FAQ

The Pulpit Search Committee (PSC) is a committee of the congregation, voted upon to identify a Senior Pastor for the local church congregation to call. In Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) polity, the congregation receives applicants from the congregation to serve on the committee. Usually, an odd number of congregants are chosen to serve, usually seven to nine, possibly eleven, although the congregation can determine how many members serve on the committee.

Once selected, the committee has the duty to organize itself in prayer and function to follow in depth processes to offer to the congregation God’s choice for Senior Pastor. With the PSC’s final choice, the congregation will vote to affirm or not affirm the PSC’s choice.

First, the Book of Church Order (BCO) and our polity requires it. Second, a good Pulpit Search Committee (PSC) is valuable following best practices to offer God’s best candidate for Senior Pastor. They will be called to dig deep into profiles of select candidates, from which they can discern preaching qualities, leadership qualities, theological correctness, wisdom and pastoral qualities, and other giftedness necessarily for a quality Senior Pastor. The search committee does the regular and necessary investigative and profile functions that are essential to a wise and deep evaluation process.

The BCO gives the congregation of a local PCA church limited duties, yet specifically calls for the PSC to be a committee of the congregation. Thus, the PSC reports to the congregation and must carefully follow communications, reporting, and best practices for a Senior Pastor search, as approved by the local congregation.

The PSC must honor the role and authority of the Session, as given by our Lord through the scriptures. Even so, the PSC does not report to the Session, nor is the Session given by the BCO ruling authority over the PSC. However, the PSC always keeps the Session informed of their progress and functions, even though the Session has no authority over those functions.

Many times, one or two Session members are on the PSC, and they can communicate to the Session appropriate functions of the PSC. The Chair and Co-Chair of the PSC can also communicate with the Session. Pointedly, this communication is a courtesy to the Session, the God-appointed leaders of the church. However, as previously noted, the PSC does not report to the Session.

The member is expected, with the congregation, to pray and seek God for the good of the local church, and to follow best practices to identify and vet and choose God’s man.

McGown Global Institute (MGI) is an established assessment and placement ministry which functions with the PSC as a ministry partner and a company with a long track record of using wise best practices to aid the PSC. MGI has members who are teaching elders, ruling elders, and administrators with an expansive background in those practices and procedures and processes that work best for PSC activities. In fact, with over 200 searches for Senior Pastors over the past 12 years, only a handful have not produced a new pastor who led the church to an improved revenue status and renewed growth. MGI, however, never dictates policy or practices, nor does the group mandate any function. As a ministry partner, MGI simply walks the search committee through practices that are “tried and true” and have led to great results. Thus, MGI will have a lead consultant working weekly with the PSC to establish patterns of prayer, establishment of various committees, establishment of vetting and profiling processes, processes on listening wisely to sermons and discerning proper information from references and interviews. MGI leads the committee to an efficient use of resources to accomplish a search in an efficient manner.

The role of the PSC, upon selecting a final candidate for Senior Pastor, is responsible for producing a comprehensive profile for the church, to include ways to hear sermons, biographical information, and background and experiences that offer reasons for the selection. This normally occurs in a specially called congregational meeting to communicate the PSC findings and present information on the candidate. Following the congregational meeting to present the candidate, most PSC’s have a follow up meeting in several weeks to vote on the candidate. A candidate should receive a high majority of the vote—though only a majority is required.

Often, an odd number of members makes up the PSC, with seven to nine being the usual number. The odd number keeps the committee from having tie votes and allows for a super majority to function more easily. The PSC selects the committee chair,  normally one with experience or time to run committee functions.

The PSC meets with the congregation to inform them of progress, or to give specific information about the search. These meetings should occur only when clear communications or information is required. The Session is normally apprised of committee functions by the Chair or Co-Chair, but if the PSC so decides, the full committee can meet with the Session, as needed.

The Diaconate has no formal role in the functions of the PSC. However, if Diaconate members have pertinent information for the committee, they can offer that information, as needed.

In sum, while Biblical precepts give the Session major leadership functions within a local church, the PCA, through the BCO, gives the authority of the Senior Pastor search to the Congregation, with the Pulpit Search Committee functioning as the committee of the congregation. See specifically chapter 20 for the details of this (link).

It is the role of the congregation to ultimately select and vote on the new Senior Pastor. It is then up to Presbytery to review and approve the selection by the local congregation/church.