David Richardson

** Please note – this blog post is for any church in any location.  It is in no way aimed at a particular church in a particular location.  These are simply general ideas for all churches to keep in mind. **

In 2008 and 2009, I had several discussions with Pastor Search Committees from churches around the Southeast.  I sensed that God was about to move my family and me, so we explored our options prayerfully and carefully.  After a period of time, it became obvious that God was moving us to First Baptist of Sebring, Florida.  (And I’m so glad He did!)

Now, if you’re not a Baptist, and you’re wondering, “What on Earth is a Pastor Search Committee?”, I’ll tell you:  When Southern Baptist Churches begin searching for a new pastor, they appoint a committee of church members to find someone that would be a good fit for the congregation.  Then, the committee brings the candidate to the church, and the church votes on whether or not that person will become their next pastor.

After dealing with several committees, and after hearing stories from other pastors who deal with committees, I thought I would do a blog post about this.  If your church is currently looking for a pastor, you may want to consider these ideas.  They might help you some:

[1]  Seek GOD’S man for the position of pastor. After you take in suggestions from the congregation, get on your knees and ask God who He wants to be your next pastor.  You want to make sure you’re in the center of His will.  You can find a candidate who is educated, gifted, and filled with charisma; however, if the person is not God’s person, you are setting up your church (and the future pastor) for a miserable experience.  Trust me when I tell you this, Pastor Search Committee:  You only want God’s person to be your next pastor.

[2]  Be flexible about the candidate’s education. I’ll just shoot straight on this one:  if your church will only interview candidates who have a Doctor of Ministry degree or a PhD, you are putting limits on God…and that’s not a good idea.  What if God’s person for your church does not have this degree?  Listen, I’ve got my Doctor of Ministry degree, and I’m all for education.  But God has raised up PLENTY of pastors over the years who did not have either of these advanced degrees.  I’ve met some pastors over the years who were not that educated, but they could preach circles around other guys who had degrees all over their walls.

[3]  Keep in touch with the candidate. If you have notified someone that you are considering them to become your next pastor, make sure you communicate with him on a regular basis!  Keep him informed.  Call him from time to time and touch base.  I can promise you this:  your committee may be meeting one day a week to discuss this, but he’s wondering about this every day of the week!  It’s a BIG DEAL to a pastor if he gets contacted by a committee.  Don’t leave him hanging in the dark and clueless as to what is going on.  Pick up the phone and call that candidate.  He needs to know where he stands with you!

[4]  Be honest with the candidate about your church. Your job is to give him a crystal clear understanding of what is going on with the church you are representing.  He has to know the strengths, weaknesses, positives, and negatives of your church.  Be real with him.  Don’t lie about your church just to get a pastor.  Always maintain transparency with the candidate you are considering.

[5]  Take the time to get to know the candidate. Don’t be in such a hurry to fill the position that you skip over the all-important process of getting acquainted with him.  Would you rush to marry someone without learning all about that person?  Of course not.  Then why rush to hire a new pastor without learning all about him?  Ask probing questions.  Learn about where he is strong and where he is weak.  This requires time and effort, but it is vital.

There are undoubtedly other principles to abide by if you are on a Pastor Search Committee.  This list is not exhaustive by any means.  But, I will say this:  if your committee keeps these ideas in mind, the experience will be much more pleasant for everyone involved.

Finally, let me say this:  the Pastor Search Committee at First Baptist Sebring did these things very well when they dealt with me just a few short months ago.  I could tell they were praying for God’s will to be done during the entire experience.  Next, they called, emailed, and texted me on a regular basis to keep me informed on where I stood with them and how the process was moving along.  Also, they gave me a very fair and realistic description of First Baptist Sebring before I arrived.  Nothing at this church has surprised me, and that is because the committee was completely honest with me about the church.  I knew exactly what I was getting into when I arrived here.  In addition to these actions, the committee took the time to get acquainted with me.  They learned about me inside and out.  No topic was off limits.  And that was a good thing.  The First Baptist Sebring committee worked hard to accomplish their mission.  They took their role seriously!

So how’s it going with your committee?

*  Sertoma had their big golf tournament yesterday here in Sebring. 268 golfers came together and raised a ton of money for some good causes.  Before they started play, I had the privilege of leading everyone in prayer.  After that, I got to ride around with Charlie Taylor in a golf cart and see some of the action.  What a great time!

*  Thanks, Charlie, for the invitation and for the new hat.

*  Mark this Sunday as a good one.

*  I enjoyed worshiping with my church family at First Baptist Sebring today.

*  The crowd sizes today were normal.  Not gigantic, and not tiny.

*  We did have more visitors today.

*  It always thrills me to see new faces walk through the doors on Sundays.

*  I enjoyed meeting some South Carolinians at church today after the 11:00 service.  They’re from Charleston.  We had a good time visiting for a few moments.

*  I spent the morning and evening preaching on Jephthah out of Judges 11.

*  If you do not know his story, let me encourage you to do something:  READ IT! Powerful stuff.

