As you have struggled through the search process for an additional staff member, you may have realized the awesome task you are undertaking is more difficult that originally perceived. Maybe the fit won’t be right…maybe they will get on campus and change their mind. Maybe the job description, goals and objectives won’t produce the desired match. If your church is in need of a staff pastor, you may want to consider a professionally managed staff search with XCEL Search.

Filling staff pastoral positions can be a difficult and time-consuming task. Going through scores of resumes, making myriads of phone calls, sending countless emails and trying to determine who to fly in for interviews can be very frustrating. And there is the expense of flying in candidates only to find that they have chosen another church or were not as qualified as you had hoped.

At XCEL Search we perform the following:

1) We develop a thorough job description based on the information given to us by the Senior Pastor, Search Committee and/or Church Board. We usually find it necessary to ask a variety of questions to complete a comprehensive profile for the position.

2) We screen candidates in several areas to accommodate your church specifically.
a)doctrinal beliefs
b)spiritual experience
c)team leadership skills
d)administrative skills
e)organizational and planning skills
f)demographics and church setting (urban, rural, suburban)
g)size of group previously under his/her care.

3) We engage in an aggressive regional or national search for candidates that will compliment your church, both doctrinally and philosophically and we can accomplish our search in a few short weeks depending on your specific requirements and timetable.

4) We provide a short list of potential candidates. Subsequently, we check references thoroughly on the two or three candidates that you select from the short list.

5) The rest of the decision process should relate only to whether the candidate feels called of God to the position and whether you as the church leadership sense that he or she is God’s selection. All other factors will have already been addressed.

For more information please email us with your questions or comments regarding the Pastoral Search Process. Contact us at info@experiencingworship.com