Like the first leg of the relay race, their job is only a beginning. They do not have sole responsibility in choosing a leader. They, metaphorically speaking, only seek to begin the race on a with a good lead. Their task is achieving unity, teamwork and trust. It is their job to ask hard questions and not just forming a clique. The search committee relies on the church community to support them as they represent the church to the potential candidates, decide which candidates fit the needs of the church, and seek to be in tune with God's lead for our church.
These are (Joseph Umidi, "Confirming the Pastoral Call") the author's opinion of a method and means of choosing a search committee. I'll let him introduce, in his own words, the strategy of the search team as follows.
Making that first impression while staying faithful to the true character of the church takes preparation and development for anyone, especially a group unfamiliar with eachother. Those who are on the committee are responsible to more than just picking names that people like. They must be deeply committed to a relationship with all on the committee and build a openness and trust, all this with a group that reflects the diversities of the church.
The author quotes Leith Anderson, the author of Dying for Change, describing the process of developing an effective search team. Every member of the search committee must faithfully ask for God's help. The relationships of those in the search process must reflect biblical principles of fellowship, integrity and love. It may be necessary for the search committee members to spend months building their own spritual lives and interpersonal relationships before they can productively move on the the actual search.
The search committee, in the author's opinion, is picked under one of two paradigms. He notes that the traditional method is to pick members who can represent the most significant groups in the congregation, including youth and women. They are chosen to ensure specific groups have a voice. They must be prepared and have good leadership to avoid discouragment. The other method is to incorporate elders and senior staff who bring the actual expectations to the process. Staff and elders have more experience evaluating the expectations of both parties. A staff committee must be objective and wary of choosing a candidate who fits their desires rather than a need of the congregation. Either way, there is a real ability for a mismatch if present staff are sidestepped or ignored.
There are criteria or questions he offers to help judge potential members for the committee. Who has done this well in the past? Who has experience in this field? Who has insight into understanding clergy? Who shows the discipline and skills necessary for this appointment? Who can pray for extended seasons? It is even suggested that, if part of a denomination, we seek oversight who can help us determine our methodology for a search committee. If we are not denominational, we might seek out the help of 2 or 3 sister churches for help, noting the unity that it would foster in your local area.
It is warned; emphasized,
"The most common reason for recruitment mistakes is summed up in this unfortunate statement: We were in a hurry to find a pastor."
If people feel pressure to get a pastor, it is recommended that you hire an interim pastor. It is also warned not to make the interim pastor a potential candidate.
What can the rest of the church do? Pray for the wisdom of the leaders in choosing the search committee. Pray for the search committee. As you now recognize, there is a deep responsibility within the search committee to foster a good relationship with each other. They will need to feel open to discuss their views. The must leave agendas to God. They must be able to sort out expectations of every category in the church. And they must be able to access the candidates. The most important and critical stage of this process is that the committee bond with a level of support and intimacy that makes it possible for each of the to feel comfortable expressing their opinions. This is only possible if the committee continues to focus on becoming a community.
Here is a list of reasons to pray for the search committee (from the book, of course):
These are (Joseph Umidi, "Confirming the Pastoral Call") the author's opinion of a method and means of choosing a search committee. I'll let him introduce, in his own words, the strategy of the search team as follows.
The pastoral or leadership search committee will seek to uncover the depths of a candidate's character and calling. In the process of preparing for this important "gatekeeping" responsibility, committee members will delve deep into eachother's lives. They will become the community expression of the larger church body as they relate to one another and to the candidate.
Making that first impression while staying faithful to the true character of the church takes preparation and development for anyone, especially a group unfamiliar with eachother. Those who are on the committee are responsible to more than just picking names that people like. They must be deeply committed to a relationship with all on the committee and build a openness and trust, all this with a group that reflects the diversities of the church.
The author quotes Leith Anderson, the author of Dying for Change, describing the process of developing an effective search team. Every member of the search committee must faithfully ask for God's help. The relationships of those in the search process must reflect biblical principles of fellowship, integrity and love. It may be necessary for the search committee members to spend months building their own spritual lives and interpersonal relationships before they can productively move on the the actual search.
The search committee, in the author's opinion, is picked under one of two paradigms. He notes that the traditional method is to pick members who can represent the most significant groups in the congregation, including youth and women. They are chosen to ensure specific groups have a voice. They must be prepared and have good leadership to avoid discouragment. The other method is to incorporate elders and senior staff who bring the actual expectations to the process. Staff and elders have more experience evaluating the expectations of both parties. A staff committee must be objective and wary of choosing a candidate who fits their desires rather than a need of the congregation. Either way, there is a real ability for a mismatch if present staff are sidestepped or ignored.
There are criteria or questions he offers to help judge potential members for the committee. Who has done this well in the past? Who has experience in this field? Who has insight into understanding clergy? Who shows the discipline and skills necessary for this appointment? Who can pray for extended seasons? It is even suggested that, if part of a denomination, we seek oversight who can help us determine our methodology for a search committee. If we are not denominational, we might seek out the help of 2 or 3 sister churches for help, noting the unity that it would foster in your local area.
It is warned; emphasized,
"The most common reason for recruitment mistakes is summed up in this unfortunate statement: We were in a hurry to find a pastor."
If people feel pressure to get a pastor, it is recommended that you hire an interim pastor. It is also warned not to make the interim pastor a potential candidate.
What can the rest of the church do? Pray for the wisdom of the leaders in choosing the search committee. Pray for the search committee. As you now recognize, there is a deep responsibility within the search committee to foster a good relationship with each other. They will need to feel open to discuss their views. The must leave agendas to God. They must be able to sort out expectations of every category in the church. And they must be able to access the candidates. The most important and critical stage of this process is that the committee bond with a level of support and intimacy that makes it possible for each of the to feel comfortable expressing their opinions. This is only possible if the committee continues to focus on becoming a community.
Here is a list of reasons to pray for the search committee (from the book, of course):
- Many search committees are inexperienced (37% in the selection process and most are made up of a diverse personalities who have been thrown together with little direction and few guidelines and told to perform a specific task in a short time. The average chairperson has little experience in facilitatin community relationships but may hav strong task-driven skills.
- Unrealistic or unexpressed expectations (25%) from the congregation often result in wrong selections. The person may not fully represent the expectations of the church, but after the candidate is hired, he sees that the church's expectations do not match the expectations expressed by the committee.
- Many search committees are overly anxious to fill the position (23%). This manifests by lack of excitement of the task and responsibility and a community of communication is never fostered.
- Selection committees often rely on human wisdom rather than divind guidance (16%). Man judges by outward appearances, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
- Search committees are often uncertain of the church's real needs (12%). Either the church leaders have not adequately assessed their needs, or they have not shared this information with the search committee.
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