•

• Provide a grocery shower for the pastoral family. Finding their pantry
stocked with staples required for the first few weeks or months is a meaningful expression of love, especially when they are often grieving the loss of relationships from their former congregation. • Introduce children of the pastor to their peers, making sure that they
• Make a big deal of welcoming the new pastor into the community.
Put up a welcome banner at the church or even in the community. You may invite the local newspaper to interview the pastor. In any case, a picture with a short article should be sent to the paper for publication. Plan a Meaningful Covenanting Service:
Sometime within the first month or two of the arrival of the pastor, plan for a special service in which the congregation and the pastoral family covenant to work together in mutual love and respect in your church. We prefer the term Covenanting Service over the traditional Installation
Service because it better expresses a two-way commitment. The focus is
as much on the congregation as on the new pastor. We all commit ourselves in a new way to make the new arrangements work for the glory of God. Be sure to notify the Regional Coach of the date and time of this service and plan to involve a representative of the EMMC Regional I. Get Set for the Long Haul: Having made a good
beginning, do all you can as a congregation to ensure that this new arrangement will be long-term. Take good care of your new pastor and his family. Pray for them regularly and offer regular encouragement. Note: The focus in this guide has been on choosing a senior pastor for a church. If
your church is looking for an associate or youth pastor you will find this guide useful as well. However, some of the specific comments and suggestions may not apply directly in such a case. Feel free to adapt the suggested procedures to meet the needs of your congregation. ___________________________________________________________________ The Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference
757 St. Anne’s Road, Winnipeg, MB R2N 4G6
Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference Phone: 204-253-7929 | Fax: 204-256-7384 | E-mail:
All documents mentioned are located at www.gomission.ca
Congratulations!
new pastor. If the candidate has expectations of a certain percentage that should be respected. In no case should the candidate be called if the vote is under 80% of a quorum of members present at the time of voting. You have been chosen to be a member of the E. Formalize the Agreement: If the congregation calls the
Pastoral Search Committee (PSC) for your congregation.
candidate to be its pastor, a contract signed by the church board chair should be sent to the candidate as soon as possible. Now what?
F. Bring Closure to the PSC: Once it is certain that the
candidate will be coming to your church your work is almost done. Praise The work you have been called to is a very important one in the life the Lord! There are, however, a few things the committee still needs to do. of your church. Your goal is to match a new pastor with your • Send a personally addressed non-acceptance letter to each applicant to
congregation, with the view toward establishing a long-term relationship. Poor matches result in short pastorates in which case • Send thank-you letters to all those people who have helped in your
everyone suffers, including the pastor's family and all members of the • Notify the Regional Coach that your vacancy has been filled.
• Have a debriefing time in which you talk about your experience as a
But where do you start? What steps should one follow? What are
committee, including the various feelings that emerged during the mistakes to avoid? How do we know what kind of a pastor will suit process. You may wish to write down some of the things you learned our congregation? Where do we start looking? What questions should during this process to leave as a legacy for the next Pastoral Search we ask a candidate when we first contact him? How can the conference help the process? When and how should the candidate be • Together with the church board, plan how you will welcome the new
introduced to the congregation? And there are many more questions! • Have a special time of celebration and thanksgiving. Go out for
This guide is designed to answer some of these questions. Much of
supper or plan a barbeque to bring formal closure to your work as a committee. the information in the following pages is a summary of the content found in the book, Choosing a New Pastor - The Complete
G. Welcome the New Pastor: There are many things the
Handbook, by Henry A. Virkler, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992.
