TEN QUESTIONS PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEES MUST ASK

The current theological climate presents a tremendous challenge for churches in search of a new pastor. Unfortunately, pastoral search committees are often unaware of some of today’s most pressing theological issues and so don’t know the questions that need to be asked of pastoral candidates to determine where they stand doctrinally.

This list of ten theological questions is not intended to be exhaustive, but, rather, it should be an aid in the overall pastoral search process.

The reason for posing simple yes or no questions is to make it earier to determine exactly what someone actually believes. Unfortunately, we live in a day when not everyone is completely forthcoming concerning their true theological commitments and this format should help cut through the fog of this particular problem.

Of course, further explanation for any given answer would be completely fine, but this should happen only after an initial yes or no answer has been given.

Before getting to the ten questions, the following eight points represent a number of areas of assumed theological agreement that should form a baseline of beliefs for anyone who would be considered an evangelical. These should be affirmed with conviction by any pastoral candidate.

Assumed areas of theological agreement

1. The Bible is the inspired Word of God
2. God created the heavens and the earth
3. Miracles are real events and heaven and hell are real places
4. Jesus is both fully God and fully man, and was born of a virgin
5. Christ died for all men without exception
6. Salvation is by grace through faith
7. Christ’s resurrection and 2nd coming are literal events
8. Mankind will be resurrected and judged

It should be understood that acceptance of the above statements does not guarantee that someone holds to traditional conservative evangelical beliefs. So, further questions need to be asked in order to determine more precisely the overall theology of a given pastoral candidate.

The following ten questions will help to provide a relatively accurate picture of what someone actually believes in a number of the most important theological areas. These questions are posed from what could be generally considered as the historic conservative, evangelical, dispensational position. Therefore, most churches that would use this tool would want to get a “yes” answer to each of these questions.

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10 Questions Pastoral Search Committees Must Ask Prospective Candidates

Each question only requires an initial yes or no answer

1. Is the Bible the inspired, inerrant, infallible, sufficient and authoritative Word of God?
2. Did God create everything in six literal, 24-hour days in the recent past?
3. Should accounts of things like the Fall, the Flood, the Exodus, Jonah in the fish, etc. all be understood literally?
4. Did Christ die for the sins of every person without exception, as opposed to dying only for the elect?
5. Is personal faith alone in Christ alone the only way of salvation for everyone?
6. Does faith precede regeneration in the logical order of salvation?
7. Are born-again believers eternally secure in Christ such that they cannot lose or forfeit their salvation?
8. Did the sign gifts of the Spirit cease by the end of the Apostolic Era?
9. Does national Israel still have a future place in God’s program distinct from the Church and will Christ return to rule over the earth for 1000 years?
10. Will the Church be raptured before the seven-year tribulation period?

Notes:
1. The traditionally conservative, dispensational evangelical answer to each question is “yes” 
2. Concerning question #5 (5-Point Calvinists believe that regeneration precedes faith)
3. If a candidate refuses to give a simple yes or no answer to any question, then this is likely a sign that they either have no convictions in this area – or they are attempting to conceal what they personally believe.

1 Comment
  1. Thank you for keeping us informed about our Christian Walk.