Pastor Search

Why Do We It

2011-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Ron Freeman for sharing the following Journal. Ron currently serves as Pastor of Worship at Lakeview Baptist Church where I am the Intentional Interim Pastor.

Why Do We Do It?

“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Do you ever search to find what is at the root of why we act the way we do? We all follow traditions and many times have no clue why we do what we do. Some of those traditions may still be needed and some may have been adopted because of a certain need at the time. Why do we just follow blindly and not ask questions?

Over the years I have watched how we in the church have operated. I have watched us become convicted by a need and then out of our concern create a program to meet that need. We become passionate about it for a while then when our interest is sparked by something else we let it die. Why do we do that? The needs most of the time are still there but it is our commitment to them that wanes. We see the need to reach the lost in the community so we decide that we will start a program to reach the lost of the community. It works for a short time then interest dies and the lost of the community remain lost. Oswald Chambers said: “When the Spirit of God comes into a man, He gives him a worldwide outlook.” What I think he is saying is that God gives us something to look at that is bigger than ourselves. We always seem to be the center of the universe.

In this passage where was the focus of need? It was on a tax collector named Zaccheaus that “the people” said was “sinful.” Have you ever noticed that? It was the people present and not God pointing the finger? Who were “the people” that Jesus was drawn to? It was the tax collector, a prostitute, and adulteress, beggars, and lepers. The ones Jesus had the harsh word for were the ones who thought they had it all together and were above need.

Romans 3:23 says; “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” Notice the word “All” We must realize that none of us are better than the one “people” call sinners. If it were not for the grace of God and the forgiveness offered by the shed blood of Jesus there would be no hope for us at all. Let us resist the urge to create programs to put band aids on problems. Let His mission become ours.

Prayer: Lord, Thank You for your grace and forgiveness. Let your seeking and saving of the lost become our desire too. Amen

The Wait

2011-10-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

WAIT!!!!! That is such a short word. Even though it is only four letters it has a powerful meaning. From the beginning of life we have had to wait. I remember when we waited for our first child to be born. First, she was a month late in getting here so we waited. Then, there was the thirty hours of labor so we waited.

As time goes on we wait for school to start, for Christmas to come, for sixteen so we can get our driver’s license, for graduation and the big job. Life is full of waits. In the end the wait is worth it. We enjoy rewards for our wait. I can remember the feeling I had when I held our children in my arms for the first time. Christmas was always worth the wait as we opened the presents and enjoyed the events of that wonderful day. Our granddaughter posted on facebook tonight that she got her driver’s license today and drove to the store by herself. She was excited. The wait was worth it.

For the past two weeks I have been waiting. Two weeks ago Sunday something happened in my back and I was unable to walk because of the pain. After a trip to the ER the doctor told me that I had to be down for four weeks. I have not been able to preach on Sunday or go to the office. All I can do is wait in my recliner until my back heals. I must admit the wait is awful because I do not wait very well. My problem is that I have forgotten that the wait will be worth it. My back will heal and I will be able to be back to normal.

I have found that church members have as much trouble waiting as I do. We see this often when churches are in their pastor search. I can remember questions like, “Are we close to getting a pastor” even before I got settled in as Intentional Interim. We have to be careful that we do not forget that the wait is worth it. When we have issues that need to be dealt with the only way to deal with them is in time. That means we may have a longer wait than normal. When we wait we must keep the big picture in mind. Just like the birth of a baby or the excitement of Christmas or the driver’s license, the wait was worth it. The wait for churches is worth it if they just stay the course and let time help heal the wounds.

At http://www.ministrytogether.com we try to address the issues that cause wounds in churches. The matching system helps to match churches with pastors with like beliefs and skills so they will not cause some of the wounds that exist in many churches. Too many of my peers have found that they were not really a good match for the church they are pastoring. They answered all the questions and the churches stated what they were looking for in a pastor but in the long run it just wasn’t a match. By using the matching system we can get to the heart of what causes the issues in the first place.

I am reminded of the Scripture in Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah tells us very plainly that the wait is worth it.....Preacherman

Another One Bites The Dust

2011-05-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

One of Queen's songs says "Another One Bites The Dust". Today, that song title applies to one of our friends. The church leaders met in a secret session and then told the senior pastor that he is terminated. This is immediate and he is not allowed in the pulpit again. He only has a few weeks to vacate the parsonage and will get three months severance. When he asked why he was told the church constitution states they do not have to give him any reason. The congregation was told Wednesday Evening that he resigned and they guess he just didn't want to come back.