church can do to welcome him and his family into your church and Page references in this guide refer to information sources in this book. Copies of this book are available for loan from the conference • Renounce unrealistic hopes that the new pastor will be able to solve
office. You are encouraged to read the whole book to enhance your all the problems of the church. Remind each other that he is human understanding of the challenge you face even more. • Provide help with finding housing in your community and be sure to
It is recommended that the entire Committee review and discuss the provide assistance in the moving process. Meals and childcare on contents of this guide near the outset of your search process. • Introduce the pastor and his family to all the major locations in your
community such as shopping centres, supermarkets, dentists, doctors, mechanics, hairdressers, etc. If the candidate is not an EMMC minister, he will be required to complete a
doctrinal questionnaire ahead of time. This completed questionnaire Table of Contents
should be forwarded to the conference office together with three or four
Pastoral Applicant Reference Forms which have been completed by
references suggested by the candidate and possibly other persons you have selected. When all required forms have been submitted, the Regional Ways of Choosing a Pastor - The EMMC Option. 1
General Guidelines - Avoiding Common Mistakes. 2
Within a week following the interview, the chair of your church board will receive a letter from the EMMC Regional Coach outlining its view of the Working Together as a Pastoral Search Committee. 6
candidate's strengths and weaknesses with relation to his suitability for ministry in your church. If the Region affirms your choice of candidate, Developing a Pastor Profile. 7
you are free to begin the process of introducing him and his family to the congregation. If the Region does not affirm your choice, it would be advisable to terminate the process with this candidate and look for another C. Present the Candidate to the Congregation:
V. Finding
Contacting Pastoral Candidates. 10
An ideal time for the candidate to spend with the congregation is from Wednesday evening through Sunday evening. By using days and evenings Screening and Selecting Pastoral Candidates. 11
well, the pastoral couple can get an opportunity to interact with many congregational members and also see the community to consider whether he and his family would be comfortable there. A week in advance distribute the one-page biographical sketch you When You Have Selected a Candidate. 14
prepared earlier to present to the leadership of your church. This will help your people prepare for the visit. Inform Your Church Leaders and the Candidate Plan a variety of special events where different groups in the church can meet the candidate. Regular weekly activities will likely not be sufficient for this purpose. One member of the PSC should accompany the candidate Present the Candidate to the Congregation at all events to introduce him and provide a sense of connection. Keep the tone of the meetings positive and friendly. They should not have the air of interrogation. The PSC has already screened the pastor's Bring Closure to the Pastoral Search Committee D. Conduct a Vote:
Within a week of the visit, the congregation should be given an opportunity to conduct a vote. Before the vote is taken opportunity may be given to ask questions of clarification, but it should not become a lobbying session with some arguing for and others against his coming. It should be clearly stated before the vote is taken what percentage of positive votes is required to call the candidate to become the I. Ways of Choosing a Pastor -
VII. When You have Selected a
Candidate
nce you have agreed upon a candidate, you must now begin the process of here are various ways in which churches and denominations choose
helping the congregation discern whether this is the candidate of its choice. pastors and maintain them in that role. In some cases pastors are appointed If the congregation approves of the candidate your work will have been by a Bishop or Superintendent of the conference to whom they are directly completed. Normally the church leadership is responsible to formalize the responsible. In other cases a conference official preselects a list of candidates from agreement and plan for a positive entry for the pastor and his family into the which the local congregation chooses a pastor. In other denominations congrega - church. However, since the Pastoral Search Committee has worked so closely with tions have total autonomy and make their own choice of a pastor without contact the candidate, it should make sure that all appropriate steps are taken. If the church with or accountability to the denomination. rejects the candidate you have suggested, you must return to your short list, choose another candidate, and introduce him to your congregation. The PSC should not Within the EMMC, a congregation searching for a new pastor is expected to
present a candidate to the congregation unless it is quite certain that the vote will be take the initiative in the pastoral search. However, the Pastoral Search Committee should work together with the EMMC Regional Coach throughout the search process.
