Interview Dynamics – II

The following is geared for minsters in transition and for churches seeking pastors and staff members.

By: Robert L. Withers

Plans fail for lack of counsel,

                   but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)

The plans of the diligent lead to profit

                   as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

        There is an old adage that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Just as competent preachers spend hours in sermon preparation, and just as teachers spend hours in lesson planning, so candidates and search committees will find that prayerful and thoughtful preparation is a key to fruitful discussion and decision making.

       

Interview Dynamics – Part 1

Interview Dynamics – Part 1

By Robert L. Withers

        Few people in the business world experience the rigor and complexity of a pastor-search interview process. Consider the following:

1.   A search committee may consist of between three and twelve people. While some corporate processes may require multiple interviews, few will require an interview in which the job candidate is interviewed by as many as four people at the same time, let alone ten or twelve people.

2.   In the business world spouses are seldom interviewed by prospective employers, in the pastoral-search process spousal participation is vital.

3.   In the business world it is unusual for a single interview to last more than two hours; it is not unusual for a pastor candidate to be interviewed over the course of an entire day or weekend.