Introduction
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Welcome (2:15)
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Your congregation's readiness for Searching for the Called
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Essentials in Searching for the Called (2:46)
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The language of hospitality
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Glossary of terms
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Elements of each stage
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Timeline ranges for your pastor search
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Questions worth reflecting on throughout the process
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A word about searching for a pastor during a pandemic (4:32)
Preparing for the pastor search
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Scriptural grounding (2:27)
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Overview (0:47)
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Waiting on readiness: identifying the right time to start a pastor search (stage 1) (2:24)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:11)
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Interim ministry information
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Exercising intentionality in what your church asks of its remaining staff
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Deep dive resources
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Assessment: is your church ready for stage 2?
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Befriending the past and anticipating the future: answering key questions about identity and direction (stage 2) (2:56)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (0:56)
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Tips for creating an effective congregational survey
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Ways of examining and celebrating your congregation's past
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Congregational self-study guide
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Why consider a part-time or multi-vocational pastor?
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Pandemic-related questions your church needs to answer before the pastor search
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Deep dive resources
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Assessment: is your church ready for stage 3?
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Does your church need more help with the pre-search stages?
Developing the pastor search team
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Scriptural grounding (2:08)
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Overview (0:37)
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Gelling as a pastor search team during a pandemic
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Gathering the open-hearted: selecting pastor search team members (stage 3) (1:33)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (0:40)
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Pastor search team composition checklist
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Pastor search team leader tasks and desired qualities
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Deep dive resource
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 4?
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Growing in trust: becoming a pastor search team (stage 4) (2:23)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (0:51)
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Building a high-functioning pastor search team
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Exercises for building trust within a pastor search team
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Assessments for helping pastor search team members get to know each other
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Pastor search team covenant checklist
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Deep dive resources
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 5?
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Creating space for the Spirit to move: grounding the search process in God (stage 5) (1:32)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:05)
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Definition of discernment
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Discernment outline
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Tools for discernment
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Criteria for discerning, "Is this God speaking?"
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Worshipful work meeting outline
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Deep dive resources
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 6?
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Does your church need more help with the pastor search team development stages?
Designing the pastor search process and core documents
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Scriptural grounding (2:11)
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Overview (1:09)
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Preparing for blessing: discovering and setting the process for calling a pastor (stage 6) (2:35)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:27)
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Involvement of other staff in a senior pastor search
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Things to consider when the associate pastor is interested in the open senior pastor position
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Pastoral candidate communications content
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Sample candidate communications tracking spreadsheet
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Ways to bring the congregation along during the pastor search
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Information to report to the congregation throughout the pastor search
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Deep dive resource
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 7?
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Crafting the welcome: collating information and crafting key pastor search documents (stage 7) (2:54)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:04)
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Ways to broaden your pastor search team's imagination about a good fit minister
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Gauging your church's readiness for a woman in the pulpit
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Does your pastor need a Doctor of Ministry degree?
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Considering co-pastors
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Information to include in a congregational profile/community snapshot
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Pastoral compensation considerations
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Other resources for pastor job description and compensation information
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 8?
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Extending the welcome: inviting potential pastoral candidates to explore your open position (stage 8) (2:15)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:06)
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Possible ponds for finding pastoral candidates
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 9?
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Does your pastor search team need more help with the designing the search process and core documents stages?
Engaging with pastoral candidates
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Scriptural grounding (1:58)
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Overview (0:52)
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Engaging with pastoral candidates in the midst of pandemic (4:21)
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Imagining new possibilities: discerning whom to interview (stage 9) (2:06)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:44)
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Reading the resume of someone who has never served as a solo or senior pastor
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Digging deeper on resume gaps
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 10?
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Opening to one another: conducting initial interviews with pastoral candidates (stage 10) (2:08)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (2:30)
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Technology options in interviews with pastoral candidates
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Interview planning worksheet
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Crafting a good interview question
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Sample interview questions
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The math of a great-fit call from a pastoral candidate's perspective
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 11?
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Deepening the dialogue: interacting in person with pastoral candidates (stage 11) (2:45)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:57)
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Site visit considerations: going to the pastoral candidate
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Site visit considerations: pastoral candidate comes to a neutral location
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Site visit considerations: pastoral candidate comes to search team
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Doing due diligence with pastoral candidates
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Assessment: is your pastor search team ready for stage 12?
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Sharing the excitement: presenting the pastoral candidate of choice (stage 12) (3:11)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:56)
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Considerations regarding the presentation of multiple pastoral candidates to your congregation/leaders
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Assessment: is our pastor search team ready for stage 13?
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Does your pastor search team need more help with the candidate engagement stages?
Covenanting with your new minister
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Scriptural grounding (0:52)
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Overview (0:45)
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Co-creating the partnership: extending a call to the pastoral candidate of choice (stage 13) (3:02)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (4:03)
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Minister-ministry setting covenant checklist
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Assessment: are your pastor search team and church ready for stage 14?
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Embracing the new: resourcing the new pastor for a fast start (stage 14) (2:39)
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Key reflection questions
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Best practices
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Candidate perspective (1:54)
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Setting a realistic start date for your new pastor
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Ideas for welcoming the new pastor
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Information to give the new pastor
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Budgeting for an installation service for the new pastor
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Helping your new pastor avoid burnout
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Consider transitioning your pastor search team to a pastoral relations team
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Deep dive resources
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Assessment: are your pastor search team and church ready to celebrate the end of the process?
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Does your church need more help with the covenanting stages?
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Don't forget to celebrate! (1:02)
Additional resources
