Dear Sir,
I was intrigued by your article in the August issue about questions a prospective pastor should ask the existing leadership. However I couldn’t help but think: ‘What would this look like from the church elders point of view?’
Your first question was put to elders who might have been committed to the church for the last 20 years or more (elders who might have stuck with the church after ‘the split’). This, coming from a bright young thing straight out of seminary who has never set foot in the town before might seem impertinent, if not downright arrogant!
The elders’ reply to such a candidate might be: ‘Well, how committed are you to this church and town? Is this small place just a stepping stone in your career as a pastor?’
So, perhaps a question to keep up his sleeve certainly not the first question to ask… !
There are other questions that I would see elders wanting to ask a potential pastor – perhaps that could be the subject of a follow-up article from the interviewing elders’ point of view?!
Yours sincerely,
