Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Next Pastor
Solutions matched with today's trends (part 2 of 2 in a series)
In my previous article on this subject, I gave you ten reasons it is harder to find a pastor now. It may have confirmed some suspicions for you, or in some cases explained something that confused you. Or maybe it just depressed you. Perhaps the why behind this trend is less important than what you'll do in response. So let's talk about that.
In light of this trend that makes it harder to find pastors in a search, what can you do about it? What are some questions to ask as you search for a pastor? Here are several:
Is the next pastor younger than I presume?
As a pastor retires or transitions out it can sometimes be tempting to think of an "ideal age" for the next pastor. Sometimes this is subconscious but I've also seen people say it out loud or even (gasp) put it right in the job posting. Yikes! Instead, remember the age that a long-tenured pastor was at your church when they first came there. If you're looking for someone to spend twenty years with your church leading it, then they aren't merely a millennial, they are likely a younger-under-35-millennial. Give them an interview at least.
Is the next pastor older than I presume?
On the flip side of the coin, sometimes we pre-judge people who are over 55. Your next pastor may take your church as their "last church." People are living longer, staying healthier longer, and retiring later. A 65-year-old pastor might have more energy than you think. Yours might be their "second wind" church. And of course, they'll bring all that wisdom and experience you might unjustly expect from someone younger.
Is the next pastor a woman?
Most churches out there will go through an entire search for a pastor and complain "They can't find anyone" and then I discover they haven't interviewed even one pastor who is a woman for the job. How odd to leave out half of the kingdom force God has equipped to minister! As an added tip, many notice that women often increase in leadership energy at the ages many men find themselves slowing down. That 55-year-old leader who is a woman might have the energy of a man 15 years younger than her.
Is the next pastor a person of color?
Almost all of what I said about women applies here as well. Searches will sometimes completely ignore finding or interviewing any candidates of color. What's more, the search often goes out into standard networks where people of color are scarce (more on this below). Get out of the typical lanes and you might find an amazing pastor of color, or an immigrant pastor to lead the church.
Is the next pastor someone who switched careers, but might switch back?
In the previous article, we noted this trend, but some of those who took five years away from pastoral ministry might be ready to come back now. All too often in the church, we think of these as sort of "permanent departures" and they don't show up on anyone's recommendation list again. Why not catch someone super fresh as they return to pastoral ministry with newly forged non-church job leadership skills and platform, and perhaps a renewed perspective on church life? They'll relate to your people like a few other pastors.
Is the next pastor someone local, or with local or regional ties?
The local trend can be a source of leads if you flip it. If someone from another denomination left a church locally but was unwilling to move, well, that gives you an inside lane if your church is within driving distance. Think about local pastors that are looking from other networks. Likewise, if someone has a family member in the area it might make them more willing to "move back to the family" so ask those in the church who have relatives elsewhere in the ministry for some names (just make sure they don't make any promises to those relatives.)
Is the next pastor going to be drawn by our external context and opportunities more than our internal identity?
We often think what will draw someone to a church is what is happening in the building, but the best pastors are thinking primarily about the community around the church. If they have the drive to serve in a missional and outward-facing (not ingrown) way, they will not be thinking as much of the crowd that now gathers, as they are about the context, demographics, trends, and opportunities around the church.
Is the next pastor going to come from an unusual networking source for me?
One of the great limitations of most who search for pastors is that they look under the same rocks over and over again. Consider going to a conference attended by an entirely different demographic than you. Ask friends with different denominational backgrounds, different ethnicity or gender than you, or alternative educational connections than you have, all to help you source candidates. Of course, you need to adjust your approach to the interview process as well. Getting a more diverse slate of candidates doesn't help if you drive them all away once the process starts.
Is the next pastor going to have less of a track record of growth than I expect?
Because there has been less growth than in the past in all kinds of churches, we may need to adjust our expectations for track record of growth. A pastor that merely held a church together through the bumpy ride of the last five years of ministry might have the resiliency and faithfulness you need to lead in this next leg of the journey.
Is the next pastor going to lead us into a new model of ministry?
The next pastor may have some wilder ideas and different models they've flirted with in the past, or even engaged in outside of a traditional church. That doesn't mean they couldn't integrate some of those into your current model, or adjust your church to try some new things. There is a growing trend for "deep roots, wild branches" style ministry where a hybrid develops where the deep roots of the inherited church ground the ministry for the long run, but new branches or fresh expressions of ministry can grow wild out of the old tree, and then everyone (one hopes) benefits from the best of both worlds. Sounds exciting!
In the end, if you ask these questions and think outside the box you can find a pastor that might not be who you would have picked at first, but may be God's perfect pick for the future of your church, community, and culture. So, ask them for a resume, don’t say “no” too quickly, and never say "no" for them.
Are there other key questions you think people should be asking about their next pastor?