Recently, my church has started searching for a pastor and has set up a Pastoral Search Committee. We are currently in the administrative part of our duties-developing candidate questions. Since our committee is quite diverse—a number of different focuses/talents/functions in the body—the questions will undoubtedly be diverse. We are working on format of the questions—I.E.—Initial interview, Written Questions to follow-ups, and a second Interview.

Being the Prayer Chairman of the committee, (This position has been described in the Tennessee Baptist church) I have submitted questions on prayer for the candidates. I would appreciate feedback from the folks on Pray.Network as to their applicability, change to them that might help in discernment, thoughts to consider, and such like. Being strongly focused on prayer, this list is quite extensive—Please—do not be afraid to show ways to shorten it and still keep the list effective.—My thanks for constructive thoughts.

Here are the questions that I have submitted:
Prayer Related Pastoral Search Prayer Questions
Compiled Feb 17, 2018

I. Questions for first phone interview:
• Is prayer best kept quiet and personal, or is corporate prayer important?

• Explain how prayer can help you connect with others and bring the body of the church together.

• Why does praying together encourage connecting and possibly friendship

• How important is it to recognize past history within a church?

• If God calls you to a church or ministry—what vision do you follow? Your vision? Or the vision that God has for that church/ministry? Explain your answer.

• Give evidence of how you released people in to God’s work? Was that releasing just into your church’s ministry or other or both?

• What prayer organizations are you familiar with?

• Do you see any value in the prayer leader’s associations?

• What are your feelings about joining with other churches and pastors for prayer?


II. Questions requiring written answers:

1. Please discuss your understanding of intercessory prayer and how it works today. In your discussion please cover the following points below.
• What is your understanding of intercessory prayer and what it does involve.
• What do you feel is the role of intercessors?
• What is your greatest issue with intercessors? Why?
• How would you respond to an intercessor who has a differing vision from yours?
• How would you encourage and intercessor?
• Many think intercessors are mature and spiritual giants? Explain your answer.

Please explain:
• How would you respond to an intercessor who has a differing vision from yours?
• Should a person be a prayer leader who is an intercessor or one who understands prayer and intercessors? Explain your answer. Is there a need for intercessors in a church if you have morning prayer time, and other corporate prayer?

2. Prayer Practice within a church and the surrounding community:
• Would you be willing to work with other churches in the community on projects? Share your thoughts on this.
• How would you draw the line in working with other churches, including praying with them?
• Of the prayer meetings that you have conducted, what method of prayer brings the most out of prayer? Why?
• How would you define sustaining prayer, and how would you encourage it?
• When we pray—what is your basis for using or not using the Word of God in prayer?
• Is prayer instruction needed? What resources would you use to encourage/teach people to pray together? Can you teach about prayer from your personal experience?
• Can you outline some thoughts that would train people in prayer and lead the church to become a house of prayer? Share some of them.

3. Take a few words and describe your church’s prayer ministry? Describe key aspects of your past ministry.

4. How important is corporate prayer—the whole church coming together to pray—explain.

5. Are there stages of humility?—please explain your answer

6. What resource books on prayer have you read?

7. -Every church needs a prayer champion. Will you be that person? And how will you equip us to pray.


Relationships within the Body of Christ
1. Response to others
• When a person says I do not connect—what does that mean?
• How would you react to a person who does not want to spell out medical conditions as to why they have a hard time of being on time. Such issues may be IBS, Heart rythym issues, and other medical conditions that we not being doctors have only limited understanding. They are willing to do much behind the scenes. Explain.

2. The following question deals with items that could block prayer: Please consider the following in answering this question.
• What blocks prayer? Is judgment really a sin problem, and can it block prayer? Explain your answer.
• How do we grieve the Holy Spirit?—explain how our attitude or response can grieve the Holy Spirit. Can the justification of a position on scripture, and interpretation, grieve the Lord? Why?
• Explain what it means to justify a deed or action or decision?—Does justifying a deed block our prayers?
• We may justify our actions—but is justifying evidence of really listening to the other person? Sometimes the Bible is very clear—sometimes our justification comes from our perception. Elaborate on this.

3. What does forgiveness do?
• Does forgiveness mean forgetting?
• Someone has forgiven, but keeps brining an issue back up, what should they do?

4. How are acts of silence and ignoring perceived as throwing stones—or—what do they communicate.

5. Correcting wrongs:
• Is it enough just to turn away and and correct a worng? Explain
• In correcting wrongs—when should we go back to the roots? Explain
• What can happen when the root that led to a wrong is not cleared?
• Issue of 2nd bounce syndrome—a second bounce syndrome is where we think and issue is cleared and find that the issue is not really resolved—what are your thoughts on this—and how should it be handled in love and Biblically?

6. Questions related to service and ministry
• A person is called to serve, but you see relational issues that are apparent with them. How would you respond to them? Explain.
• A person has a ministry. How would you involve that ministry in the local church body?

7. -How would you describe your personal prayer life—elaborate


III. Questions for the last interview:

1. Explain how one hears from God

2. -What do you want to say that we have not asked you?

3. -What questions do you want to ask about prayer in our church that will help you discern our strengths and weaknesses?

4. What do you feel about a group praying for you during your message?

5. What do you feel about the statement, ‘Look for where God is working and join Him’. Who proposed this principle of action?

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