Search: The Pastoral Search Committee Handbook

by William Vanderbloemen

Finding your church’s pastor is as serious as an organ transplant.

You need a pastor that matches your church’s vision, culture, and most importantly, your church’s heart. While there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the puzzle of planning for a seamless pastor search, this handbook was created to provide pastor search committees, church leaders, and pastors a guide to asking the right questions in order to plan for the overwhelming pastor search process.

William Vanderbloemen has spent years focusing on connecting churches with pastors who fit their ministry context. The Pastoral Search Committee Handbook guides church members through the process finding the right leader for their church.

Every church faces leadership changes. Leadership transitions often negatively affect the life of the church. Ministries are halted, church members leave, and giving slows down. The momentum the church was building is lost. Imagine instead that the church had a process already in place. What if they knew how to form a search committee and begin the search process for the person God is calling to lead their church? 

Genres: Leadership, Spirituality, Church

192 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2016

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this compact guidebook is devoted to preparations for an intensive pastoral search, so it is best read before a church launches its recruiting process. It is designed for larger churches, especially those that are embarking on a search without any guidance from a denomination or a bishop. Several appendices provide useful samples of documents that can be used by a search committee, such as a release form authorizing a background check. It may be overly formal for a small church that intends to consider just a few candidates, but it is a useful reminder to verify all information received from applicants, and go even further. In this era of multi-million-dollar liability lawsuits, a church sadly must make sure it has researched criminal history databases and sexual predator lists. Don't be satisfied with a letter submitted by a reference. Call the reference and check for details a reference might not want to put in writing.

[Megan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this form my church to read as we are in the middle of a pastoral search. I loved reading it, it offers some helpful insights gathered from doing the process many many times. While not all of the book will apply to every situation, I feel like it does a great job of giving a good outline of the process and helpful tips/pitfalls to avoid. It is also very readable which is great for its purpose!

[Scot Schieferstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical Guidelines for Pastoral Search

Practical guidelines for pastoral search make this a useful resource.

As others have noted there is a subtle suggestion to work with an outside organization such as the author's to help in your search but this doesn't distract from the applicable tips throughout.

[Jeremy J. Skaggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a pastor and this helped!

Discerning when to leave is hard, but what to expect when leaving is harder. This book is a carefully crafted guide book that is applicable to the one looking for a job and the ones offering the job. Seasoned tips and valuable insights found throughout this book.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, concise, and compelling read on the MANY things to consider during a pastoral search. I appreciated the insights, the perspectives, the informative appendices, and even the humor this book provided on a very important topic.

[Emmanuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview and outline of process.

[Bob Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pastoral Search

Practical steps for any pastoral search team. This is "Pastoral Search for Dummies." Follow for success in your team's search.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a pastoral search committee

[Sam McKeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Resource!

The process of finding a Pastor is overwhelming for most churches. Those that are tasked to complete such a task are often not well equipped. This is a tragedy because finding the right Pastor is vital. As the author so accurately communicates, the importance of finding the right Pastor for your church is like an organ transplant.

This book is a helpful tool that guides those going through the Pastor Search process. It starts with laying out the proper biblical foundation required before forming a Pastor Search Committee. It then walks the reader through the entire process all the way to welcoming and acclimating the new Pastor. As a handbook it is concise, but it also gives comprehensive information detailing the entire search process.

I appreciated the straightforward approach the author takes. It is full of practical information that is easily understood and applied. I was impressed at some of the seemingly little things that the author makes note of that can have a significant impact in finding the right pastor. The tools that are in the appendices are extremely helpful to those in the process of searching for a new Pastor.

Having witnessed churches travel the road of seeking a Pastor multiple times, I am well aware of the difficulty and danger of such a journey. This book is a great guide to those that are embarking on such a journey. I would highly recommend this book as a necessary resource to any church that is searching for a new Pastor.

[Rand Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Search is a guide, a handbook, for the pastoral search process. It is not a comprehensive treatment. Having never done one (but with one on the horizon), would guess that most searches are unique enough that any attempt at comprehensiveness would be folly.

I imagine that most searches (read: small churches) would benefit greatly from this book merely because it points out so many nuances and reality checks in the search process. Likewise, the deliberate intentional search structure offered in the book will be invaluable to this group as they are those least likely to be in a position to hire professional assistance.

While it does not impact the 5 star rating, I have to be honest and say I was disappointed with the editing. For example, there are a couple of instances where virtually identical paragraphs appear within a page or two of each other.

[Nate Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is easy to read and perfect for every member of a search committee to have a copy. It offers very practical advice for every stage of the process. I highly recommend it for search committees.

[Kirk Weikart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A methodical look at searching for a new pastor. Why re-create the wheel when the author has shared his many experiences? My only caution is to read more than just this resource, and adapt it to your particular church.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

extremely helpful for the most part. part of it sounded like an add for Vanderbloemen, but a book I will have on stock for future search teams.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great overview for the pastor search team.

[Dana Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview and companion piece to help any search. I did not like the author referencing his other books, somewhat marketing/self promotion.

[Stephen Angliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very solid and brief book. The info was helpful and given in an encouraging tone and was relevant to local churches.