This would be different if there was a moral issue or he was preaching heresy but neither of those applies. It is getting hard for me to understand why my friends keep getting hurt by churches. This story could be told of many churches in our country. It happens all the time. This time, it happened to a friend. That is why this one makes me mad. God's people should be better than that.

First we need to understand that God considers that His preachers are special people. Romans 10:14-16 says "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? Even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!"

I know that my feet are not physically beautiful. I also know that God has called me and therefore He will take care of me. I believe that churches that abuse pastors and then spew them out will be held accountable to God. The emotional and spiritual damage done to pastor's families is unconscionable and is a terrible indictment against the church in general.

The above scenario occurs when expectations for churches and pastors differ. Too often the search committee and church in general will not give an accurate description of what kind of pastor that are looking for. When they say "we want a pastor to lead us", ask probing questions. Does that mean the church is willing to follow when it is in a direction that is different from the past? Does that mean they will follow even when it is out of their comfort zone? Will they follow if it means new people will be involved and the old guard will no longer be in charge? These are healthy questions to ask before accepting the call. Too often we have a false impression of leadership styles and desires. Because of this false impression, things come crashing down after the honeymoon period ends.

Most often I try to acknowledge that church issues involve both pastor and church. I will leave that for another discussion because today I have a friend and his family who are hurt. We have to stop this trend. Too many pastors are leaving the ministry and some go to extremes and take their life. How does God get glory in that?

At http://www.ministrytogether.com we attempt to ask those probing questions. Our 54 point matching system helps determine the type of leadership the church wants and matches it with the same leadership style of the prospective pastor. Perhaps we need to revise our questions to include "Why did your last pastor leave? Was he forced out or did he resign? Will you be willing to give contact information so the prospective pastor can talk with him about his ministry there." That might help stop some of these hurts.....Now that I have vented I have to go. I have to determine what Joy and I can do to help this family pick up the pieces from this tragedy......Preacherman

Interim Pastor

2011-04-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

For the past four months I have been serving as Interim Pastor at the beautiful Lakeview Baptist Church. This has been a very rewarding time as well as being very tiring. When I retired from full time pastoring I thought my life would become simpler. My thoughts; get up when you want, do what you want and enjoy the view of the lake. Well, I can tell you that has changed. It takes a lot of time and energy to pastor a church with almost 300 active members. Some of my goals during this time are to heal, hope, and have. We will spend the first few months healing our past. I believe every church needs a time for healing. We create wounds even when we do everything right. Our church has had some very good years and also some times when things didn't go so well. The healing must take place in order to go into the future with a new pastor who can lead us to ministering like God would have us minister. We have seen great progress with this healing. I have been speaking about living our lives with the Christlike spirit. The sermon series on living out the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives has been very successful in getting us to focus away from the past and looking positively toward the future. We can have hope as we see the changes take place. I am encouraged as I see people sitting across the table from each other on Wednesday and eating together, laughing, and just being a family. We now see the glass half full rather than half empty. We are looking to the future with excitement instead of despair. We also have a plan to get from where we were to where we need to be. We have accomplished much but have a ways to go. Our next step is to get our transition team together and begin looking at some of the issues that hamper ministry. This will be a challenge as we will look at some of the traditions and reactionary measures our church has taken in the past. One of the things we address at http://www.ministrytogether.com is leadership. Some churches will say they want a strong leader but in reality they want someone who is going to come in and keep the status quo when it comes to traditions and policies. Also, some senior pastors will say they are strong leaders but when it comes to addressing the past traditions and status quo, they either do not want to fight the Battle or they do not have the skills needed to do it. Our website uses the 54 point matching system to bring churches and pastors together with like skills and desires. Some churches will not allow change therefore they need to be matched with pastors who are willing to live and minister in that environment. My leadership skills and other skill sets have made it possible for our church to address the hard issues and come out stronger. We are not there yet but I am very thankful for a church that really wants change. That combination makes the road ahead much easier. At the end of that road lakeview will be much healthier and I will be able to again enjoy retirement...That is a great outcome.....Preacherman

Pastor Search # 11 The Wounded Warriors

2010-11-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

While searching on a church website recently I saw a link for "Injured Ministers". This link offered support and help for those men and women who have been wounded by churches. This caught my attention because I have so many friends who are carrying baggage caused by very difficult pastorates and sometimes ungodly church members. I was pleased to find this help and encourage more support to assist those who are hurting. I especially am thinking about a couple of my peers who have left the ministry because of unpleasant and very hurtful situations. Their wounds are still open and will take years to heal and they may never get back in the pulpit. I believe we as encouragers and our denominations have failed these good servants of God by not offering more support in their times of struggles.

