Faithful Delivery

After nearly twenty years, our church had a vacancy in the pulpit. For a while, I was flattered to serve on the search committee. We were generous with our time and prayerful with our decisions. We took our commitments seriously, both to the task and to each other. We were even gifted copies of the Psalms to help sustain us. And yet, we failed.

We connected with and felt called to present a candidate who was judged not the right person for our church at this time. We had missed the mark. Our critics became cold and vocal. Regrettably, but with grace and integrity, our chairperson resigned. Instead of following, I was asked to lead. With this significant role would come big questions and bigger doubts. And yet, I said yes.

I was among the first to admit I didn't know what to do. However, there was a quiet confidence that we would be okay. I believed that we would soon welcome a wonderful pastor. In the meantime, we needed to show everyone that we were capable of caring.

Caring for our Committee

Before returning to work, our small committee needed to accept that this was a different search in a different season. As the chairperson, I encouraged the team to avoid allowing previous experiences and mistakes to harden our hearts. We found it helpful to start our meetings by revisiting Jesus' parables and reflecting on how these deeply familiar passages continue to shape our faith. We also saw how this second search could do the same.

Caring for our Consistory

Our consistory is a collection of elders and deacons commissioned to support the life and ministry of our church. They held authority over our search committee. This vital relationship needed to be nurtured with information sharing. The consistory was genuinely interested whenever I provided clear and consistent updates on what our committee was doing, when we were doing it, and most importantly, why we were doing it. These small steps would go a long way in building the foundation for moving forward. 

Caring for our Candidates

In addition to our internal efforts, I coordinated the communications with our candidates. In short, this required crafting email updates, scheduling interviews, and scripting follow-up conversations. This work was about more than building up an image for our church and gently turning down candidates. It was an opportunity to get to know and treat people with kindness. One candidate shared that he had been wearing himself out on the job search for over a year, and this was the first time he had felt indeed seen and appreciated. Of course, that would remain my standard.

Caring for our Congregation

During our search, I presented to our congregation on the second Sunday of every month. I wanted this large group to feel included and connected to the process. I reminded them of our shared values and intentionally invited them in with simple, hopeful messages like this:

In our first meeting with any candidate, we open by asking about their relationship with Jesus. Don't worry; we'll cover plenty of theological grounds before presenting them to the consistory. But we start with Jesus.

We also ask what drew them to our church. For the Casablanca fans, this is like "Of all the churches, in all the little towns, in all the world…" They have told us about their attraction to "Loving God, Loving Others and Leading Change." They have also appreciated our outreach and commitment to the community.

Eventually, we will have to deny all but one candidate. That's a challenging message to share and especially to hear. So, church, we ask for your continued prayers.

Consider a prayer of thankfulness for the call to mission and the work of ALL the candidates.

Consider a prayer of encouragement for ALL to keep fanning their God-given gifts into flame.

Consider a prayer for ALL to desire and seek after God's leading, not in this search process but ALWAYS.

Conclusion

Ultimately, we hosted a town hall to unite our congregation, consistory, the search committee, and our pastoral candidate. We gathered together because we cared about each other. All I had was a high hope that we could deliver and raise a hallelujah. And yet, it was enough.