| For
churches seeking pastor and staff leaders:
Don't just do something,
stand there!
Catch your breath. Breathe deeply. Relax. Pray. Listen. Read.
We
hope one of the first calls you make is to the CBF of Missouri office. We
can provide a service called
A
Bridge to an Interim: Four Weeks Devoted to becoming a
Healthier Congregation”
Here are
articles that might be helpful:
Get Organized
We suggest two
helpful resources that your church will find valuable in your search
process. Each of these resources utilizes the name CONNECT which is the
goal for effective placement.
-
MinistryConnect
is a superb resource for your Search Committee from beginning to end.
The MinistryConnect goal is to help your church find “the right
leader, the right place, the right time.”
-
The
second resource is LeaderConnect,
a resource to help your church identify candidates for consideration.
If you
have never served on a Search Committee it can be one of the most
rewarding ways you can serve your church. The flip side is that it is a
major responsibility, best given to mature and discerning Christians.
The search process is so crucial CBF of
Missouri provides a grant to your church
to basically offset the services of MinistryConnect. This offer
demonstrates how convinced we are of the
value of MinistryConnect. It indicates our
commitment that churches experience a successful search process. Your
church can benefit in significant ways through the excellence offered by MinistryConnect.
To learn more about how your church can benefit, please print
out this packet and share with
your Search Committee.
We
hope to work with you and with MinistryConnect as your walk through this
search process.
Engage in the search
process
Be
patient. The
great gift for your church and for your next pastor is that
the leadership of the search committee
remains a non-anxious
presence. Do
what you need to do, then trust God.
Know
who you are. You
will likely get letters from candidates (or friends of candidates)
assuring you that they have “prayed for your church and they know PERSON
X is God’s man for your church.” A church is wise to place those
letters aside and to use the interim time to discern for itself who God
wants you to be – given the life of the congregation, the community you
serve, and the challenges you sense God has placed before you.
It is only after you know who you are,
that you can possibly know
who is being called to your church as a pastoral leader.
Flow
with the cycle.
The search process takes time. Search
Committee veterans note that between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s not much will happen. Recognize that a
pastor with children in school will be more interested in moving during
the summer season. Recognize
the realities of the calendars we all live with and this can
help your committee pace itself.
Get
quality candidates. We provide eight sources as you seek
pastoral and staff candidates.
-
Contact
Harold Phillips or Jeff Langford with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
of Missouri at 816.415.0009 or info@cbfmo.org
-
Work
with LeaderConnect.
LeaderConnect will have names of candidates from sources that
are kindred with the values of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
LeaderConnect is a placement resource of Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist
General Convention of
Texas
, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and the Baptist
Theological Seminary at
Richmond
. Your church will need to complete a profile (it will take about 45
minutes to complete online).
-
Call
Clarissa Strickland with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Clarissa
provides a personal voice in addition to LeaderConnect.
Her number is 770.220.1600; email is cstrickland@thefellowship.info.
-
Advertise
the pastor/staff opening in the Word
and Way.
-
Advertise
the pastor/staff opening in other Baptist publications such as:
Baptists
Today
(National)
Baptist
Standard (TX)
Biblical Recorder (NC)
Religious Herald (VA)
Make
the call!
Must-Ask
Church Staff Job Interview Questions
By Todd Rhoades of ChurchStaffing.com
The
final steps with MinistryConnect will be an additional way to discern
whom your church will call to a new position of service. Walk humbly
but surely as you move forward. Remember that the search process is
moving in several directions. From an earthly perspective your church
want to make sure the new pastor “is a right fit.” MinistryConnect
will increase the human chances of a “right leader, right time,
right place.” Also, remember the prospective pastor is looking at
your church and your community- “is this where God is calling me to
serve and my family to live?” Just as the prospective pastor will
seek to make a positive impression, your church will want to do the
same.
May God bless
you throughout this process!
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