There is a lot of support for churches dealing with open wounds. I wrote last time about the "Intentional Interim Program" that addresses and heals the wounds caused by all kinds of things. This and other programs offered to Churches can do wonders in a short period of time. A church can go from a crippled body to a vibrant growing church. This is encouraged and supported by many denominational leaders.

Where is the support for the wounded warriors? The men and women who have put their lives and families on the line only to have them crushed. Why isn't there more intentional support for these people? My own children were hurt so badly in one of our pastorates that they wanted to speak personally with any church committee that invited me to an interview. They wanted to be sure we were never hurt like that again. Often the children are the fallout. Pastors and wives will move on, baggage and all, and will do their best to serve again. Many times children will say if that is the way Christians treat each other they want no part of it. This is a sad commentary on how we treat the wounded. We are blessed that our children are both still serving in their churches.

At http://www.ministrytogether.com we try to address issues related to pastor/church relations. We discuss leadership styles, conflict resolution and many other questions that will help to match a prospective pastor with a church that has like styles. This can eliminate the conflict that arises when a pastor has one style and the church has expectations that are just the opposite.

To my friends who are hurting I want you to know that I have just said a prayer for you by name. I pray that your pain will ease, your needs are met and that you will be used in a mightier way in the Kingdom. And to the countless PKs who ask the question,, "Why do Christians act that way" I must confess that I really do not have an answer for you that is not trite. All I can say is we are all sinners with a very strong sin nature and sometimes that nature wins out. God help us to be aware of the hurts that we can cause to the innocent and God help us as denominations and as caring brothers and sisters to reach a hand out to the wounded and help them heal..........Preacherman

Pastor Search #10 Intentional Interim

2010-08-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Last spring I planted potatoes in our garden. This is a new garden space provided to us by a kind neighbor. He plowed it for us and told us to treat it like it was ours. I got my tiller and went to work preparing the ground for the potato seed. Occasionally I would find a sprig of johnson grass sticking its head through the plowed ground and I ignored it thinking it wouldn't be a problem. The rains came and my seed began to sprout and soon I had some good looking potato plants. In addition to the potato plants I had johnson grass growing. I ignored it again thinking it could be managed. It was too late to spray weed killer so I just ignored it and thought the potato plants would outgrow the johnson grass and smother it out. Not so!! I soon had johnson grass that was five feet tall smothering out the potato plants. Well, it took about seven hours of work in the extreme heat in order to pull each bed of grass out by the roots. When that was done the potato plants were visible and it seemed that the johnson grass was conquered. There was a problem with that thinking. Deep beneath the surface were johnson grass roots that would spring up after a shower and I would have to pull them up again. I will dig potatoes tomorrow if the weather permits and we will enjoy the fruit of our labor. This would not have turned out nearly as well had I not spent the time and pain to pull up the johnson grass by its roots and stay on top of it until it was all gone. That plot will now be ready to plant anything I want for next year and we will not have to worry about the pesky johnson grass.

Our church is looking at an Intentional Interim position to help us refocus and redifine who we are. We have allowed some johnson grass to grow untouched for a few years and now it must be dealt with in order to pave the way for our next pastor. I believe most churches could benefit from an Intentional Interim position. Working alongside the Transitional Team he can force (pulling by the roots) the church to define what has brought us to this point, determine who we are, declare our market by demographic studies and other methods and delight in our new vision.

Unfortunately, most churches keep the problems buried under the surface and never really address them. The church family does not know who they really are, so they can be easily changed when a new pastor comes and preaches the latest and greatest. Often the source of power in the church is so in control that their only goal is to retain control. As one person said recently, "we just need a preacher to preach for us and let the few people who have made the decisions for years run things. That has worked fine for twenty years." This church has never faced its past to determine what has brought them to the point of needing an Intentional Interim. Like most things in life, power is a good thing and a bad thing. When applied properly power can be wonderful. I love to push on the gas pedal and feel the power of my engine pulling my car. Our heating and air service technician was replacing a capacitor on our furnace and touched the contacts with his pliers and sparks flew scaring us all. In that case power was bad. He had failed to flip the breaker. Churches are like that. So many people wanting to be in control. The Intentional Interim will be able to help channel the power in the right areas and sometimes, like the furnace guy, will see the sparks fly because he crosses the wrong people.

