What tips do you have on doing a pastoral search wisely?
Train your own. The best way for a church to get a new pastor is to train him themselves. This is a serious investment of time that could take years or even decades to bear fruit. But it is every church’s responsibility to train pastors and elders, and the best new pastor for any church will be a man who is already known to the church, already loves the church, and already has a faithful track record within the church.
Trust your elders. Rather than farming out the pastoral search to a search committee, trust the elders of the church to take the lead in looking for and evaluating potential pastors.
Pray. Jesus is pleased to give good gifts to his church (see Ephesians 4:8-11).
Contact other pastors that you trust and ask them who they recommend. Faithful pastors should be raising up other faithful pastors. So think of a pastor whose life and ministry you trust, call him, and ask him who he would recommend. The sober judgment of a seasoned minister will be a far better guide to a good pastor than an impressive resume.
For more great resources from Mark Dever and 9Marks Ministries, visit www.9marks.org
