cast the vision via their preaching, teaching, leadership, personal example and pastoral conversations. A church’s vision is like a long-term goal, usually for 5-10 years into the future.)
     
     
4. Develop a summary of your church’s history – why, when and how was your church started? What have been the key events, programs and attendance growth pattern between now and then?
   
   
5. Where would you place your church on the following biblical, theological and liturgical polarities and why?:
   
   conservative…………………………………………………………………….…….liberal traditional………………………………………………………………..….contemporary informal…………………………………………………………………………… liturgical
   
   To what extent does your church’s position on the above polarities affect its ability to achieve its vision? Also what implications does that have for the new pastor you would call?
   
   
6. How would you describe your church’s local mission zone– (i.e. the geographic and ethnographic community in which your church is located and from which at least 80% of your current active members come)?
   
   
7. As vision is usually 5-10 years, does the vision under the leadership of the current senior pastor still continue, or is a new vision needed for the future?
   
   
8. If the current vision is not yet fulfilled how will the role description of the new senior pastor relate to the next phase needed for the church’s life and mission?
   
   
9. If a new vision is needed what type of leadership does your church need from the new senior pastor?
   
   
10. How will the new senior pastor’s role relate to the governance board, staff and lay leaders?
    
    
11. How would you recruit a new senior pastor – from within the local church? (This has the advantage of internal suitable candidates being already committed to the church’s missional DNA and also they know the church – its members, leaders, systems and culture) or external? (External offers more chance of finding someone with the appropriate gifts and experience.)
    
12. If external, how will you find an appropriate candidate?
    • From denominational policy/ networks,
    • Via Christian media advertising
    • Through referrals – eg. from coaches, mentors, professional supervisors, suggestions of current members?
    • By advertising in secular media,
    • Other? (Please list.)

Finally…

Once the Search Committee believes it has adequately answered the above questions take your proposal to the governance board for approval. Once approval has been given by the board, depending on denominational and/or local church polity, a final decision may need to be referred to the denomination and/or a members meeting.  

Note – I have not addressed the issue of an appropriate remuneration package for the future senior pastor. In some churches, that is a matter of denominational polity. In others it is decided by the governance board and may be subject to negotiation with the successful applicant. You may also wish to recommend having a crossover period whereby the current senior pastor and the incoming senior pastor work together to facilitate the transition.

Graham Beattie

If you want some free leadership tools check out our site here.