The baby boomer crop of pastors is retiring by the hundreds every month.

Challenge: by observation of the results, most of the present systems to find the next pastor are as effective as a roll of the dice.

Not that God can’t direct us beyond our inadequacies. But He gives us a brain to use for a reason.

What are the challenges?

• Every church is a complex organism.
• Each church has its own history.
• While Christian churches have many similar characteristics, there are many uniquenesses as well.
• The methods of a church change as the audience becomes different over the years: the people grow older—or younger; the culture of the people can change.
• Beyond all that—every local congregation has its own unique philosophy of ministry.

Most Christians have never thought much about their church’s personality—[see the book, Your Church has Personality: Find Your Focus/Maximize Your Mission].

Now, to get your attention: replacing a pastor with the wrong person is one of the costliest mistakes a church can make.

• It’s more traumatic than if your church burned down. At least you can replace it, and the insurance will help pay for most of it.

The best approach:

1. Pray—of course!
2. Get an outside expert to thoroughly analyze your church: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
3. Get a written report from the expert that diagnoses your church in every area.
4. Use this report to screen candidates to be your next pastor.
5. Discuss the report by phone before candidates make a visit. Ask the candidate to supply a completed spiritual gifts survey.
6. Pray again…of course!
7. Bring the candidate and family in for a visit. Use the report for further analysis toward a match.
8. Pray for discernment.
9. Make your decision.

The results? You’ll get the best result, 80% of the time.

The other 20%? Don’t blame God! Human error is real. Churches are way more complex than most Christians can imagine.