•
A. Inform Your Church Leaders and the Candidate:
The EMMC Regional Coach should be notified when the congregation
Your first action after selecting a candidate is to inform your church leadership group to which the PSC is responsible, usually the Church Board, • The Coach will be willing to meet with the Pastoral Search Committee to
that you have selected a candidate. Supply this leadership group with a one review appropriate procedures and make recommendations regarding possible page biographical sketch of the candidate, summarizing his education, experience and special gifts and qualities. The statement should include some • The Coach would like to be represented at the covenanting service between
of the reasons why the PSC believes he is a good match for the church. The the congregation and the new pastor and maintain a connectional oversight of
Church Board may request a further interview with the candidate, although the ministry of the pastor chosen by the congregation through the EMMC this is not required if the Board feels comfortable with the choice of the PSC. Unless this leadership group has fundamental objections to your choice, you ow do you find God's will when searching for a pastor? One view
should now inform the candidate of your choice and make preliminary suggests that God has chosen one person to be the next pastor of the arrangements for visiting the congregation to meet the people. This Hcongregation, and if we miss that person we will miss the perfect will of information should not be broadcast widely, especially if the candidate is
God, and the congregation will miss out on God's blessing. This view is currently a pastor of a church. He will likely prefer that his members are not comparable to thinking that there is only one person in all the world whom you are aware of his candidating in your church. free to marry - the one God has chosen for you. If you miss that one, your marriage B. Involve the EMMC Regional Council: It is preferable to
The Wisdom View is probably much more helpful. This view suggests that we are
involve the Regional Council at this point in the process. Notify the Regional free to choose any pastor who fits the criteria found in I Timothy and Titus. While Coach that you have selected a candidate. The Regional Council will organize God would bless any number of choices we could make, our goal is to make a wise
an interview committee, including one member from your church, to meet choice - and that takes spiritual discernment. For example, it is wise to choose a with the candidate as soon as possible. The interview is designed to help pastor whose gifts complement the pastoral needs of the church. It is wise to determine the suitability of the candidate for ministry in your particular choose a pastor whose expectations of the pastoral role are close to the expectations of the majority of the church members. May God help you to be wise. 9. What emphasis do you place on pastoral counseling? Please II. General Guidelines -
describe your training and experience in this area. 10. What is your philosophy regarding hospital and home pastoral Avoiding Common Mistakes (10)
11. How comfortable are you speaking about stewardship? e do well to take into account the lessons others have learned who
12. What in the ministry do you consider to be your specialty? have gone before us. Many of the guidelines listed below have grown
Wout of mistakes other Pastoral Search Committees have made. Following
13. How much would you like to be involved in denominational these guidelines will prevent a lot of difficulty for you as a committee. 14. What issues do you see as the most important ones facing the 1. Be sure the Pastoral Search Committee represents important sub-
church today? What about our denomination? groups. A good committee composition includes older and younger persons
- male and female - and a representative cross-section of majority interests
15. What are your views on --? (Choose any theological or social and views within the congregation. If you feel the committee is not issue that is important to your congregation.) representative enough ask the congregation for additional members. 16. Do you differ from the denomination's position on any theological issues? If so, what are they? Make sure PSC members have in mind a genuine concern for the whole
church. Members of the committee must not simply lobby for personal
17. By what title do you preferred to be called? preferences, but keep in mind the needs of the whole church community 18. (Name one of the problems in your church identified in your self- study. ) How do you think you would go about trying to resolve it? (Do the same with other identified problems.) 3. Do a congregational self-study near the beginning of the pastoral
search. If you want to find a pastor that fits the congregation, it is good to
19. How do you maintain your spiritual, emotional and physical have in mind what the needs and visions of the members of the congregation health? How do you like to spend your free time? are. It will help to avoid making the choice of the next pastor based on 20. How do you allocate time to spend with your family? reaction to the last one. You may want to use the Congregational Self-study
Form in this packet.
