Searching for the Called

“…, spiritual direction, and coaching – that equips committees to listen for a word from the Lord rather than make choices based on checklists. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Laura Stephens-Reed Multiple organizations Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

The local church has the charge and the power to change individuals and communities in the name of Christ. Congregations are most effective at their mission when parishes and their pastoral leaders work well together. The success of this partnership is seeded during the search and call process. In parishes that call their own clergy, however, search committees rarely receive training and resources adequate for the task. When churches and clergy don’t mesh well as a result, they expend energy focusing inward on maintenance ministry and finding common ground rather than outward on a world in desperate need of some Good News.

Having identified four areas where search committees often run into difficulty, my Pastoral Study Project proposal sets forth a plan for 1) mining insights from human resources, spiritual direction, and coaching and 2) developing a flexible approach to committee training built on (theologically-framed) best hiring practices, discernment exercises, and powerful question-asking. Better-executed searches can contribute to clergy and congregational health, enabling pastors and parishes to focus on the mission to which God has called them.

Image Title Year Type Contributor(s) Other Info
www.searchingforthecalled.org 2017 Website Laura Stephens-Reed