We are so grateful for your commitment to serving the Lord and our church family by participating on this pastor search team. Included in this candidate packet, you will find the tentative Search Team Timeline, the Lead Pastor Job Description, the Lead Pastor Profile, as well as the resumes and completed questionnaires of the remaining 12 candidates. We know that the weeks to come will demand much of your time and effort. Please know that the pastoral staff and elders have been praying for you and will continue to pray for your during this season. We encourage you to lean on the Lord for strength and stamina, to spend much time with Him for wisdom and discernment concerning the candidates you will review, and ultimately to rest in Him as you serve and sacrifice your time well. May your dependency on the Lord be like that of Paul’s in Colossians 1:29,
“For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.”
As you review each of these candidates, we encourage you to consider the following: education, experience, discipleship emphasis, leadership development emphasis, preaching, experience with the elder leadership, experience leading a staff, theology and doctrine, etc. Each of the candidates in this packet have excelled in some or all of these areas. Below are a few points that will help you to best review each candidate.
Education/Seminary Degrees
- The profile explicitly states a preference for formal theological training at a reputable seminary.
- M.A. or Master of Arts in (specific field) = 2-year master’s degree.
- MDiv or Master of Divinity in (specific field) = 3-4-year master’s degree including original languages.
- ThM or Master of Theology = 4-5-year Advanced master’s degree including original languages.
- DMin or Doctor of Ministry = A professional doctoral program with a dissertation/project in a focused area of ministry.
- PhD or Doctor of Philosophy = A research/academic doctoral degree with a dissertation in a specific area of study.
Reformed Theology
- A high view of God’s sovereignty in all things (including salvation), a high view of God’s glory, and a high view of God’s Word and its inerrancy and authority.
Expository Preaching
- The point of the sermon is the point of the passage, meaning the preacher allows the biblical author to determine the meaning of the text. This is often found coupled with, and compliments, a verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter preaching approach.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Tentative Search Team Timeline