21. What are your plans for continued personal and professional Develop a careful Pastor Profile. Based on the needs and expectations
22-25. Other specific questions for the applicant: within the congregation it is important to develop a clear and realistic profile of the kind of pastor you are looking for. This will facilitate decision making To the Spouse.
further on in the process because applicants will be evaluated against this 26. In what ways would you like to be involved in ministry, if any? profile and not simply against personal preferences. Keep in mind that this is only a guide for your search process since none of your applicants will 27. What is your attitude toward your husband's ministry vocation? 28. Tell us about your children. Where are each of them in their faith Respect needed confidentiality. From the outset, committee members
must adopt an explicit code of confidentiality. Such a code should include
29. What are your concerns about a possible move? confidentiality about the identity of applicants the committee is considering, 30. Are there things about our church or community that would cause the status of any particular applicant, and the specific reasons for you apprehension if you were called to come here? disqualifying a candidate. This is important in order to protect the self-esteem and ministry of persons the committee is considering and to avoid 31-32. Other specific questions for the spouse: unnecessary anxiety and campaigning within the congregation. Set a clear mandate regarding the charge to the PSC. Usually the
B. Interview the Applicants
committee is a nominating committee, with the charge to bring a good candidate to the congregation for consideration, not to actually call a pastor. • It should be remembered that an interview by a group of unknown
Have a clear understanding of the salary and benefit range within which to persons can be unnerving for the applicant and his spouse. Deal with work, always aware that final financial arrangements will be made by each applicant with the same kind of gentleness you would want to be others. Also be sure there is an understanding of how expenses for dealt with if you were being interviewed. Be careful not to make your committee members will be reimbursed by the church. conclusion too early in the interview. Unfavorable impressions can be created quickly from very few negative items, yet favorable 7. Organize the process clearly from the beginning. Designate someone,
either the chair or another member of the committee, to communicate directly with all applicants and to make and distribute copies of applications • Be prepared with the kind of questions you want to ask the applicant.
to committee members. If everyone does everything, confusion will likely Without preparation interviews will be unfocused and disorganized. Make sure that every member of the Pastoral Search Committee asks some of the questions. Begin with questions emphasizing the applicant's strengths and successes. After a rapport has been built the 8. Remember that an interim pastor should not normally be considered as
discussion can move into areas that may be more troubling for the an applicant. During an interim period people are usually somewhat
anxious because they don't know who their next pastor will be. So they will often choose the security of a known relationship even when this • Sample questions you could ask the applicant.
relationship is not optimal, over the insecurity of an unknown one. 1. Please tell us about the home in which you grew up. What are some memories of your parents and peers that significantly Provide applicants with a profile of your congregation, including its
shaped your attitudes toward God, work and values? history, positive characteristics, and congregational problems. The more
an applicant knows about your congregation, the better will be the decision
2. When did you first feel God's call on your life? How did you making process. A good candidate will prefer hearing about your problems from you rather than from someone else. If the applicant is not familiar 3. Can you identify the ministers, teachers and authors who have with the EMMC, a short profile of the conference should be shared as well. significantly influenced your beliefs and behaviors about ministry? What impact has each of them had on you? 10. Check references thoroughly. As Christians we want to believe the best
4. Describe some of the ministries you have been involved in until about others, particularly those in ministry. Most people listed as references the present. Describe one or more successes you have had, and at by candidates do not want to reveal unpleasant things about their friend or least one thing you learned about ministry by making a mistake. associate, so you will need to ask specific questions. You should feel free to check with persons other than the ones listed by the applicant. You may 5. How would you describe your style of leadership? want to use the Pastoral Applicant Reference Form in this packet, either
6. What do you believe is the healthiest relationship between a mailing it to the reference with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, or pastor, the church board, the congregation, and the checking off the answers if you are doing a telephone interview.
11. Prepare well for interviews. While you don't want face-to-face interviews
7. How have your faith and your theological views changed since to come across as rehearsed, it is important to know ahead of time what kind you entered college or seminary, and since you entered the of questions you plan to ask and who will ask them. This will avoid long periods of awkward silence and a focus on elementary and incidental topics. 8. Would you describe the process you go through when you are preparing a sermon. What goals do you try to accomplish through VI. Screening and Selecting
Assess crossover candidates from other denominations with extra care.
A person may cross over a denominational line for more than one reason.
