NOTE: The content below expresses the views of the individual named as the author and does not necessarily reflect the position of the WRF as a whole.
Looking for A New Senior Pastor? (by Ron Scates)
So, you're looking for a new Senior Pastor. So what primarily, do you look for…after, of course, a more than second-hand relationship with Jesus Christ? (If I were on a PNC, the first question I would ask every candidate is, “If someone came up to you and told you that they wanted to become a Christian, what would you say and do?” Believe me, that question cuts to the chase as to whether or not you need to ask any more questions.).
Survey after survey reveals that what most congregations are looking for in a pastor is someone who can preach. They want a good preacher. But what does that mean? And how do you know if you have one? For a lot of folks, that means someone who is interesting and entertaining in the pulpit, who has a way with words, who is engaging and keeps you awake, one who is dramatic and erudite and who is inspirational and always leaves you feeling good.
But is that necessarily good preaching? Here’s how I would evaluate whether a preacher was “good” or not: Is he faithful to the Scripture text he’s preaching on? Does he let the text take him and the congregation where it wants to go, or does he merely use it as a springboard for his own subjective opinions about what he thinks the congregation needs to hear? Does he preach the whole counsel of God—the inspirational and the shattering stuff...the hard as well as the easy stuff—or does he just play it safe with funny stories and pithy quotes from Shakespeare couched around “helpful hints for harmful habits?” Another way to put it: if the text had smallpox…would the sermon catch it?
A young man in 19th century London wanted his non-Christian friend to come one Sunday and hear the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, hold forth. The non-Christian agreed to go with his friend to church the very next Sunday. The Christian, young man prayed all week for Spurgeon. He prayed that he would be at the top of his game in the pulpit. Indeed that Sunday, Spurgeon was “on!” After worship, the young man took his non-Christian friend to lunch and asked him what he thought of Spurgeon. The other young man replied, “To tell you the truth, I haven’t given Spurgeon a thought. I’ve been too busy thinking about his Jesus.”
Now that’s good preaching.
Dr. Ron Scates is a member of the WRF Board of Directors. He is also Senior Pastor at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .