Connecting With: A New Pastor

by Amy Schlepp

Before a new pastor is ever invited to a church, an interview and visit usually take place. Often spread over one or two days, such an interview may not provide the opportunity to get to know a minister beyond a surface level. The following questions you can ask before and during a pastoral candidate's visit may help you dig deeper.

1. What are our core beliefs and values as a church? This should always be the first question a church asks itself when searching for a pastor. You can't decide whether a potential pastor is going in the direction your church needs to go if you don't know where you are in the first place.
2. Why are you attracted to our church? The answer to this question will provide you with an outsider's view of what is good about your church, and may also offer a glimpse of the candidate's priorities and values in ministry.
3. What accomplishments are you most pleased with in your ministry and what areas need improvement? Ultimately, you need to know what strengths and weaknesses a pastor has. This will help you know where he or she will shine in ministry or need extra support and assistance.
4. What do you do to relax? What pastors do to relax tells you something about their personal hobbies and interests. It may also reveal whether they have learned to combat burnout by resting when needed.
5. Do you have any questions for us? A potential pastor is interviewing a congregation just as surely as the congregation is interviewing him or her, although you might not hear the candidate ask many questions unless the opportunity is given. The questions a candidate asks communicate what is important to them.

Amy Schlepp is a graduate of Nazarene Theological Seminary and resides in Blue Springs, Missouri, with her family.

 

< back to This & That

next article >