Pastoral Candidates
The stated reason may not be the only one or the most significant one. This should be checked out carefully with denominational officials. A person may believe that denominational differences will not bother him when he views the EMMC from a distance, but they may in fact do so when involved ow that you have a number of applications before you as a committee,
you have the task of screening them in order to come up with the name of None person to recommend to your congregation. If you only have one 13. Include consideration of the spouse and children in the recruitment
application, you must still pursue the interview process as thoroughly as when you process. Failure to address needs and aspirations of the applicant's family
have more to choose from. Care should be taken not to hire someone simply may short-change the process. The spouse should be part of the interview because he is the only candidate available. It is better not to hire anyone than to with an opportunity to answer questions and voice reservations. hire a pastor who is not suitable for your congregation. In that case you will soon be going through the pastoral search process again. Be discreet when visiting another church to view an applicant in his
present pulpit. If you choose to check out a candidate by visiting his
A. Develop a Short List
present church, make sure that you are sensitive to that congregation. It can be awkward for both the pastor and his congregation if the purpose of your • Every member of the Pastoral Search Committee should receive copies of
the Pastor Information Form from each applicant.
Do not over-emphasize pulpit skills. While preaching is an important part
of pastoring, it is not the only one. Considerations should also be given to
• Based on the information on these forms, the applications should be
communication skills, emotional health and interpersonal, motivational and divided into three categories - those who are clearly unacceptable, those
who are unlikely, and those who possibly meet your criteria.
Be sure to schedule enough time for the candidate and the congregation
• Send non-acceptance letters to all unacceptable and unlikely applicants,
to meet. The candidating process should involve various opportunities for
unless you only have a few applications, in which case you may only send the members of the congregation to meet the candidate in a variety of letters to the unacceptable candidates. You may want to use a sample non settings. It is not enough to have him preach one Sunday with a handshake acceptance letter found in this packet . • Contact references for possible candidates either by mail or telephone.
You may want to use the Interview Form found in this packet. You may 17. Never present more than one candidate at a time to the congregation. It
also want to visit services where these applicants are preaching or listen to is not wise to have two or three candidates preach on successive Sundays tapes of his sermons to determine their suitability for your congregation. and then have the congregation choose from among them. The PSC should screen the applicants until they have identified the person they believe could • Determine which of the applicants you wish to interview face-to-face.
best meet the needs of the church and then present this person to the Schedule a three-hour meeting with each candidate, preferably not more congregation as a candidate. Only if the congregation rejects this person than two a week. Offer to pay travel expenses for the applicant and his Don't make a quick decision on a rebound. If a candidate is either not
An alternative to face-to-face interviews is to conduct a conference call accepted by the congregation or for some reason withdraws from the with the applicant. In such a case you may want to request a video of him process, avoid making a quick decision on another candidate. There may be delivering a sermon. Use this approach only if there is no way of meeting considerable disappointment among members and this should be given time Keep the interim pastor and other staff informed of the process. If they
V. Finding and Contacting
are left out of the picture totally they may feel that they are not important. Remember that this is an important transition period in their lives as well. Pastoral Candidates
Keep the congregation informed regarding developments at least once a
month even though there is little or no progress being made. Prolonged s a committee you have now completed much of the foundational work required to make your pastoral search successful. While it may seem that a lot of the work has not been directly related to finding a pastor, rest assured Allow enough grieving time. Especially if the former pastor has had a long
that your diligent efforts will pay off in the long run. tenure, or if there were tensions with his departure, the congregation needs some time to grieve. In that case the congregation should function for a time So far, you have.
without a pastor or engage an interim pastor. If the former pastor has had a tenure of ten or more years, a one year waiting period before hiring a new • Organized as a committee.
• Invite the Regional Coach and Regional Council to be a part of your process.
• Reviewed the procedures and suggestions in this guide.
22. Communicate adequately with applicants. It is a frustrating and
demoralizing experience to make an application and not receive any • Clarified your mandate as a committee and developed a procedural plan.
communication back. If something is missing, let the applicant know. A • Conducted a self-study in your congregation.
periodic communication of where the process is at is appropriate, even if • Developed a Pastor Profile, both a selective summary to send to all applicants,
and a more comprehensive version to send to candidates that you will work 23. Consider the process from the perspective of the applicant. In other
words, if you were the applicant, what kind of information and process And now you are ready to find and contact pastoral applicants!
would you be looking for. Then proceed to provide it to your applicant. What steps should we now follow?