*  This morning we looked at his daughter in Judges 11:29-40.  What an inspirational lady!

*  The main point of this morning’s sermon was this:  Live and die with honor and gratitude for the Lord.

*  The evening, we looked at Jephthah’s earlier years in Judges 11.

*  The main point of this evening’s sermon was this:  Your past may be painful, but you do not have to live in it.

*  I have to say this:  I had a great time at church tonight.  The crowd, the music, and the Spirit were all just right.  It was a good time!

*  One of the girls in our church said this to me tonight about Jephthah’s vow in Judges 11:  “Maybe Jephthah thought his wife would be the first one to walk out the door.” That was HILARIOUS!!!  Made me laugh out loud. 

*  This afternoon was a quiet and peaceful one at the Richardson home.

*  We ate marinated chicken breasts off the grill, as well as pasta, green beans, and corn.  Delicious!

*  I married a beautiful woman who can cook.  Aren’t I blessed?!

*  Then we took a nap.  In my opinion, that’s what Sunday afternoons were made for…and I love it.

*  First Baptist Sebring – - Make sure you come to church this coming Wednesday night, September 1.  We will have a “drop in” from 6 – 7:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall.  You can learn all about the exciting opportunities coming up here at the church in the Fall.  Also, you can enjoy some snacks.

*  Tomorrow is my day off.  I’ll spend part of the day resting, and I’ll spend the other part of the day completing some projects around the house that have been waiting for my attention.

*  College football season is about to crank up, and I’m excited about that.

*  The South Carolina Gamecocks kick-off Thursday night on ESPN at 7:30 pm.  They’ll be playing Southern Miss in the season opener.  Go Gamecocks!

*  How about those Atlanta Braves?!  2 games ahead in the NL East.  Go Braves!

*  I’m just about finished reading Calvin Miller’s book on the Holy Spirit.  It’s entitled “Loving God Up Close”…and it’s fantastic.  Will post a book review on it soon.

*  That’s it for tonight.

Peace.

When I was working on my D.Min. at Beeson Divinity School, I took an inspiring and informative seminar under Dr. Calvin Miller.  It was all about preaching in the narrative form.  It was there that I learned about the powerful use of story.  And it was there that I met a guy named Jamie Greening.

We hit it off immediately.  For some reason, our personalities just clicked.  I noticed that Jamie and I talked and laughed about the same kinds of things.  One night during that seminar, we hung out at The Summit there in Birmingham and had a ball.  I enjoyed getting to know him. 

Jamie is around my age.  (Real young, you know?!  Ha!  Ha!)  He is the pastor of a church outside of Seattle.  God has blessed him with a wife and two children. 

Anyway, it thrilled me to learn recently that he wrote a book entitled “The Haunting Of Pastor Butch Gregory.”

Let me get straight to the point:  Get this book and read it.

It’s not one of those books that will take you weeks to read.  The entire book is only 150 pages.  Not long at all.

What is this book?  A collection of short stories.  16 of them in total. 

They revolve around ministry and church life.  Regardless of whether you stand behind a pulpit or sit in a pew on Sundays, I can guarantee that you will connect with this book. 

My favorite sections were as follows:  “The Haunting Of Pastor Butch Gregory.”  “Ekklesia Awry.”  “Steve Chooses.”  “Legacy:  A Hyperbolic Parody Parable Of Stereotypes.”  To be honest with you, however, the whole book is good.  I got something out of every short story I read.

Greening’s style reminds me somewhat of Calvin Miller.  And that’s a compliment.  Miller, afterall, is one of my favorite writers.  Greening has a style that is creative, insightful, and humorous.

Some of the stories really hit me on an emotional level. 

My hope is that this will not be the only book Jamie Greening writes.  This guy has a lot of good things to say.  If he is published again, I can guarantee you that I’ll be ready to dive head-first into it.

Let me say this again:  Get this book and read it.

To check out his website, and learn how to order this book for yourself, visit www.divinehaunting.com for yourself or just click **HERE**.

Attention Christians around the world:  Sunday is coming.

R. Kent Hughes has the following golden nugget in his book entitled Disciplines of a Godly Man:

“On Saturday,

I have asked Christ to make me sensitive tomorrow to needs of people in the body who are hurting.

I have solved the ‘Sunday clothes hassle’ by making sure that what I will wear is ready today.

I have spent time in confession so all will be right between myself and my Lord when we meet tomorrow.

I have determined to get to bed early so I will be refreshed and ready for church tomorrow.

I have planned on sustaining the delight of this time with Christ and his people by guarding against Sunday afternoon infringements.

On Sunday,

I have gotten up in plenty of time so I will not feel rushed.

I have programmed my morning so I will not just arrive at church on time, but will get there early.

I have eaten a good breakfast, so an empty stomach will not detract from my worship.

I have my Bible in hand plus a pen and paper for taking notes.

I have left for church with a great sense of expectancy because I know Christ will be there.”

Yes, Sunday is coming.

It’s a special day for worship and rest.

Why not go ahead and start making plans for it now?