Pastoral background checks

[Joykins]

Actually, a credit report is more informative than a credit score. Credit score is a number that says how attractive you are to lenders. But knowing just how much someone owes and has owed on various credit arrangements, as well as whether they are generally *meeting their obligations* can be useful if you're hiring someone to be entrusted with a great deal of money.

 

[JacobHall86]

Pastors live in a glass house. These things will come out sooner or later. Its better that it comes out sooner to the committee instead of the whole church.

 

[mlqurgw]

Not to be nitpicky but pastors aren't hired they are called. If you hire a pastor you see him as an employee rather than a shepherd. If you hire him you can just as easily fire him. Pastors are a gift from Christ to His bride and are sent by God to a church. Eph. 4:11 That is why it is extremely important that great care must be taken in seeking a pastor. In all honesty those who send out resumes are looking for a job rather than a fold of sheep to care for. If Christ has a man for a particular churh He will put the two together and make it plain that they are to be together. Hiring a pastor from a resume and background check is a shortcut method of seeking the man God has for you.

 

[Sweet Pea]

Prolly wouldn't hurt to do member background checks too. The church gets flamed, people turned away cause of the hypocrites in the church.

 

[HumbleMan]

Thanks everyone for the repsonses. Reading them, another question comes to mind:

If we have to resort to background checks, then is the church doing an ineffectual job in recognizing and training Godly men to take a pastoral position? If we have to worry about the wolves so much, why isn't the church in general doing something to preserve the trust that belongs between a shephard and his flock? The church is supposed to be different than the world, but are we so apathetic, or too lazy, to bring it back to where it should be?

OK, so that was three questions. It's Monday morning, and I haven't had my coffee yet.

 

[RajunCajun86]

is the church doing an ineffectual job in recognizing and training Godly men to take a pastoral position?

correct, as a whole

If we have to worry about the wolves so much, why isn't the church in general doing something to preserve the trust that belongs between a shephard and his flock?

not sure, most are probably blinded to the matter or not at curch enough to care

The church is supposed to be different than the world, but are we so apathetic, or too lazy, to bring it back to where it should be?

all of the above (apathetic and lazy)

 

[Argent]

Thanks everyone for the repsonses. Reading them, another question comes to mind:

If we have to resort to background checks, then is the church doing an ineffectual job in recognizing and training Godly men to take a pastoral position? If we have to worry about the wolves so much, why isn't the church in general doing something to preserve the trust that belongs between a shephard and his flock? The church is supposed to be different than the world, but are we so apathetic, or too lazy, to bring it back to where it should be?

OK, so that was three questions. It's Monday morning, and I haven't had my coffee yet.

These days a lot of guys have gone into ministry because it's an indoors job with no heavy lifting.

 

[mont974x4]

Do they want this job for their glory or Gods?

 

[eldermike]

From a particle and experience perspective:
I have had the experience of heading up a pastoral search committee for a large community church. If God is calling you to pastoral position keep your finances in careful order. All committees will concern themselves with how the body evaluates what they do and the product they produce. If a committee called a man that could not handle money or had creditors calling the church every day they would have failed in thier view of it. Finances will be very carefully checked out.

 

[holyrokker]

Several years ago, we were part of a church that hired an assistant pastor. At first he was part-time.

He was hired based on the recommendation of our senior pastor's regional "overseer".

After about 18 months, our senior pastor stepped down from ministry to pursue a new career. The new guy took over. (Looking back, I think the new guy had been manipulating the former pastor.)

Well, things quickly became ugly. There were many problems.

When some of us began looking into the man's life, we found out that, though he had graduated from seminary and had been ordained by a reputable denomination, he had since been kicked out of that denomination, and had been fired from a previous church, having his ordination revoked.

This all had happened on the East Coast (We're in Southern California)

After being kicked out of his church on the East Coast, he came out west, and plugged into the church that was pastored by the previously mentioned regional overseer. That pastor never checked out the man's story or background. He simply believed what had been told him.