Don't send mixed messages to candidates. Be careful not to leave the
1. Look inside your congregation to see if one of your members meets the impression with the candidate that the decision has basically been made expectations outlined in the Pastor Profile you have developed. If he does,
when the congregation has not yet voted on the candidate. If the vote is negative, it will be harder for the candidate to recover if he was sure that he was already in. 2. Advertise in the Recorder and other periodicals of denominations you are
comfortable with inviting applications from interested persons. Get all agreements in writing. There are many opportunities for verbal
3. Remind each other of the significance of confidentiality. No one is to share the understandings to become distorted in a person's memory and for verbal name or status of an applicant until and unless the committee recommends that agreements not to be passed along to the appropriate person or committee. Such a situation can easily take the joy out of a positive beginning. 4. Brainstorm for possible names and referral sources. Call referral sources to get Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance . 5. Contact all possible applicants to see if they would be willing to receive Preserve sound judgment and discernment, information about the church and a Pastor's Information Form.
do not let them out of your sight. 6. Send a personalized letter on church stationery from the committee chair, together with the selective summary of the Pastor Profile and the Pastor
Information Sheet to all persons who have shown an interest in applying.
C. Congregational Self Study: A self-study will aid the pastoral
III. Working Together as a
search process in three ways. First it can be an excellent introduction to the church
for applicants and candidates. Second, the Pastoral Search Committee can translate
Pastoral Search Committee(93)
the needs of the church that they identify during the self-study into qualities needed
by their next pastor. Third, the self-study enables the committee to involve the
entire congregation in the search process early and very meaningfully. You may good way to build morale and cohesion in the PSC is to make sure that want to use the Congregational Self-Study Form supplied with this packet to
every one feels valued and included in the discussion process. Here are conduct a self-study in your congregation. You may choose to send a selective some good things to consider when working together as a committee. summary of the self-study to all applicants and a more comprehensive report to the You can do your part to make the committee dynamics positive. 1. Give everyone the opportunity to contribute. One or two persons should
A comprehensive self-study should address the following nine areas. (Information
for items 4 - 9 can be taken from the self-study forms completed by members.) 2. Allow persons to choose how they are going to share. People should not be
1. A general description of the church in its community context. Include
pressured to share when they are not ready or comfortable doing so. number of members and attendees, age groupings, career and educational level, annual budget, description of buildings, a list of salaried staff, and 3. Every person's perspective should be valued even if not all agree with it.
Care should be taken never to ridicule or ignore the ideas of others. 2. A general description of the community. Include the type of community
The group should develop new insights and perspectives. Don't just
around the church, racial composition, ages, educational levels, occupations reiterate the same perspectives over and over again. of the community, and educational, recreational and medical facilities 5. Come prepared to work with necessary data or preparation done ahead
3. The history of the church. Identify significant dates and events that have
of time. Don't come together unprepared and simply pool your ignorance.
contributed to the church the way it is today.
6. Stay on one topic until there is some sort of closure before moving on to
4. Strengths of the church. It is important to be positive about what the church
another. Don't wander from topic to topic without any closure.
has going for it. A new pastor must have some positive foundations on which 7. Focus discussion on meaningful, answerable issues. Don't digress to
5. Weaknesses of the church or challenges facing the church. Discretion must
unanswerable questions or issues of questionable relevance. be used what to share with whom. Do not withhold weaknesses to candidates 8. Everyone should feel free to reach their own conclusions and to hold
differing opinions. People should not be pressured to agree with others.
6. Challenges of the next five to ten years. The church should have a sense of
9. Show an interest in the ideas of others. Avoid trying to impose your ideas
7. Church members' thoughts on priorities. If members' priorities are
on others with monologues and mini-lectures. scattered this needs to be communicated as well. 10. Express your ideas tentatively. Avoid stating your ideas in a dogmatic way.
