Is Your Church Looking for an Interim Pastor? This may help ...

NORTH TEXAS BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

INTERIM PASTOR SEARCH HELPS

1.     Determine selection process. Will the church select candidate through Pastor Search Committee? Select candidate by Elders? Select candidate by Deacons?

2.     Pray as a group. It will be easy to get distracted by resumes and the sense of urgency to get someone. Remember calling the wrong man is worse than not calling one immediately.

3.     Be cautious with randomly arriving resumes. Many preachers are looking for positions but few are looking for churches to serve. Also be careful of preachers who randomly show up when the church is without a pastor.

4.     Get recommendations from trustworthy pastors/church leaders among our denomination. I know most every preacher in our wider family but if not then within one phone call in any direction I can find out important information. The issue is not only whether or not a man is a good preacher but is he a good fit for the particular church situation in question.

5.     Be careful with church surveys. Everyone has an opinion but the church has commissioned you to find the man God has appointed to serve you all in this time of transition.

6.     Communicate well to the congregation. Make sure you give them updates on your progress. If you are praying, then explain that to them and the importance of such work. If you have a candidate upcoming, then let them know what information you can share.

7.     Determine if you will or will not consider the interim pastor as the permanent pastor. I generally recommend that you sign an agreement upfront that this will not be allowed. It helps to prevent potential deceptive candidacy as well as clarifies the expectations for the congregation.

8.     Write a clear job description. What are the needs of the church and the expectations of the interim pastor to help meet these? Will he preach Sunday morning only? Sunday evening, Wednesday evening? Will there be help with staff meetings? Hospital visits? Evangelistic visitation? Will he need to be available for emergencies? Will the Pastor Search Committee want his help in some/all of their meetings?

9.     Determine compensation. Consider how much time will be spent in sermon preparation, meeting preparation, and all time spent serving the church. Will there be some meal expense involved? Will he be compensated for church use mileage on his vehicle?

10.  Verify any potential candidate is in agreement with the doctrinal statement and church bylaws. Have a copy of each and give to any candidate you interview.

11.  Identify the core values that are most important to the church. What should a church be doing? What are most important characteristics in a pastor?

12.  Interview candidate. Does he share the same core values as the church? Is he personable, friendly, good Bible teacher?

13.  Carefully examine resume. Is he honest about accomplishments? Are there embellishments? If education is unaccredited, is that mentioned or misrepresented? Does his experience appear to be helpful for your particular situation?

14.  Check references. You are not just researching whether or not he is a “good guy” but you are seeking discernment regarding his fitness for this particular ministry at this particular time.

15.  Extend invitation to candidate to preach in view of call. Avoid a preaching pageant in which whoever is most popular is selected. I recommend pursuing one man at a time and then inviting this one man to be presented to church family. Let the congregation vote to affirm him and follow the church bylaws for this affirmation.

16.  Present interim pastor to church. Have a special welcome time of fellowship for people to connect with the interim pastor. The committee can briefly describe what they appreciate about him and then he can describe his excitement to serve the church.

Onward and Upward,

Richmond Goolsby

Building and Rebuilding Culture with Goodness, Truth, Beauty, and Justice:

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” – Col. 3:23

  

1.   Work hard – When others want to know what is proper work ethic they should find it in the Christian. We display the image of God when we work, do, create.

2.    Be patient – It…takes…a…long…time. You will be frustrated and usually after the honeymoon is over (6-12 months) you will begin dreaming of other things. Stay with it.

3.    Endure Suffering - It takes a long time to build cultural institutions that make change. This is a lifetime endeavor not something achieved in two or three years.

4.    Identify what people really need - Exchange begins with a need. That need must be served with the highest quality. You may not be able to reinvent the wheel but you can sure make better ones. We must go beyond the status quo. Identify a specific need and go after it.

5.     Outperform others – In a free-market there will always be innovation that outperforms the status quo. Outperform yourself before someone else does. After all, we are tapped into the infinite power source who has all knowledge and power.

6.     Connect people to the transcendent – look for goodness, truth, beauty, and justice and help others to see it. Their hearts are longing for it but they are distracted by lesser things, deceptive things which offer perverted pleasure. Our cultivation of this connection helps reunite people to that which is ultimately beneficial for us all. Point them to Jesus who is Himself good, true, beautiful, and just.