Pastoral search committees have clear priorities, but they are very seldom clearly articulated. Four levels at play.

WARNING! According to AVG there is a virus attached to the website linked above.

My heavily fortified corporate laptop with up to date Symantec antivirus definitions finds the site OK

http://toddrhoades.com/how-do-church-search-committees-search-for-pastors/

Having been involved to one degree or another with several churches’ search processes, I’m not sure that having “clear priorities” — or even “clearly articulating” them — is strong enough medicine for what may ail us.

I have seen full-grown men on a search committee swayed by something as superficial as the color and thickness of a prospect’s hair, and even heard the unexpected sentiment that the church may have to change its doctrine to match a potential candidate if he is “good enough.”

I think, in general, independent fundamental church leaders are often embarrassingly ill-informed on something as simple as, for instance, the difference between a B.A. and an M.Div. degree — to say nothing of the finer points of theology.

In short, I think the process needs a fair amount of study and, perhaps, reworking. I don’t have all the answers; I just know I’ve seen more than enough that concerns me.

Perhaps these things are just the symptoms of bigger problems…