8. Qualities the next pastor should possess. This is particularly important in
helping to identify the strengths you are looking for in the next pastor. 11. Allow a freedom to be in process. Build on ideas in process instead of
9. Salary and Benefits. This should be stated in general terms, mentioning
whether you are considering a full or a part-time position. 12. Keep the group atmosphere casual, friendly and involved. Try to avoid an
atmosphere marked by tension, anger, or indifference. IV. Developing a Pastor Profile
B. Psychological Qualities:
the biblical qualifications, his personality, vision of ministry, and leadership style may not meet the expectations of your congregation. Therefore it is important to n developing a Pastor Profile the PSC seeks to define more clearly the kind of
define what kind of person would best meet the needs and expectations within your pastor that would best suit your congregation. There are three basic areas that church. You may, for example, want to make the following distinctions: should be examined when developing such a profile. First would be the biblical
qualities you are looking for according to I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Second would
1. Pastor as Leader or Manager: Ask yourself whether you are
be the psychological qualities in which you define the type of leader you want.
looking for an assertive leader or one who manages existing programs well. A Third would be a congregational self-study giving the congregation and the future
pastor who thought he was being hired to be leading the congregation will be pastor a clearer idea of the present and future realities of your church. discouraged to find out he is asked to simply manage what exists. Similarly, a pastor who expects to be a manager and finds out he is expected to be an A. Biblical Qualities: The following 12 points summarize biblical
assertive leader may not feel qualified to meet these expectations. qualities required of pastoral leaders as found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. • Leaders develop new visions for the congregation. Managers strengthen
1. Personal character above reproach from within and without the church.
• Leaders are willing to take risks. Managers are cautious about taking
One against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrong doing. 2. Thoughtful, dignified, and self-controlled. One who is in control of his
• Leaders are initiators of new ideas. Managers respond to new ideas of
mind and emotions so that he can act rationally and discreetly. 3. Not a new believer. Too rapid promotion of a young Christian can easily lead
• Leaders have a high emotional involvement in the ministry. Managers
to pride. A recent convert should not be promoted to the position of pastor. have moderate emotional involvement in ministry. • The biggest risk for leaders is that people will not become excited about
4. Not a drunkard. Substance abuse and substance addiction would be the
his new ideas. The biggest risk for managers is that people will become contemporary technical terms that indicate this disqualification. bored or self-centered because of not being sufficiently challenged. 5. Not violent, quick-tempered, quarrelsome, arrogant, or overbearing. One
who does not arrogantly disregard the interests of others to please himself. 2. Leader as Hero or Developer: The leader-as-developer is
6. Not a lover of money or a pursuer of dishonest gain. While pastors should
healthier for the congregation than the leader-as-hero. However it will be wise provide for their families, money should not be a motivation for ministry. to recognize tendencies for one or the other in both the pastoral candidate as well as in the expectations of the congregation. 7. Gentle in his dealings with others. One who is gracious, kind, considerate
• The leader-as-hero rides to the rescue when there is a problem. He gives
answers and assumes personal responsibility for the success or failure of 8. Upright and holy in his life before God. An inner attitude of conforming to
an organization. He prefers to be the initiator and organizer of church events, encouraging passivity among church members. Such leaders are 9. Loves what is good. One who is an ally and zealous supporter of all that is
candidates for frustration and burnout and frequently are impressed with 10. Holds to faithful monogamy. If he is married he must have a well-ordered
• The leader-as-developer wants to get the job done but seeks to engage
others in a way that stimulates them to grow and take responsibility. He 11. Hospitable.
learns to have an impact without exerting total control. He learns to be helpful without having all the answers. His approach develops high 12. An apt teacher who has matured in his knowledge of the faith, holds firm
morale since he works with people and things as they are and seeking to to sound doctrine and can impart it to others, and can refute those who
win loyalty and love by giving them first. oppose it.

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