It is imperative that churches adress the issues before calling a new pastor. After the Transitional Team has determined who we are and what direction we should go, the church can then find a person that will be a fit. At http://www.ministrytogether.com we provide a 54 point matching system to match prospective churches with prospective pastors who have the same theological beliefs and skills so that they will be able to smoothly go forward with the vision of the church. Too many pastors today have to spend their time pulling johnson grass and never get to harvest the potatoes.....I believe strongly in the Intentional Interim position.
Preacherman

Pastor Search # 9

2010-03-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

"Why Aren't We Happy"

I am writing this from the ninth floor of Seawatch in Myrtle Beach, SC. This week should be perfect. We are here with our son, daughter in law, three and a half year old grandson and our daughter in law's parents. What can get any better than spending a few days at the beach with family, especially grandchildren. The problem is that I am inside. I am looking at the sea from behind a glass patio door. The reason is the temperature. It is cold!!! Who ever heard of having to wear heavy coats when you go to the beach. It just isn't right.

I have seen this play out in too many churches. You go a long time without a pastor. You go through the process of finding "God's Man". Your long awaited day finally arrives. You are excited, ready to go forward, enjoy the new chapter and all of a sudden you realize that it is not turning out like you had planned.

Sometimes it is because the committee may have overlooked some very important information. Too many times the church family is in such a hurry to fill the position that they put pressure on the committee to hurry up and call a pastor. When this happens the results will not be what you want. The warm body may not be a fit for the church.

Sometimes it is because the committee did not get the information needed to make the right fit for the church. We all have been guilty of sending the "sugar stick" sermon DVD to the committee. One sermon will not give a good picture of the pastor's style, personality or theological depth. It is important to use all tools available to get the greatest information in order to make the best decision for the church and the prospective pastor. One of the best things a committee can do is say to a prospect after going through the process, "We are sorry but right now our church is not a good fit for you". It is better to acknowledge that up front rather than wait until the pastor has accepted the position and moved on the field.

At http://www.ministrytogether.com we use a 54 point matching system to address these problems. Our matching questions deal with theological, contemporary, education and many other issues that will match the prospective church and pastor. When the senior pastor position is entered into our system the questions are answered according to the needs and beliefs of the church. The prospective pastors answer the same questions and the database finds and matches them to each other. It works very well and the outcome is a senior pastor or staff person that is matched to the particular church.

If we had chosen a different date for our trip to the beach or if we had checked the weather forecast in December when it was booked we may have had a different outcome. We might be walking on the beach with our grandson rather than cuddled on the couch looking out the window watching the waves.....Preacherman

Pastor Search # 8 - "Not Perfect But Good Find"

2010-01-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

Today as I put the wagon back together I found one of the bolt heads had some paint on it. This bolt is essential in order for the wagon to move forward and be effective. I had two choices. I could get a new bolt. I thought about that but the trouble of driving the fifteen minutes each way to the hardware store was too much for me today. The other choice was to take a piece of sandpaper and try to get rid of the paint. I found that this worked very well and soon all of the bolts looked sparkling new and the wagon is ready for many trips with the grandchildren.

Sometimes our search for a pastor brings the same types of issues. We find someone who is qualified, willing and ready to go. But when questioned and analyzed there is just something that isn't right. In my case I always want someone who is bald. Other people want certain schools, specific track records, etc.

So the question is "What do we do with those candidates who are not completely perfect for the position"? We have two choices. We can move on to someone else and try to find just the right person. Or we can realize that we will never find the perfect match and look for areas of compromise. There are some things that should never be compromised. Maybe another blog post will be a venue to discuss those. You all know the important ones. Whether a person has a full head of hair or went to a certain school should never stand in the way of calling a pastor.

At http://www.ministrytogether.com we use a 54 point matching system to match churches with pastors. Even though we ask some very in-depth questions we realize that very few times there will be a 100% match. We have categorized the matches into three groups: 85% or better matches are excellent matches. They may be bald but otherwise meet all the matching criteria. 50% to 84% matches have some good matching points but may need some sandpaper in certain areas (compromise). Below 50% match indicates you should look at someone else.

