Interviews

[Llleopard]

My husband has been applying for paid pastor positions. When he has an interview, he takes me along too, on the basis that this is different to a regular job interview and they need to know me too. Is taking the spouse a common practice? I feel weird doing it!

 

[Tolworth John]

Is taking the spouse a common practice?

Is this to the first interview or to a subsequent interview?
The first interview is for the elders to see and get to know the candidate and his views etc, it is only really at later interviews that there is any reason to meet the wife and that is only if she is keen to be the unpaid additional church worker.

 

[Paidiske]

I have never taken my husband to an interview for a ministry position. Nor would I want to. It would ring alarm bells for me if they wanted to interview him, that they might have unrealistic or unreasonable expectations of "the minister's spouse."

I have heard of other people doing it - especially when the husband is the minister - and I have even heard of one person not getting the job because of his wife. But I would say it would be more common not to.

Is this going to be his first paid position, OP? Have you and he talked about how you want to handle being "the pastor's wife"?

 

[bekkilyn]

I'd find this to be kind of strange, especially for a first interview, unless the church is specifically looking for a ministry couple...for example, both are ordained elders and plan to be co-pastors of a congregation.

 

[Llleopard]

Hmmm. Okay. He has been a pastor before, but then he was sent out by his church to take over somewhere, so it was not an application as such. His wife at the time suffered a head injury and became totally unstable, which led to him having to resign. Other ministry people we know here seem to think taking me to the (only) interview is normal. I agree more with John above that I would rather meet a panel at a subsequent time. Hecking golly it is tonight.

 

[Llleopard]

I'd find this to be kind of strange, especially for a first interview, unless the church is specifically looking for a ministry couple...for example, both are ordained elders and plan to be co-pastors of a congregation.

my husband sees us as a double act. I already teach from the front, take home group and am involved in things in a leadership way. Because I am most likely to do these things in any church, I think he wants the panel to know exactly what they are in for. Ie an active spouse

 

[Llleopard]

Well, we did it together. I addressed the elephant straight off, and explained why I was there, and they were fine with it. Since then, they've sent all correspondence to both of us, and treat us as a team. which they think is a bonus. And they've made us an offer, so we now have to decide whether or not to take it. You never know!