Pulpit Committee

“Baby Boomer pastors are dying and retiring. Younger pastors are not replacing them. The numbers of pastors in Gen X, the Millennials, and, especially, in Gen Z are dramatically lower.” - CPost

“Many search team mistakes are inevitable, yet most are avoidable. Here are five common mistakes pastor search teams can avoid.” - Lifeway

“With the growing number of baby boomer pastors retiring, and with wounded and weary pastors leaving the ministry, your church might be seeking your next pastor or staff member. If so, maybe one of these posts will help you” - Chuck Lawless

“In my experience, the search process usually takes longer for smaller churches. With limited financial resources, most small churches cannot provide a full-time compensation and benefits package for their pastor and his family, which often requires the pastor to serve in a bi-vocational capacity.” - BPNews

“Red flags can come in many shapes and sizes. As I have worked with numerous Pastor Search Committees throughout the past decade…. If you have ever served on a Pastor Search Committee, you probably have some stories to share as well.” - Jason Lowe

“Effective immediately, we have dissolved our pastor search committee and ended our relationship with all candidates….We will take a short break from our pastor’s search as we pray together while continuing to pursue God’s plan for our church. We will also look for an interim pastor who will provide leadership and direction in the days ahead.” - BPNews

“Serving on a pastoral search committee is a tough assignment tasked to church members who may not have interview training or anything to go off other than their personal preferences for a new pastor. As such, most pastors have had their fair share of interesting search committee experiences.” - Facts & Trends

The day in which a young pastor goes to a small town church to begin his career is over. Now, these young pastors serve a few years on the staff of a large church in the city, then move directly to church planting. In my view, large church staff experience is a very poor training ground for pastoral ministry in small to mid-sized churches.

Babylon Bee (satire): When asked by one aging member of the congregation if he’d get to meet the new pastor “on this side of glory,” Mr. Reynolds simply smiled and said, “Good things come to those who wait.”

How do church search committees search for pastors?