There were a few times in my ministry of 45 years where I needed a little sandpaper. I am so thankful that those churches took a chance on me. We had wonderful ministries, people came to know the Lord better, I grew as a pastor and the Kingdom received glory from it. So, if you are looking for a pastor don't be afraid to do a little sanding. You just might find a great pastor....Later...........Preacherman

Pastor Search # 7

2009-12-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

Getting Rid Of The Rust

I am in the middle of a very interesting project for Christmas. We bought a thirty year old Radio Flyer wagon for my grandson and I have been restoring it for one of his Christmas presents. I have found out some very interesting things about the restoration process. First, you have to get rid of all the rust before you can make it look good. That takes some hard decisions. I had to have the entire wagon sandblasted in order to get all of the old gone before I could start on the new. The second thing I had to do was put a good primer on before I could paint. Without the primer the final product would not have looked as good. Thirdly, I found that there are some things from the past that I could not keep. I was unable to get the exact Radio Flyer decals and some of the bolts are slightly different. So, although the wagon will look new and will have the foundation of the past it will be somewhat different from what it originally was.

Search committees need to realize that some churches are like the wagon. The foundation is extremely solid but some of the surface needs to be repaired. This may mean taking more time than most members want in order for the sandblasting to take place. Sometimes people need to leave in order for the church to be able to go forward. Some churches try to hold on to the past so much that they fail to see the wonderful finished product they could be. Those churches usually are not completely up front with their prospects. They will say things like, “Everything is great in our church family”. “We don’t have any problems”. That is true if they want to stay the same as they were. Where this becomes a problem is when the new pastor comes onboard and wants to follow God into the future and all the rust from the past begins to show up. They resist anything that will make them look different from what they have always been. That is tragic because the new pastor must either try to scale off a little of the rust at a time and pay the price or he gives up entirely and either leaves or settles for less than what God would have him be. It is possible for a church to hold on to some great foundations and still change for the future. I have never been in favor of what I call “Throwing out the baby with the bath water”. There are some things from the past that are great and we need to hold on to them. What is not good is when we stand in the way of doing different things because we have never done them before.

The greatest thing for search committees is to just be honest. Discuss the rust. Consider the fix even when it requires a lot of effort and time. The look on my grandson’s face Christmas morning will make all the time and work worthwhile. The end results of an honest approach to calling your next pastor will be as rewarding and worthwhile to your committee and your church. At http://www.ministrytogether.com we use a matching matrix to bring churches and prospects together that are suited for each other. When they each fill out the questionnaire they will deal with some of the rust we have been talking about……….I can’t wait til Christmas morning…I plan to take pictures…….Preacherman

Pastor Search #6

2009-10-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Finding The Perfect Match

I watched a beautiful sunset yesterday from our front porch. The bright rays reflecting over the lake began to fade behind the North Carolina hills surrounding our home. The fall colors are gorgeous. This reminded me again how wonderful our retirement has turned out. There were unanswered questions about our future. There are always the financial issues. Will there be enough money? There was the social issue. Will we get good neighbors? And there were the personal issues. Will we be happy? I can answer all of these questions with a resounding yes!! These are the types of questions a search committee must deal with. When the decision is made and everyone is satisfied that this is the right person then you wait for the outcome. Will everyone be satisfied? Will the pastor be happy in his new surroundings? Have we missed anything? The goal of the search committee is to do their homework well enough so that there is a perfect fit. There have been times when the new pastor and church fit like a glove and a hand. To often there have been situations when both parties knew right away that it was a mistake. That is tragic. Both the church and the pastor suffer. The job of the search committee is to spend the time in prayer and with leg work in order to prevent this. I speak from experience of being in that situation several years ago. I knew right away that it was not God who sent me but it was a selfish desire on my part. That church suffered and my family and I suffered as well. So, how can this be avoided? First, the search committee must use every tool possible in order to get the right person. It is not unusual for a church to get four or five hundred resumes. How can the committee find the jewel in that pile? There are services available to provide background checks and personality profiles. I talked with one committee who told me one of their candidates attached the “Myers-Briggs Indicator Certification” with his cover letter. The committee said he went to the top of their list. There are other tools available as well. We developed the http://www.ministrytogether.com/ website in order to address some of these issues. We knew there was a great need for a sifting process so that certain candidates can rise to the top rather than be hidden in the stack. We developed a 54 point matching system so the pastor and church can be matched together. We ask theological, psychological, and practical questions. The matches are listed with the percentage of match in order for the committee and the candidate to find each other. Once they have determined their matches they can communicate with each other and continue the process. Our site has become the sifter to sift out those candidates who are not a match for the particular church. The goal is for the search committee to find candidates whom they can seriously pursue rather than spending their time going through the four or five hundred resumes to hopefully find a fit. When it is all over they will see the beautiful sunsets and will be able to say, “The decision was the right one”. That is what we say every day when we look out our front window and see the beautiful view………..Preacherman

