What do our pastoral candidates really believe?
An interesting phenomenon is occurring with Christian candidates who are submitting their resumés for ministry placement. Individuals will indicate that they are in agreement with the doctrinal statement of the particular organization with which they are seeking employment. But upon closer examination, some individuals show a pattern of being comfortable with any doctrinal statement—even one for an organization that is theologically different. So this question begs to be asked: Who is this candidate really?
Safe, sound, and satisfactory
Dating back to the Association’s inception, a stated objective of the GARBC is to assist churches in securing “safe, sound and satisfactory pastors for the proclamation of the Gospel and the work of the ministry.” While every church is sovereign in its decision-making authority regarding the calling of a pastor, the founders of the GARBC recognized that churches needed and benefited from assistance in identifying potential pastoral candidates. Churches need pastors who have theological convictions that are aligned with the church. And churches need pastors who possess wisdom and skill for their pastoral role.
“Will abide by” vs. “believes in”
Increasingly, the screening of candidates is a challenging task. Churches can no longer assume that if a pastoral candidate signs a statement of doctrinal agreement, he is on board with everything in that statement. In some instances his signature may indicate that he is willing to abide by the beliefs of the church though there are certain points with which he is uncertain or differs. The problem with this discrepancy is that inevitably in the pastor’s teaching or preaching, he will have to address those doctrinal points. What choice will the pastor make? Will he teach the church’s position with conviction and clarity, or will he leave wiggle room for alternative views?
The careful scrutiny of a ministry candidate is important for three reasons. First, there is a question of integrity. A candidate needs to be truthful about his beliefs and practices, rather than appearing to be someone he is not. Too many churches discover too late that they have selected a pastor who is different than whom they had assumed. Second, a church deserves to have a pastor who is a man of theological conviction and consistency. The situational flip-flopping that sometimes occurs in politics to win votes should not occur in the church. Third, a church must know who it is. Opening the door to alternative positions on doctrine is a decision that will come back to bite churches. The church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). In the phrase’s syntax, the article “the” in front of the word “truth” designates that a certain body of truth, rather than a collection of uncertain alternatives, must be proclaimed. In fulfilling his God-assigned role of proclaiming truth, a pastor must speak with certainty when teaching the Word. Every church or ministry organization must be clear in its theological identity and not become careless in filling a leadership slot quickly or in meeting a recruitment quota.
Available help
The GARBC continues to assist churches in securing “safe, sound and satisfactory pastors.” When your church is moving through a pastoral transition, please communicate with our office. We are here to help your church’s pulpit committee by referring potential candidates and by providing pastoral search consultation. Contact Jim Vogel, associate GARBC national representative at jvogel@garbc.org or at 888-588-1600, ext. 855. Likewise, if your church has a Regular Baptist state or regional representative, he wants to help your church. Finding a pastor is too important a task for you to be hasty or careless in your selection. Take advantage of trusted assistance.
In expressing these thoughts, I am motivated with a parental concern similar to what Paul conveyed in his words in 2 Corinthians 11:1–4: “Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly. . . . For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”
