How to Find the Right Pastor

Ron Hunter Jr., Ph.D. His military background and pastoral experience prepared Dr. Ron Hunter to assume his role as CEO of Randall House and D6 Family Ministry in 2002. He also serves as a speaker and consultant for various organizations and an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University, where he earned his Ph.D. He co-founded and directs the D6 Conference. Dr. Hunter has authored five other books, including Toy Box Leadership, The DNA of D6: Building Blocks for Generational Discipleship; Youth Ministry in the 21st Century; Recalibrate: A New Measure for Family Ministry; and About You, About Me: Generational Legacy Journal. Additionally, he has written over 80 articles for various magazines. David C. Gibbs III, JD, serves as president and general counsel of the National Center for Life and Liberty (NCLL), a legal ministry that protects the rights of churches and Christian organizations nationwide, with offices in California, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. A graduate of Duke University School of Law, Attorney Gibbs speaks regularly at churches and conferences across the country, while also litigating cases as a trial attorney. He has authored five books, including Fighting for Dear Life and Understanding the Constitution.

This handbook helps churches find and hire the right pastor or staff member for their youth, children, family, executive, next-gen, or worship ministries. Short chapters make the most relevant information easy to find. A ministry leader and a Christian attorney combine their skills to help your search committee find the right pastor or staff member for your church. This book covers five phases of the search process: Prepare for Your Search, Build the Profile, Find and Narrow to Your Top 3 to 5 Candidates, First Interviews With the Top 3 to 5 Candidates, and finally, Top Candidate Visit and the Vote. If you are looking at this book, it means you take the role of finding that next ministry leader seriously. You want to get it right, but how do you prioritize one set of preferences over another especially when your committee has yet to agree? Identifying and proactively managing the issues most likely to cause tension between new leaders and their congregations is an essential part of the search process. This handbook will help churches explore the categories they should consider when searching for a candidate such as the biblical criteria expected, education expectations, geographical predispositions, work and ministry experience, spouse expectations, kid-related issues, involvement within the church leadership, social organizations, political involvement, and so much more.