In the past few weeks I have talked with a number of people from various churches that are seeking a pastor. Many of them are in smaller churches who need a bivocational minister. Some have been looking for a long time, and they are beginning to wonder if there is anyone for their church. They often call me hoping I might know someone seeking to lead a church from my days as a Resource Minister in our region. Unfortunately, I retired in 2015, and I am completely out of the loop. I don't know who is looking, and even if I did, their names need to go to the church through their Region Minister, not me.
One thing I tell these churches is that God has someone to lead them. The fact that they are without a pastor and struggle to find one does not catch God by surprise. They need to be patient and work within God's timing. Most do not want to hear that and feel it's important to find someone as soon as possible. No, it's not. It's important to find the person God has prepared to lead that church.
So what do these churches need to do in the meantime? Pray as they have never prayed before. In the last church I served as the Transitional Pastor the deacons called for a 24-hour prayer vigil at the church during the search process. People signed up for a 30 minute time period in which they would be at the church praying for the search team and the person God wanted to bring to the church. The deacons rotated in 3 hour shifts to provide security at the church during this prayer vigil. Every Sunday for months people would come to the altar during the invitation to pray specifically for the search process. That is not something you often see in a Baptist church! Members would line the entire pulpit area praying that God would reveal the person to them He had prepared for the church.
I would also encourage a church to look at itself during this transition time. How have previous pastors been treated in the church? Does the church have a history of short-term pastors? If so, why? Be honest. Some churches struggle to find a pastor because they don't deserve one. One of the churches that was in my area had ran through dozens of pastors during my 14 year service as their Region Minister. When they called asking my help in finding another pastor I said, "I am not going to sacrifice any more good pastors on the altar of your dysfunction. If you want me to help you become a healthier church, I will be glad to work with you. If you merely want the names of more pastor candidates, I will not give them to you." I never heard from that church again.
While there is much more I could say, I will close this post with this. You may want to look within your church for your next pastor. In a few cases churches in my area called a lay leader to serve as their pastor, and these individuals did a fantastic job. Think about this. These are people who are already well-known to the congregation. They enjoy a level of trust that a new person will spend years earning. They are invested in your community so it's likely they will stay for a longer period of time. There are numerous ways a person can grow in biblical knowledge and learn pastoral skills. Your best candidate may already be sitting in your congregation.
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