WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?

Our Church today, the hope for tomorrow, was founded on some really solid cornerstones. Our Church also has many biblically established guidelines. God in his wisdom has given us guidelines for discipline, guidelines for use of gifts, guidelines for roles, guidelines for parenting and guidelines for various relationships.

While in a business meeting several weeks ago a young lady mentioned in the course of our discussion that she was on the pulpit selection committee for her church.  She mentioned the Episcopal Church she attended for many years with glee. I knew her church was in the hunt for a new pastor, word often gets around. She raised the subject of Pastoral selection and continued to expound to me how the Episcopal Diocese has this great database of pastors for them to choose from.  And then I asked a simple question that exposed a huge problem.

I thought the question was appropriate since they were looking for a pastor.  I thought the question was fitting since she was on the pulpit selection committee. However her answer was appalling. But understanding the state of the church it should have been expected. None the less her answer caught me completely off guard.

Now, this was the question “did you study 1 Timothy 3:1-7”.  Her reply was “no”, that I could have accepted (presuming she was are of the contents of the passage). However her simple no answer was followed up with “what is 1Timothy 3 about”, of course at that moment I was floored. My mind raced with a myriad of questions. How could you be on the search committee for a church and the leadership not study the prerequisites? How could you be in a church for that length of time and not had a single sermon or Sunday school lesson on 1 Timothy 3. Evidently the great Episcopal Diocese didn’t provide any biblical material on the Pastoral qualifications that at least mentioned 1 Timothy 3?

I wanted to ask “how do you know what to look for if you’re not using the bible”.  How could a church with such a long history fall so slack in adherence to biblical guidelines? Then I just mentally surveyed the Church scenery for a moment and it was immediately evident that this was most likely not an isolated incident.  I recalled a conversation with an out of state friend who had taken the liberty to study 1 Timothy when we were discussing the nonsensical issue of women pastors.  I thought to give him a call and ask about what type of preparation his group went through as the pulpit selection committee. Had the committee taken the time to prepare for the task or would it be the same. Would I ask the same question of him “what are you looking for”?

A pastor friend of mine, (a most biblically qualified friend) recently went on a Pastoral interview. He decided to quiz the elders sitting before him. The questions where simple, after all they were elders  who must have the ability to teach according to the scripture Titus 1:9  He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it. Secondly these were all seasoned elders with titles for over a decade. Question #1 was, recite the Ten Commandments in order. To his dismay not only could they not recite them in order, they failed to recall all Ten. Question #2 was, simply recite the books of the bible. Once again they failed.  Here is a perfect example of the overall state of the church, biblically illiterate. When you have leadership that fails to learn even the elementary things, how can we realistically expect them to know the deeper things of scripture?   Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  When the illiterate set themselves up as the standard of knowledge, it’s like biblical limbo, “how low can you go”.  These leaders reacted, I perceive, in a manner similar to most when they are exposed as frauds. Instead of the quiz awakening them to their state and stimulating them to correct their illiteracy, it only awakened the pride within and a “how dare him ask us a question attitude”.  Needless to say the interview was downhill from there.

Therefore we see that biblically illiteracy reigns when it comes to the pulpit selection committees. That’s why adulterers, pedophiles, the covetous, thieves and disqualified others just travel from one illiterate church to another. Unfortunately even the hierarchy of many denominations such as AME, Apostolic, COGIC and COG (just to name a FEW) transfer disqualified pastors from one location to another, from one flock to another flock like an STD.

They don’t even know what they are looking for. Why not? Because they haven’t read and studied the word that’s applicable to the task before them, they fall woefully short of competency for the task before them. They compare themselves among themselves  2 Cor 10:12         For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.  They then become pride filled to have the title or the position but lack the corresponding biblical knowledge.

They search but they know not what to look for. Each person has their own vision of a pastor, all separate from the Holy Writ. They are akin to asking a normal two year old to go get the needle nose pliers. They know little therefore they accept little.  What about you? When is the last time you read 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Does your pastor qualify? If he doesn’t will you stay anyway, or will you submit your life to the bible and leave. Will you leave before the shipwrecked captain leavens your family?  I know you probably won’t leave even after the truth is revealed because it takes time, effort and strength to move on. It takes strength to break away from the cherished relationships; it takes effort to sort the multitude of churches just to come up with a few possibilities. Finally it takes time to go and visit, or query members about pastoral backgrounds and that is just too much to go through. I guess to some of us the souls of our wives and children are not worth the expenditure.

In closing, if you or friend are ever selected for this solemn task, begin it with a detailed study of the qualifications for leadership. Please include at a minimum 1 Timothy 2,3 and Titus 1. After all you want to know what you are looking for, right?