PASTORAL SEARCH PROCESS
One of the most important transitions in the life of any church is when one pastor leaves and the church embarks on a search for their next pastor. The process can seem daunting. The NACCC provides many good resources to help you and can provide advisors to help you. To utilize the service that helps churches with ministerial vacancies find interested clergy, a church must complete a Pastoral Church Information Form (CIF) with the NACCC. This service is free to active member churches. Other churches may utilize the NACCC pastoral search process for a fee.
The basic steps a church will move through are:
The average time it takes to move from the seating of a search committee to a final recommendation is 18 to 24 months. The success of calling a suitable candidate as your next pastor is directly related to the church's preparation for the search, their clear understanding of the type of person they are looking for, and their honest representation of themselves to interested candidates. Two crucial resources will help you:
Calling a Congregational Minister: A Handbook for Pastoral Search Committees. This handbook will guide you through the steps of the search process.
Searching for a Minister: A Church Overview and Guide to Best Practices. This handbook will help reinforce good practices in your search process and help you achieve your goal of finding the pastoral leadership you need.
Searching for Your Next Minister Through the NACCC. A handout for church members that provides an overview of the search process and how to get started.
The basic steps a church will move through are:
- Determining who will provide pastoral services from the time your current minister leaves to the time the new minister arrives (the Interim Period)
- Creating a Search Committee charged with representing the church to potential candidates, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates and making a final recommendation of a candidate to the church for their consideration
The average time it takes to move from the seating of a search committee to a final recommendation is 18 to 24 months. The success of calling a suitable candidate as your next pastor is directly related to the church's preparation for the search, their clear understanding of the type of person they are looking for, and their honest representation of themselves to interested candidates. Two crucial resources will help you:
Calling a Congregational Minister: A Handbook for Pastoral Search Committees. This handbook will guide you through the steps of the search process.
Searching for a Minister: A Church Overview and Guide to Best Practices. This handbook will help reinforce good practices in your search process and help you achieve your goal of finding the pastoral leadership you need.
Searching for Your Next Minister Through the NACCC. A handout for church members that provides an overview of the search process and how to get started.
Candidates' Disclosure Files
The NACCC does not credential ministers, nor does it put requirements or restrictions on who a local church may call to be their settled minister. The NACCC serves the local church by providing the vehicles by which church and candidate can consider each other. However, ministers who wish to access the list of member churches who are looking for clergy to fill vacancies must file documents with the NACCC disclosing a minimum of verifiable information as set out in the NACCC Disclosure Protocol and Policy. Please read this policy carefully.
Once you have identified your top one or two candidates for your opening, the Minister Disclosure Files of those candidates are open for your inspection upon request. The files will be provided to you electronically. Please note that these files are provided to you by the NACCC as a service. The NACCC does not verify the contents of the file but can advise you on how you may do that yourself and urges you to do so.
Be advised that some ministers seeking consideration as a candidate for your church may choose to bypass the NACCC office and avoid filing a Minister Disclosure File. The NACCC can advise you on whether a candidate has a Minister Disclosure File at the NACCC office prior to your advancing interest in him or her. We encourage you to require all candidates in whom you have an interest to establish Disclosure Files with the NACCC to advance their consideration. This is one way the NACCC helps you follow best practices in the search process.
Once you have identified your top one or two candidates for your opening, the Minister Disclosure Files of those candidates are open for your inspection upon request. The files will be provided to you electronically. Please note that these files are provided to you by the NACCC as a service. The NACCC does not verify the contents of the file but can advise you on how you may do that yourself and urges you to do so.
Be advised that some ministers seeking consideration as a candidate for your church may choose to bypass the NACCC office and avoid filing a Minister Disclosure File. The NACCC can advise you on whether a candidate has a Minister Disclosure File at the NACCC office prior to your advancing interest in him or her. We encourage you to require all candidates in whom you have an interest to establish Disclosure Files with the NACCC to advance their consideration. This is one way the NACCC helps you follow best practices in the search process.
Background Checks
A church is strongly urged to request background checks of any ministerial candidate in whom they are interested. When a minister establishes their Disclosure file with us, they sign a permission form for a background check, allowing a church to request the NACCC to run a background check on their behalf. The NACCC does not automatically run a background check; such a request must come from a local church. To learn more about background checks, click here.
Background Check Release Form
Background Check Release Form
Additional articles, forms and samples that would be helpful to a Search Committee can be found at the Center for Congregational Leadership website. Below is a sample Pastoral Church Information Form (CIF) that you can use prior to filling out the electronic copy and other samples that will assist you during the search process.
| Sample Pastoral CIF form |
