“Here’s the situation.  You, the pastoral candidate, are sitting in a room with a committee of anywhere from 6 to 20 people. They have spent the evening tossing questions, real and theoretical, at you.  You are drained and everyone is ready for the evening to end. But not yet. Finally, the chair says, “And pastor, is there anything you would like to ask us?”

Pastors toss me this issue regularly.  Somewhere in the archives of our website, I’m sure we’ve dealt with this subject.  However, with over 2,000 articles and no index of these things, I suggest that they google “McKeever + (subject),” and see what comes up. Usually, if I’ve written on the subject, it’ll show up in the results.

That said, perhaps it’s time to say a few more things about this.

Here’s the situation.  You, the pastoral candidate, are sitting in a room with a committee of anywhere from 6 to 20 people. They have spent the evening tossing questions, real and theoretical, at you.  You are drained and everyone is ready for the evening to end.

But not yet.  Finally, the chair says, “And pastor, is there anything you would like to ask us?”

You bring out your list.

Now, if everyone has been sitting for an hour or more, you might want to suggest a stand-up break before you start. That signals them that this is important too, just as critical as what went before, and that they should not be expecting to (ahem) get out early.  (After all, there is no guarantee you will ever have another visit with these folks. Even if nothing comes from this interview, your questions could help them learn how pastors see this process.)

In most cases, this is a briefer period than their interview with you, usually no more than 30 minutes.  Make the questions clear and ask for clarifications on responses you do not understand.  Always remember that open-ended questions, those that allow for thoughtful responses, are always best.

Your questions for the PSC will fall into two categories: Those to be asked of the chairman/leadership in private and those laid before the entire committee.

What questions would you ask the chairman in private?  Answer: Things that might be considered embarrassing or presumptuous or of a private nature.  If the church has come through a split or if they fired the previous pastor, this is better dealt with in a one-on-one with the chair than in the entire group. By asking it to the entire committee, you run the risk of opening an old wound or reviving a previous division.  Ask it in private.

If the pastor candidate has something in his life that might be considered a deal-breaker (“I’m divorced” or “One of my children is gay” or “Our son is in prison”), these are better shared in private.  Then, when he/she thinks it’s appropriate, the chair can inform the full committee.

I suggest everyone keep notes. The minister in particular should scribble quick notes on what is said and transcribe them into longer, fuller reports on returning to his room.  No one should trust their memory on these matters. So much is said, much serious and some in jest, some implied and some explicit, which will be forgotten within hours.  Write it down.

Possible questions the minister will want to put before the pastor search committee include….

1) What are the 3 most important things you want from your pastor?

Get ready for their answers to be all over the map.  Most committees have not talked this out, and their expectations are as scattered as the congregation’s are. Nevertheless, jot down their answers. Then, consider pointing out to them the wide variety of their answers and how this is typical of congregations and they should never forget this.  Then, make whatever point you wish about this, if any.

2) What is your church’s position on (fill in the blank; some issue important to you personally)?

This could be a question on doctrine, a denominational controversy, some issue in their community, divorced deacons, divorce itself, homosexuality, entrenched leadership (i.e., treasurer or deacon chairman who has held the same position for 30 years), the pastor knowing how much people are contributing and who is tithing, and such.  You could go anywhere with this question, but should limit it to one or two issues of great weight to you.

3) Does your church provide (blank) for the minister and his family?

This might be a housing allowance or health care, expenses for the wife to accompany the pastor to the annual denominational conference, a pastorium (manse), etc. In most cases, this will have already been made clear to you.

4) Which translation of the Bible does your church use?

You’re looking for stumps in this field you may be asked to plow. If you are KJV only and the people are using many modern translations–or if the opposite is the case–you need to know this going in.  What you do with the information is up to you.

5) Has the church ever given a pastor a sabbatical (a few weeks off to rest or study or travel or visit other churches)?

Over a ministry of a half-century, I received this twice and the benefits continue to this day. I recommend it strongly, both for the church (in many cases, they will get a new pastor for their investment) and for the minister, who needs the break.  The church should continue all salary and benefits and cover expenses for ministers who fill in during the preacher’s absence. A visionary congregation will do this. Churches that do not do this have usually never been asked to do so or shown the reasons for the practice.