“This saying is trustworthy:[a] “If anyone aspires to be an overseer (Pastor), he desires a noble work.” -1Timothy 3:1
It is no surprise when one who is called of God to preach the gospel aspires to shepherd a congregation. Those who desire to serve as a pastor seek a good thing according to the scripture. The process in a Baptist church is unique, ordinarily slow, somewhat varied by church, and challenging. It is much easier to interview at a local business on Thursday and be invited to begin work on Monday. That is not the way it works in the seeking or calling of a new Pastor.
On some occasions, a congregation has a staff member who aspires to be the next Lead Pastor. That desire can often interject unintended tension and consequences. Having served fifteen churches as an interim pastor and having consulted with many pastor search teams, allow me to make some observations about this issue.
First, a staff member who desires to be the Lead Pastor should not submit himself for the position. I did not say that he should not be the next pastor. I said he should not submit his name. Here is why. If he is a valued staff member, and he likely is, he has a “following.” If the search team determines that he is not the right candidate, people are going to be upset. I have seen this cause division where it was not anticipated. Let me add that in some rare circumstances a staff member is brought to the church as a “successor” to the Lead Pastor. That makes this a moot point because the congregation has been fully aware for years that he is slated to take the role once the current pastor takes leave of his position.
Second, if a staff member is the “obvious choice,” there is no need to submit himself as a candidate because the Pastor Search Team will be approaching him. In this circumstance he is likely the clear choice and the process will go smoothly and probably quickly.
Third, if a staff member insists on submitting himself as a candidate he should be aware that he is going “all in.” While I do not play the game of poker, I am familiar with this concept. It means all of your chips are on the table and you either win it all or lose it all. There is no in between. A staff member needs to understand that if he makes himself a candidate that he will either become the new Lead Pastor or he will soon be leaving that particular congregation. Why is that? Because he will always be second guessing the next Leader who is in the position he felt he deserved. His attitude toward the next pastor, as well as the congregation who did not call him, will be tainted and difficult to resolve. Likewise, the next pastor may be suspicious and unable to develop the needed level of trust. Someone is reading this and saying “yes, but.” You are right that there are exceptions to all rules. However, I have seen many staff members moved along but rarely one who functioned in a healthy way as a staff member under a new leader for a position to which he aspired. Let me be clear that I am not suggesting this is necessarily a spiritual issue. I love the Lord but sometimes wrestle with relationships. The issues relate more to a sociological leadership dynamic than a spiritual issue. Staff members who are interested in taking the lead need to be aware of this.
Fourth, if a staff member has been submitted as a candidate, formally or informally, the Pastor Search Team needs to deal with that candidate first and come to a decision before moving forward. Why? Because either intentionally or unintentionally, he will be building a following (of greater numbers) as the months pass and if he is not called, the disappointments will result in the loss of many members at best and division at worst. I’ve seen it happen many times. Let me add that the strategy of hijacking the disappointed members to launch a new work down the road and calling it a church plant is not ethical. A genuine healthy church plant is done with the total affirmation and support of the sending church.
Be prayerful. Be deliberate. Be wise. This is not exhaustive but hopefully will fuel a healthy conversation if you or someone you know is dealing with a similar scenario.