While I am not saying it cannot be done, church’s rarely make the decision to hire/call a pastor after just one interview. Even if you clearly are the strongest candidate and have well-aligned ministry skills and experience, you can expect two, three interviews – perhaps even more.
Below are several brief articles and guides to help you successfully navigate this unique, complex, and sometimes frustratingly quirky process.
The Pastoral Search Beauty Contest
When I was in high school, the church I attended was in full-blown pastoral search mode. As the process moved along, the pool of applicants was narrowed down to three—they are pictured to the left (just kidding). With the field narrowed, each finalist was scheduled to candidate at the church—one candidate each weekend over three consecutive weeks. Once that was completed, the congregation was to vote and choose which of the three they liked best. Kind of like a beauty contest.
While I’m sure the pastoral search committee had the church’s best interests in mind, in retrospect, the process felt awkward. Conversations always seemed to boil down to comparing one candidate’s perceived strengths and weaknesses against those of another. It all felt very shallow—but then, perhaps that’s the nature of most beauty contests.
Why churches go this route
Churches and pastoral search committees like options. The beauty contest approach tends to keep more pastoral candidates engaged in the process for a longer period of time. Search committees appreciate having options to consider and choose from—this is why buffets are so popular.
As a pastoral candidate, be aware that some churches may take this approach.
The downside of the beauty pageant approach
STRUNG ALONG
First, the “beauty‑pageant” approach often leaves pastors feeling strung along. Without knowing it, they may be the third‑choice candidate—but are kept in the running just in case candidate one or two bows out.
COMPARISONS
Second, candidates in a pastoral‑search beauty pageant are seldom evaluated based on a well‑planned, Spirit‑led understanding of the church’s spiritual needs. Instead, the process quickly devolves into a comparison game—how do candidates stack up against one another?
FAULTY DECISION‑MAKING PROCESS:
Finally, the beauty‑pageant model reinforces a preference‑driven decision‑making approach. The real question is: can the church select a candidate in light of the biblical qualifications for a pastor and the spiritual needs of the congregation—or not? Is it really a good thing for a church to use the same decision‑making model to select a pastor as it uses to select the best paint color for the men’s restroom?
Red Flags in the Pastoral Search Interview Process
As you move through the interviewing process, more of the church’s quirks, hang-up, and blind spots will become visible. Some candidates are energized by these and see them as the ministerial challenge they’ve been waiting for. Others see them as warning signs – red flags – that could bring their candidacy to an end.
What are some potential red flags which might come to your attention in the interview. (By “red flag” I mean an issue that has the potential to bring your candidacy to an end if it is not satisfactorily clarified or resolved.)
While every pastoral candidate has their own “red flags”, if I was being interviewed, these would be mine.
A Dominant Leader / Passive Committee
There is a fine line between leading and dominating. In the interview, is one person carrying a disproportionately large amount of the conversation, questioning, and follow up. Are other members of the committee being cut off or perhaps ignored by the person facilitating the meeting? Do committee members appear engaged but quiet or are they apathetic and disengaged.
Step to Take
To discern if this is an issue, during the interview ask other members of the team to give their feedback on a particular question or issue.
- Do they freely give their input?
- Are they passive?
- Do they look to the “leader” to give the answer?
- Do they get interrupted or “over spoke” by one or two dominant personalities?
A Dominant Issue
Imagine you are in an interview with a pastoral search team and the first question they have for you is:
How do you respond to conflict in the church?
Then, a little later you are asked:
How do you handle church discipline?
A question or two later you are asked:
How would you respond if someone interrupted your sermon and started yelling at you?
Then the follow up question is:
Have you ever had anyone from your church physically attack you? If so, how did you respond?
Then the last question in the interview is:
Tell us about a time when you had to call the police to prevent a fist fight from breaking out at a monthly elders’ meeting?
Steps to Take
While this example is exaggerated, it does raise a point. If one issue is frequently brought up in the interview, you need to find out why.
Using this as an example, perhaps asking “I’ve noticed that there have been several questions related to responding to conflict and conflict resolution in the church. Can you tell me about any unresolved disputes or disagreements in the church?”
Predecessors: Pastor Glow or Pastor Gloom
In the interview process, you might discover that your predecessor was a well-loved, godly pastor who served the church admirably for 42 years, leaving a legacy of spiritual growth and cherished memories. (That would be the Glow.)
Other times, you may find that the former pastor’s ministry was marred by moral failures, poor people skills, ineffective leadership, or uninspiring sermons. (That would be the Gloom.)
“Glow or Gloom” scenarios often shape how the search committee approaches the pastoral search process. Consciously or not, they are projecting their cautions and fears, experiences and expectations on to future pastoral leadership.
In the Interview
- Listen for questions that begin with “Our previous pastor…” and then pay attention to what comes after that. Are you getting the “glow” or the “gloom?”
- Listen also for how often the gloom and/or the glow pop up in the interview. Frequent references to one or the other may indicate that the church is either hesitant to move on from the glow or is in need of healing from the the gloom.
Other Potential Red Flags Would Include
- An ongong and general lack of communication, follow-up, or preparation on the part of the Pastoral search committee.
- In the interview, search committee questions that are overly concerned about one particular theological or social/cultural issue.
- Repeated criticism of previous ministerial leadership, the church’s denomination, or other churches in the area.
Final thoughts
Ask “Are their other candidates in the process of consideration
May not be comfortab le with that level of questioning
Diminished due to the lack of candidates.
Questions you should ask
Dominante Interviewer
Passive team
Vague answers
Frequent questons on just one topic