Many Evangelical churches are independent congregations. I grew up in Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches. Each church chooses its pastor, using its own criteria for what it wants in a pastor. Some of the churches I pastored during my twenty-five years in the ministry were new plants, while others were established independent, Southern Baptist, and Christian Union congregations. All told, I worked for seven churches, started five, and went through the candidating process with four congregations.
Candidating is a process whereby a prospective pastor preaches at a church to show off his preaching abilities in the hope of becoming its next pastor. Typically, churches have a man and his family join them for a Sunday or weekend so they can interview him and hear him preach. The interview process is varied. Some prospective churches asked me very few questions, others wanted to metaphorically know if I was circumcised (and wanted me to prove it). 🙂 One church had two days of meetings where I met with church members who asked me all sorts of questions.
As a candidate, I made sure my family and I were well-dressed, and our children were well-behaved. It was important for us to give a good first impression. Of course, churches did the same, presenting themselves in the best light possible. I found that neither I nor the churches told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Perception was more important than reality. Quite frankly, had I asked two churches I pastored probing questions — especially when it came to their finances and governance — I never would have become their pastor. Churches typically asked me superficial questions. No background checks, no talking to previous churches I pastored. Not one of them questioned Polly or our teenage children. Want to know the true hew of a preacher? Ask his wife and children.
I called the candidating process a “dog and pony show.” Church and candidate alike were on their best behavior. I preached what are called candy stick sermons — sermons I had preached before and knew from heart. I wanted them to view my preaching skills in the best possible light. And by all accounts, I was a good preacher. My sermons were well received. However, judging a man on his sermon quality alone is a bad idea. Hitler gave great “sermons,” but he was a psychopath. There are lots of Hitler-like preachers, men who can preach up a storm but are dreadful human beings.
Are you a current or former pastor? Did you go through the candidating process? Are you a current or former church member who sat on a pastor search committee? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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My grandma was on the pastor search committee at our Southern Baptist church in the early 80s. I was about 10 or 11 at the time, so I don’t remember much about it except that she had her 1st and only airplane trip to Mississippi to view a pastor in his church. They ended up hiring this pastor, and he turned out to not be a good fit. His wife was from a well-off family, and the parsonage that our church provided was one of the nicest, largest homes in our far suburb of Nashville (which was a combo of farms and modest homes of commuters to Nashville). His family were among the best-dressed and beautiful in the congregation. They stayed maybe a year and a half to 2 years before he leapt to a larger church in Nashville, which was most likely his plan all along. I can see why the committee liked him though – he had a doctorate in theology, gave really good sermons, and they had 4 extremely attractive children (2 of whom were basically grown, in college). After he left, the parsonage procured was much more modest, and the pastor didn’t have a doctorate. He didn’t last long either – maybe a couple of years. I didn’t hear the whole story, but DUIs were involved in his dismissal. I don’t know what kind of background checks were ever done on these pastors……
Oh the memories! I remember the pastors coming “in view of a call”. inlaws would try to impress them so they’d come but it never worked. No one wanted to pastor a 12 person church with no money and a controlling deacon. Who knew? These guys came because they knew my father in law would feed them, house them and they got free transportation for sightseeing. Basically a free weekend away at no cost. Good times.
I have experienced that dog and pony show 3 times and will never do it again!