Seeking recommendations can also be useful when considering one who has not yet held a pastorate. A teacher, a fellow student, and a former employer should be included on this list. An attempt should be made through these contacts to determine the willingness to work and the ability to get along with people. The committee must then determine the order in which the candidates are to be considered. They should also decide the method for the presentation of each candidate. There may be some who will be judged mainly on the basis of record, others largely through recommendations and interviews, and others who will be asked to preach to the congregation. The committee should submit their first recommen dation to the church along with their "suggestion as to the means of considering that candidate. If he is to be chosen on the basis of his previous record, references and the interview, a decision can be made at that time. If he is to be asked to preach before the congregation, this should be noted and arrangements made to vote on the candidate immediately thereafter. Above all, con sider the candidates one at a time! This is fair to the man and can save a church from serious internal strife over the choice. A two-thirds vote is the normal requirement for the call of a pastor. If the first one considered fails to receive a call, the second name on the list should be considered with the same procedure continuing until a man is called. A word of warning should be voiced to those who are examining a pastor’s record. There are many rea sons for apparent failure other than inadequacies in the pastor. He may have had a divided church because he was willing to take a stand on significant issues. Also he may have faced the unfortunate circumstance of a church where there are personality clashes among mem bers which made growth impossible. A pastor’s minis try has been known to have been greatly impaired, too, by a person or group who are not in sympathy with his leadership. Since there are so many possible causes of an ineffective ministry, the committee should exercise care in eliminating men without a thoughtful analysis of all the evidence available. A word of caution is in order, also, in relation to the procedure o f' preaching trial sermons. There are dangers to both the church and the speaker. From the standpoint of the church, most speakers can deliver two good sermons which will impress the church but which may give no idea of the steady diet which they might expect. From the standpoint of the candidate, he may do his worst because of the extreme pressure. Then, too, other areas such as visitation or administration may be his strong points. Yet he is judged almost en tirely on the basis of a poor example of his preaching. While it is probably not best to eliminate this method, yet it should not be used as the sole determinant. Each prospect who is being considered should be notified immediately whether he has been called or not. If a call is extended, the exact terms of the agreement should be included so there is no misunderstanding in regard to such things as salary, moving expenses, and housing. A time when a reply is expected can be stated with two weeks being a reasonable period during which acceptance or rejection should be made. Some might think the procedure outlined is too de tailed. Some will disagree with the procedure. The goal for writing this was to try to lay down a few guidelines to help in establishing a healthy relationship between pastor and church. Whether the procedures outlined are followed or not, if this encourages churches to give thought to improving their method of calling pastors, the purpose will have been accomplished. 23
be the goal of the committee to arrive at an order of preference so that the men can be considered one at a time. If a man is well known, there is very little problem. He should be included on the list or rejected on the basis of his record. But where the one under considera tion lacks experience or is located in another area, the problem becomes more complex. Several methods will be presented as possibilities for helping to determine suitability. The committee will have to decide which would be feasible in each case. The most common method is to have the prospect come and preach a sermon or sermons, a practice com monly known as “ candidating.” This method should not be employed during the screening process. Other means of securing information should be utilized. And, then, on the basis of this data, the committee should make a decision as to whether the person would be asked to “ candidate” at the time when the church is actually giving final consideration. However, it might be profit able to hear several sermons which had been taped by the one who was interested in the pastorate. Where the prospect is pastoring another church within a reasonable distance, a meaningful analysis of his ministry can be made by visiting the church. Care should be taken by the committee so that its presence is not so conspicuous that it is an embarrassment to all concerned. Perhaps members of the committee could visit on different occasions. The questionnaire is another approach that can be utilized. This can possibly be followed by an interview with the prospect. There are some areas that could cause serious problems and need to be considered before a pastor is called. Some of the questions that might be asked are as follows: 1. Do you have doctrinal convictions which are con trary to the established beliefs as stated in the constitution of the church? 2. What is your attitude toward the authority of the pastor in administering the affairs of the church? 3. What is your position in relation to standards of separation ? 4. What would be the general program which would be suggested for the church? (e.g. changes in staff, building plans, etc.) 5. What are your ideas in relation to organization and administration of the Christian education and youth program? 6. Where would you suggest would be the best place for the young people to receive training after high school? 7. What is your attitude toward denominational and interdenominational cooperation ? 8. What are your ideas in relation to community re sponsibilities ? 9. What do you believe is the responsibility of the church in regard to education? 10. What is your conviction in relation to the church missionary program? 11. What is your feeling in regard to race relations? 12. What is your stand in regard to divorce and re marriage ? 13. What are your desires in relation to housing for the minister? 14. What position do you feel your wife should take in the church program? Many other questions could be asked but a clarifica tion of the position of the church and the candidate on these issues would be very helpful to both parties in determining whether there could be a harmonious re lationship. SEPTEMBER, 1965
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