CANDID CANDIDATING
Asking the right questions of the right people minimizes the surprises.
Kenneth Quick
October 1, 1990
One cynic declared, "All pastoral search committees lie." I prefer to think a search committee puts make-up on their church to present it as attractively as possible to pastoral beaux. That's the nature of courtship, but it causes some surprise when you see her on that first morning without her face on.
While none of us can learn everything about a church's history or avoid every surprise in a new ministry, we can minimize the surprises by asking some key questions before we venture "I do" to a call. The relationship of pastor and church needs to be built on the solid reality of what both the church and pastor are getting, as well as on the call of God.
Questions for Early Courtship
One of the initial questions I've asked search committees is: "How familiar are you with my resume?" I've found I may need to familiarize them with specific items in my resume.
I learned this the hard way once, several stages into the interview process. They knew much about me by this point. My wife and I were convinced this was the church, for everything seemed so right. I flew in on a Monday to interview and see the church. Wednesday I was to fly home so I could return on Friday with my wife and preach Sunday for a call.
During the final interview, they returned to an item on my resume about my wife's pursuit of an MBA degree. "This," they informed me, "is unsuitable for a pastor's wife. We'd want you to ask her to find her fulfillment in the church."
Horror stricken, I asked why they had waited so long to bring up something so clear in my resume. "Oh," they replied, "we hadn't noticed it." I made sure every other search committee did.
Second, I ask, "What in my resume sparked your interest in me?" This spotlights those particular aspects of my ministry ...
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