# Mark Dever On Pastoral Search Committees



## Backwoods Presbyterian (Jan 8, 2011)

eJournal : What


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Jan 9, 2011)

Was on one search committee for a Baptist Church and saw everything he spoke about. One woman on the committee forced herself on simply because she was told by Pastors from a nearby Church that the committee was excluding "conservative, Bible-believing Baptists" by advertising the position on the Founder's list. She then found a couple of crazy articles about Calvinists trying to take over Churches and that they didn't believe in the idea of preaching the Gospel. After we got finished interviewing one fellow who was halfway across the world, she started listing all the things this guy believed in (matched what the article said). All of the charges were contradictory to what he had just stated but he came from a list.

It really was like dealing with an irrational teenager and this woman was about 54 years old.

I loved the people in that Church but I would never want to return to the chaos of congregational government with on Pastor (elder), a deacon board, and a sense that everything is voted on by the people. The light of nature itself repeatedly proved how wise the Scriptures are to entrust the government of the Church to seasoned and Godly men.


----------



## SolaScriptura (Jan 9, 2011)

Rich, It's good to know that pastoral search committees in the Presbyterian world are free from politicization and irrationality.


----------



## Contra_Mundum (Jan 9, 2011)

solascriptura said:


> rich, it's good to know that pastoral search committees in the presbyterian world are free from politicization and irrationality.



LOL ROFL

But, church govt issues often have some bearing on the conduct and outcome of pastoral searches.


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Jan 9, 2011)

SolaScriptura said:


> Rich, It's good to know that pastoral search committees in the Presbyterian world are free from politicization and irrationality.


 We all have problems (in fact I can tell you about something that happened over a cigar some time). In the main, however, I was agreeing with Mark Dever that committees are generally a bad idea and that Elder involvement is a good thing. I didn't view my circumstance as a Baptist thing, per se, but a "no Elders cuz Southern Baptists don't have Elders..." kind of thing.


----------



## SolaScriptura (Jan 9, 2011)

Semper Fidelis said:


> in fact I can tell you about something that happened over a cigar some time



Let's do it...


----------



## Rich Koster (Jan 9, 2011)

I am in agreement that elders should build redundancy and effectively replace themselves. Paul mentions reliable men to pass the whole truth from generation to generation. Those who chose a senior pastor should be knowledgeable of the scriptures and a good judge of character. I agree with 9 Marks. Who is better suited to make that decision than elders?


----------



## Scottish Lass (Jan 9, 2011)

Rich Koster said:


> Who is better suited to make that decision than elders?



Assuming the elders were chosen wisely/biblically to begin with. Sometimes, even in Reformed churches, elders are chosen for the same reason Dever lists for the search committee--oh, it'd be smart to put a lawyer on there, this guy has been here several years and hasn't "taken a turn," and so on.


----------



## Rich Koster (Jan 9, 2011)

Scottish Lass said:


> Rich Koster said:
> 
> 
> > Who is better suited to make that decision than elders?
> ...


 
Yes.


----------



## Jack K (Jan 9, 2011)

The only search committees at churches I've been part of have been chosen by the elders. They were pretty wise committees, chosen by wise elders.


----------



## Scottish Lass (Jan 10, 2011)

Jack K said:


> The only search committees at churches I've been part of have been chosen by the elders. They were pretty wise committees, chosen by wise elders.


 
I hope that's the rule and that somehow I always manage to see the exception...


----------



## bookslover (Jan 10, 2011)

During my time as a licentiate in the OPC, I candidated at an OPC church in the mid-west (which shall remain nameless). This was back in the late 1990s. There were five finalists. The search committee flew each one of us out there (one at a time, of course), and we each spent a week at the church, preaching, teaching, and getting to know the people somewhat. I was the last of the five to do this, so I didn't have to wait long to get their decision.

It turns out that, of the five of us, the search committee extended the call to the one man who (a) not only turned them down, but (b) wasn't even sure he was supposed to be in pastoral ministry in the first place!

So much for the sagacity of pastoral search committees...


----------