It was a HUGE mess.

The church eventually fell apart. The "pastor's" wife divorced him, etc.

So - I'm a firm believer in a thorough background check on pastors.

If a man had a rocky past before becoming a Christian, it's no big deal, as long as that part of his life is long gone.

Pastor's should be mature christians anyway, not recent converts (more than just a few years) Personally, I think a man's spiritual life should be well proven before he becomes a pastor.

 

[mont974x4]

hmm should we stick to the biblical standard and measuring stick looking at the entire character of the man or rely on the means of background checks used by society?

 

[JacobHall86]

Both.

The Bible gives us guidelines and what to look for, that doesnt mean that it is the only thing. As long as we are checking things on a Biblical level its ok.

 

[TexasSky]

Just sitting here wondering:

Christ was a Carpentar, but for about 3 years of His ministry we don't see anything about him doing that kind of work, and he hung out with a lot of unsavory characters. I wonder how He would do on that kind of thing.

We know that Paul would show up as "murderer".

Moses was another killer, and given he ran away from the palace and left all his worldly good behind, he probably had a bad credit history.

Joseph was a slave that spent time in prison for rape. (He was innocent, but the background check wouldn't show that.)

God can use anyone.

 

[JacobHall86]

Noone is saying God cant use people with Pasts. We are simply saying a Background Check and Credit Checks are good things for people who live in a glass house.

As the only person on here who is going into the Ministry with a criminal record I am for background checks.

 

[holyrokker]

Just sitting here wondering:



We know that Paul would show up as "murderer".

Moses was another killer, and given he ran away from the palace and left all his worldly good behind, he probably had a bad credit history.



God can use anyone.

Paul went to the desert for 14 years before he began ministry, Moses for 40 years.

Even banks don't care what you did 14 and 40 years ago. When you apply for a loan, the bank is interested in the past few years of your life. What is your current trend?

The bank is nly interested in protecting their financial investments. The church is responsible for something much more valuable - people.

 

[mlqurgw]

One thing that people should keep in mind is that the only superman that ever lived died on a cross 2000 years ago and now sits on the throne of Heaven. Pastors are no different than any other sheep. They all have their own struggles with sin and are men who sometimes fail and fall. No one can live up to the standards set by folks who seek a perfect man for their pastor. Do we really want someone better than ourselves or someone who knows and understands our needs bcause he has them too?

 

[Erinwilcox]

One thing that people should keep in mind is that the only superman that ever lived died on a cross 2000 years ago and now sits on the throne of Heaven. Pastors are no different than any other sheep. They all have their own struggles with sin and are men who sometimes fail and fall. No one can live up to the standards set by folks who seek a perfect man for their pastor. Do we really want someone better than ourselves or someone who knows and understands our needs bcause he has them too?

Seeking a perfect pastor is, I agree, unreasonable since we are all sinful beings. However, I do not think that a backround check is so super unreasonable--what if a man has a history of adultery in the churches that he's pastored (we heard here in B/A not long ago of a pastor who committed adultery in the church), what if he's an embezzeller (there was a pastor that I've heard who, a few years ago, embezzelled funds from the church), etc.? Even if you still decided to have him as a pastor, wouldn't you rather know of the issues beforehand so that you can keep an eye out, rather than find out too late that something has happened?

 

[CooL_Genesis]

Whatever happened to FAITH? What about the times BEFORE background or credit checks? My granddad preached for years and was very good at it without having to go through all of the red tape to get there. He didn't even go through a "seminary". He was called by the Lord and he preached... it was beautiful and I considered him a very godly man. Sadly, he passed away several years ago but what a difference THAT kind of man would make in today's churches.



-Genesis

 

[JacobHall86]

As the only person on here who is going into the Ministry with a criminal record I am for background checks.

Just incase someone missed it.

 

[edie19]

Just incase someone missed it.

I didn't miss it, but I did wonder - are you sure? You never know - we're a pretty eclectic bunch.