Read Between The Lines

          For many, many years the assignments of pastors in our denomination were done by a committee at annual conference in October.  This meant that every fall a church could suddenly find a new pastor when they arrived for services on Sunday.  And for pastors and their families this was always a time of great stress since they did not know in advance if they would suddenly be changed and have to move.  This was really a time of stress for congregations, pastors and especially their families.  The first five pastors of our church came through this process.
          But then things changed and churches were allowed to fill their pulpits with men of their choosing.  When a pastor resigns or retires the church now can form a search committee and begin looking for their next pastor.  Candidates can be interviewed.  They can be asked to preach.  They can be voted on by the congregation.  And sometimes this process can take months or even years to finally complete.  It too can be a stressful time for a congregation.  We have only had to go through this revised process twice in our church and both times I served on the search committees.
          Now for the candidates, one of their challenges is determining what the search committee really means by their statements.  Sometimes they need to "read between the lines" when they are being interviewed.  Here are some of the statements that might be made and what might really be meant by the committee that makes them.
          What the committee said: "We have a long and distinguished history as a congregation." - What they meant: We haven't done anything worth a hoot in the last decade. 
         "We don't have stereotyped expectations for our pastor's wife." - She doesn't have to play piano for junior church. But naturally, she'll want to head up the women's group. 
         "We want a pastor who's an outstanding preacher, a compassionate counselor, a successful soul-winner, a gifted teacher, a strong motivator, and an efficient administrator." - We have no clue what we want, but we suppose you'll do. 
         "What is your philosophy of ministry?" - What tricks do you have to increase worship attendance? 
         "Our attendance has been declining, but our church has a lot of potential." - You're our last hope before we close the church doors. 
        "We want a pastor who can bring energy and life to worship." - We need someone to get the organist to play the hymns faster. 
         "We plan to repair the parsonage just as soon as we get a new pastor." - We plan to have our new pastor repair the parsonage. 
        "We think many former members will return if we get the right person as pastor." - If you don't get them back, it's your fault. 
         "The chairman of our search committee has opened his home to you for your candidating weekend." - Try to ignore the boa constrictor and nude pin-ups in his son's room. You know how teenagers are. 
        "We'll be happy to pay you for your moving expenses." - Up to the budgeted $375. 
          "Don't worry. We'll be here to help you get acquainted with our church." - We'll watch you like a hawk, because we're scared to death you might do something that will embarrass us. 
         "You'll have two weeks of study leave and four weeks of vacation annually." - And whenever you take any time away, someone will say he wishes HE had such an easy schedule. 
         "How much do you need to live on?" - That'll be your salary for at least five years. 
          "As the church grows, your salary will grow, too." - Fat chance! 
          "You won't have to fight traffic getting to the office every morning." - The parsonage is attached to the back of the sanctuary, and the baptistry doubles as your bathtub. 
         "We're an easy bunch to work with." - We'll take is easy while you do the work. 

(Thanks to James Dyet, David Goetz, Brian Larson, Mark Galli, Richard Doebler and Jim Berkley in Leadership, Vol. 13, no. 4 for these observations.)