Pastor Search # 5

2009-09-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

"Choosing a candidate that the church wants rather than the candidate the church needs….."

What does a church want in a pastor? Many churches will create a questionnaire asking for each member to state what they want in their next pastor. Then they compile the list and the majority wins. Wow, that certainly opens the door for lots of issues down the road. Most often the final model for the new pastor will be; twenty-five years old with forty years experience, married with two perfect children, willing to spend ninety hours per week on the church field, great administrator but willing to let the church body make all the decisions, a strong leader but more apt to follow the majority,,,,,,well, you get the idea. When we poll the audience, we will come up with a wish list rather than a true picture of what the church needs. Often, the church needs a strong leader who will cast a vision and move people in that direction. I was speaking to a group of pastors last year about leadership and I pointed out that a shepherd never asks his sheep where they want to graze today. He never sends out a survey to determine what the majority wants. The shepherd knows what is best for his sheep. He knows where the dangerous cliffs are so he keeps them away from those areas. He knows where the predators lurk so he will be on guard if his flock is in the area of danger. In other words, the shepherd will lead his flock. So, the church needs a leader. If the church determines that they have called the person God has chosen to pastor them they should be willing to follow. So, what the church needs is a person who does not necessarily fulfill their wish list but one who has the ability to move them forward. I had a sign in my office before I retired that said, “Spiritual Leadership Is Moving People Toward God’s Agenda”. Most often the church will be willing to follow if they are convinced the pastor knows where they are going.

So, how do you get a pastor that the church needs rather than one they want? At http://www.ministrytogether.com we have designed a matching system based on the characteristics of the church and the pastor. We determine how the church deals with conflict, what they believe, and many other issues and we match them with a pastor who has the same qualities. A pastor who polls the congregation to determine how to deal with conflict will not survive in a church that chooses to deal with it head on. Our database gives a church the top matches as prospective candidates. These top matches are best suited to their characteristics and will have a much better survival rate.

There have been times in my life that I wanted something so badly that I did everything I could to get it. I have to confess that I did that with one of the churches I pastored. I wanted it so badly that I spoke with the right people and made it very clear that I was sure this was for me. Well, I got it and within a very few months I knew that it was not what I needed and I was not what the church needed. It did not last long. I did not want to leave after six months so I toughed it out…It was hard. But, it was just what I wanted. I am sure the church must have felt the same way. So, we must do whatever we can to determine needs rather than wants when calling a senior pastor or any staff member….I know I learned my lesson the hard way….Preacherman.

