How Do Churches Find a New Pastor?
Best Practices For Pastoral Search and Church Leadership Transition
One of the most challenging seasons in the life of any church is the transition between pastors. Whether through retirement, a new calling, or the passing of a beloved leader, finding the right person to shepherd your congregation requires wisdom, patience, and careful consideration. This comprehensive guide will help your church navigate this important journey.
What Should a Church Do Before Starting a Pastoral Search?
The natural tendency of many churches is to rush into finding their next pastor. As ministry veteran Ed Short explains, "Churches pretty much want to skip a self-evaluation process and get right to, 'let's go find the guy.'" However, this eagerness to fill the pulpit can lead to significant problems down the road.
The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 5:22 to "not be hasty in the laying on of hands," which applies perfectly to the pastoral search process.
"I think that one of the keys there is they probably don't realize how much of the flavor of the church is really their former or retiring pastor," Short notes. "For some of the people probably on the search team or the screening team, they've never had any other pastor. And so their grid's a little bit narrow."
Before beginning your search, take time to conduct a thorough assessment of your church's current state. This should include:
Evaluating ministry effectiveness
Understanding your community context
Identifying areas of strength and weakness
Assessing financial health
Reviewing current programs and ministries
Understanding your congregation's demographics
This assessment creates a clear picture of the type of leader needed for your next season of ministry.
How Important is Vision When Choosing a New Pastor?
Vision alignment is crucial in any pastoral search, but the timing of vision-casting matters greatly. As Short points out, "If there's adjustments that are going to be made in the vision, it's going to appear they're being made because of the new guy, where it ought to be the elder team, the overseer team, the deacon team, whatever your leadership structure is... determining the direction."
Proverbs 29:18 tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." However, it's important to note that the vision for the church's future should come from the leadership team's prayerful consideration, not solely from the new pastor.
"You got to understand where you are, the good, the bad, the ugly, and where we want to go," Short advises. "And we ought to go out and find a pastor that can help us get from point A to point B."
What Assessment Tools Should Churches Use When Evaluating Pastoral Candidates?
Modern pastoral searches benefit greatly from professional assessment tools. As Bart Blair emphasizes, "If half of the responsibilities a guy's going to have are not in his wheelhouse, he's not the guy." Three key assessments every search committee should consider include:
Working Genius Profile - This business assessment helps understand what energizes a person and what drains them in their work.
DISC Profile - This personality assessment helps understand how a candidate will interact with others and lead the organization.
Spiritual Gifts Assessment - Different pastors have different gift mixes, and understanding these can help ensure alignment with your church's needs.
How Can a New Pastor Build Trust with Their Congregation?
The most successful pastoral transitions often begin with an intentional focus on relationship-building. As Short explains, "What they care about is, does he love me? Does he know me? Is he investing in me? If I do that, then down the road, I can share the vision."
Blair emphasizes that new pastors need to "learn the stories of the people in the church and find out what it is that people love about the church and why they're there in the first place." This investment in relationships builds the trust necessary for future change and growth.
How Much Should Churches Pay Their New Pastor?
Pastoral compensation is often a sensitive topic, but it's crucial to approach it with both generosity and wisdom. Blair shares a powerful perspective: "I never want finances to be a reason for him to not be fully focused on the ministry that we're calling him to do."
Short adds an important distinction: "I don't think anybody ought to be in ministry to make money. I don't buy that. It's a passion. I want to hire a guy that would do it for free if he could. BUt that doesn’t mean we don’t pay him what he’s worth."
When considering compensation, churches should:
Research comparable salaries in their area and context
Consider cost of living and family needs
Include comprehensive benefits
Plan for professional development
Avoid tying salary to family size or other arbitrary factors
Remember Paul's teaching in 1 Timothy 5:18, "The laborer deserves his wages."
Bart Blair suggests looking at the salary structure in your local school district. “We try to start at a baseline of paying the pastor euqal to a local high school teacher with a Master’s Degree. That’s the starting place. While most churches can’t offer the same type of benefits that a school district can, that also needs to be factored into the wage discussion.”
What's the Best Way to Handle the Transition Between Pastors?
Timing is crucial in pastoral transitions. As Blair notes, "When a pastor discovers or determines that he's ready to transition and the church is going to bring in the next leader, that handoff has to happen quicker than you typically want it to."
For churches where the retiring pastor plans to remain in the congregation, Short offers two crucial statements the former pastor must be able to say:
"I really love what [the new pastor] is doing"
"Really love where [the new pastor] and the elders are taking the ministry"
"If he can't say that," Short emphasizes, "my opinion, the outgoing can't stick around. We know that he’s been in the church for a long time and all of his close friends and relationships are here, but if him being around impedes the ability of the new pastor to lead, he can’t saty."
What Should Churches Know About Their Congregation Before Hiring a Pastor?
Understanding congregation dynamics is crucial for a successful pastoral transition. Short shares this insight: "Twenty percent of the people in the average church probably care about the vision. Twenty percent of the people in the average church probably are never going to buy into your vision, which means they're sixty percent in the middle."
This understanding helps both the search committee and the incoming pastor set realistic expectations. As Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), not everyone will receive the message the same way.
How Should Churches Interview Pastoral Candidates?
A thorough interview process should include multiple stages. As Short advises, "Come in. Let's just do life together. Let's hang out... The advantage of bowling, if you really think about it, is it's pretty boring. So what do you do? You talk the whole time."
The process should include:
Initial screening through questionnaires and documents
Video interviews with promising candidates
In-person visits with top candidates
Extended time with the candidate and their spouse
Informal social interactions
Observation of teaching/preaching
Leadership team interactions
What Should Churches Tell Potential Pastoral Candidates About Their Church?
Complete honesty during the search process is essential. As Short notes, "Any pastor worth his weight is going to say, 'So what's it really like there? Just give me the real scoop.'" Churches must resist the temptation to hide their challenges or oversell their strengths.
What Steps Should Churches Take When Searching for a New Pastor?
For churches approaching a pastoral transition, here are key action steps:
Take time to assess where your church truly is before beginning the search
Invest in proper assessment tools
Be honest about your church's current reality with candidates
Consider bringing in outside help for objective perspective
Be generous in your compensation package
Allow time for relationship-building before expecting major changes
Consider a healthy interim period between pastors
Set realistic expectations for both the congregation and the new pastor
How Can Churches Ensure a Successful Pastoral Transition?
Successful pastoral transitions focus on relationships first and programs second. As Short emphasizes, "You got to do a lot of front porch conversation. You got a lot of kitchen conversation. Stop in for ten minutes... just talk and you get to know the kids' names. And before you know it, you're going, OK, this is going to work."
As Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:2-3, "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."
Finding your next pastor isn't just about filling a position - it's about finding the right shepherd for your specific flock at this specific time. By taking the time to do it right, being honest about who you are as a church, and focusing on relationships first, you can set both your new pastor and your congregation up for a healthy and fruitful ministry together.
Remember Short's encouraging words: "I've never known, I've never seen a generous church suffer. I've never seen a generous person be unhappy." As you move through this transition, trust that as you approach it with generosity, wisdom, and patience, God will guide you to the right leader for your church's next chapter.