Pastor Search # 4

2009-08-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Failing to evaluate the church's true condition
Just what is the true condition of your church? Too often churches will tell prospective pastors that they want to grow. They will say things like; “We want to grow”, or “We want to reach new people”, or “We need to get new people into our church”. Each of these is an admirable goal for any church. The problem is that many churches really do not know what it takes to reach their community. Often churches are stuck in the past or just do not know how to reach out to new people. In his book “Comeback Churches, Ed Stetzer stated that each of the comeback churches surveyed got a new pastor. Either they had a pastor that could not move the church to comeback and that pastor left or the current pastor changed his thinking. That is great if the pastor is able to lead the church in the direction of growth. What we are talking about today is the church whose pastor has left and they are looking for the new one who will lead them to the promised land of growth. The church must look inwardly and make an honest assessment of its true condition. It just may be that unless changes are made the church cannot reach new people. James Emery White wrote a wonderful book titled “Rethinking The Church”. James White commissioned a survey of unchurched people who live the in Northeast area of Charlotte, NC. The survey sought to answer one single question; “Why don’t you attend church?”. The results were, 1) There is no value in attending 74%, 2) Churches have too many problems 61%, 3) I do not have time 48%, 4) I am simply not interested 42%. 5) Churches ask for money too frequently 40%, 6) Church services are usually boring 36%, 7) Christian churches hold no relevance for the way I live 34%, 8) I do not believe in God, or I am unsure that God exists 12%. It would be a great idea for any church to look at what they do and see if they are doing anything to help people like those surveyed find a reason to attend. When interviewing a pastor it is good to be honest and say that our church is currently maintaining. That is a healthy statement. It is not necessarily a healthy state for the church to be in but it certainly gives a prospective pastor a better understanding of what he will be up against rather than if the church states that everything is fine and going well. People who answered the question in the survey will probably not attend a church that is maintaining. They are looking for something that is relevant to them. What if you found 100 single parent mothers in your neighborhood who are trying to shuffle childcare, work and social life? Would your church do anything different than they are doing now? What if you found twenty same sex couples living in your neighborhood? Would your church do anything different than they are doing now? You see, when our church is honest with its condition, many times we will have to say, “We are doing a poor job of reaching out to the community”. Any new pastor needs to know that upfront, in order to best determine his future there. It is not a bad thing to be in a condition of not reaching new people. It is a bad thing to ignore it… At our http://www.ministrytogether.com website we use a 54 point matching system to match churches with prospective pastors. When the questions are answered correctly by the church listing a position the database will find and list every prospect by percentage of match. This makes it easy to get prospects that have the same style of ministry. When we find the right match the Kingdom grows. It is very important not to ignore issues such as the condition of the church when dealing with prospects.…….Preacherman

Pastor Search # 3

2009-06-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Leaving"

This has been a month of lasts….I had my last deacon’s meeting at my current church…..I had my last Baptist Life Communities board meeting…..I had my last book study with my friends…..I am preparing my last sermon for New Banklick Baptist Church.

Joy and I have announced our retirement and will be moving in July to our new home in Hickory, NC where we will enjoy spoiling our grandchildren. Pastoring in areas that are far from family is one of the most difficult things to do. We have missed a lot of firsts with our grandchildren. We were not there when they lost their first tooth or came home with the first A on the report card or any number of other very important things. So God is giving us some time to make up for all of those things we have missed.

What I need some of you to help me with is how to deal properly with the lasts. I have to confess that the lasts have been much more difficult for me than the firsts. I was not nervous at all nor did I dread my first sermon at this wonderful church. I did not have any bad feelings about the first deacon’s meeting, first business meeting or anything at all surrounding our first few months here. I certainly did not dread any of the wonderful meals we were fed. But the lasts have been a different story. My heart breaks every time someone hugs me and weeps or just says “I’ll miss you”. I could become a blubbering idiot if I let myself.

This blog is about going to a new church but sometimes we just need some feedback on how to leave a good church. This is something that we have not addressed on our website http://www.ministrytogether.com. Perhaps we should………Well, during the two and a half weeks that we have left I am sure there will be many lasts…I just hope I can make it….Please share your experiences and thoughts…..Preacherman

Pastor Search #2

2009-06-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

As we continue the discussion of the search process we must discuss the issue of a unanimous decision. I know everyone wants everyone to be happy. If there is one dissenting vote that means one person is not happy. Let’s be honest, just because there is not a unanimous vote does not necessarily mean that the person is wrong for the church. I have seen cases where the dissenting voter later will come on board with the new pastor and be a great asset for him. So, the question is “how low do we go”. What is the magic number for an acceptable recommendation? I believe this is a two fold question. The answer will be different for the search committee than for the church vote. I believe the committee needs to be unanimous in their decision to recommend the candidate to the church. If there are members of the committee who are not in favor then every effort should be made to answer any questions they might have. This can be done with conference calls to the candidate or another visit. The entire process must be bathed in prayer. When the committee has a legitimate hesitation the entire committee must take note of this and address it. That is the reason we have more than one person on the search committee. We all see things differently. Perhaps the reason for the hesitation is nothing more than a personality issue. Let’s face it there are some folks who like us better than others. I personally do not have any hair on top of my head. For some of you, that means I am bald. For others I am just folically challenged. There might be a person on the committee who just does not want to look at a bald preacher every week. That is a personality issue. We may also have a person who has a keen gift of discernment and just is not comfortable with the candidate. When either of these issues are addressed and they remain, it is my recommendation that the committee move on. If that person is the right candidate his name will come back up later and can be looked at another time.

In terms of the church vote I believe it is next to impossible today to get a unanimous vote. It happens some but there are more times than not that it is not unanimous. Some churches have guidelines in their bylaws for this. If it is not covered in the constitution and bylaws then I believe there should be at least an 85% vote. Even with 85% that means you have 15% whom you will have to win over. This just makes the first few years a little more difficult. I believe the outcome of the vote will be dependent to a large degree in the presentation by the committee. If the committee does a great job the vote will be better. This should be a great time of celebration and the committee gives the church ample opportunity to get acquainted with the candidate. Just bringing a person in to preach and meet with the candidate and then having a vote is a disaster waiting to happen. If the committee is serious about the candidate then they should show that seriousness to the church family. There should be receptions and meals. There should be meetings with each of the people groups within the church. The prospective pastor should have a time with the students in the church. He should be able to meet with the senior adults and the median adults and all the staff and anyone who has anything to do with the everyday workings of the church. When all that is done everyone will have an opportunity to know him before they cast their vote. I believe this will eliminate some of the dissension. 100% would be great but the odds are that isn’t going to always happen. What the church must work toward is to get as high a percentage as possible.

One of the things we address at www.ministrytogether.com is the compatibility issue between the candidate and the church. Our 54 point matching system will filter out those candidates that will not be suited to the church. When the church receives a candidate from www.ministrytogether.com they can be assured that these issues have been addressed……Preacherman

Search Process # 1

2009-05-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

The process of searching for a pastor is extremely difficult at best. Having been on both ends of this process I can speak with some authority on the subject. First of all, I have been a pastor for over forty years and have met with several search committees. In addition, I served on the search committee for a church that ran over one thousand in worship. I have had the opportunity to learn some things that help and hinder the process. This is one of the reasons we developed http://ministrytogether.com. This is a website that uses a 54 point matching system to bring prospective pastors and churches together. I recently read an article by Dr. L. Roy Taylor of the PCA called “I Wish We Had (Or Hadn't)…"Ten Common Search Committee Mistakes”
Dr. Taylor addresses items such as Failing to check out a candidate's track record, Requiring a unanimous recommendation from the committee. Making a decision based on a first impression. Choosing a candidate that the church wants rather than the candidate the church needs. Choosing a candidate who cannot adapt to the local culture of the community and church. Failing to evaluate the church's true condition Choosing a candidate because he is either exactly like or exactly opposite the former pastor. Evaluating the candidate's sermons upon ones he has chosen, not the committee. Having too large a committee. Failing to be discreet and to maintain total secrecy during the search process.
Sometiems first impressions of the candidate or the chruch can be decieving. Failure to check out the candidate’s track record can be a very serious issue for a committee. We see many factors that will cause spikes in any given year. When a candidate gives stats for only one or two years when he has served for several can be an indication that those were his best years. Usually we find the first year after the pastor comes on the field is one of his best. The people who left during the time there was no pastor will sometimes come back to check out the new guy. Also, his excitement as the new pastor will be infectious. As a result, the entire church will be more inviting and the numbers will grow. I suggest a committee look at the entire tenure as an umbrella. There will be spikes and there will be low years. What did the candidate do overall. You should request stats for the entire time he served at his last church. Gather as much info as possible from previous churches. See if he finished on a high or were the numbers sliding when he left. If so, ask the probing questions. Find out why. This is your time to ask the hard questions. After you call a candidate it is too late to discover that he was not upfront with his info….The same holds true for the prospective pastor. Before the call is time to find out about the church. Look at history. Look at the health of the church before the last pastor left and the time since. Are there issues that need to be addressed. In our think tank meetings to develop our 54 point matching mattrix we looked at the questions pastors wished they had asked the committee before saying yes. Such questions as "Why did the last guy leave?" "Do you want a leader or a follower?" "What are your real expectations for your pastor". Sometimes we find that churches will say they want to grow and reach people when in reality they are saying we want a pastor who will reach people. That is an impossible task when he is expected to do it all by himself. We should be able to expect church search committees to be honest with a candidate just as they expect the candidate to be honest with them. That, after all, is the Christlike model spelled out in scripture where our yes should be yes and our no should be no. But, I just wonder, how many times that really does not happen......I will write about the other issues in a later post………Preacherman