Pastor Search Profile

A pastor search profile includes two things:

1. A church profile.
2. A community profile.

Both of these should be included with your initial packet sent to all potential candidates.

Pastor Church Profile

Your pastor church profile should include many of the following.

• Age of the church – how long has your church been in existence?
• Congregation size – how many people attend your Sunday morning service?
• The style of your worship – is it traditional, contemporary, or blended?
• The health of your congregation – are your people unified or is there conflict?
• The denomination of your church – are you part of a denomination or are you an independent church?
• The general geographic setting – is your church rural, suburb, or inner-city?
• Come to us, or go to them – does your church ministries generally get out into the community or do they invite people into the church?
• Other staff – what other staff or administrative positions does you church have? Other pastors? A secretary? A paid treasurer or janitor?
• Distinguishing characteristics – what sets you apart from other churches in the area?

Here’s a sample of a pastor search profile:

Grace Church is a 19 year old congregation situated in a small town of 7,500 people near St. Louis, Missouri. Our average attendance in our Sunday morning worship service is about 175 people. We are a Baptist church associated with the Mid-South Baptist Denomination. Our style of worship is blended between traditional and contemporary. We are working our way through some small issues of conflict, but 90% of the congregation is completely unified around our mission. We are driven by mission to the surrounding community. As such, we have ministries reaching out to the poor, homeless, widows, single parents, and latch-key kids. We also employ a full-time youth pastor and a part-time secretary. We are a strong and stable congregation. Our last three pastors stayed with us for at least 7 years each. Now we are ready and anxious to see where God will take us through a new Senior Pastor.

Community Profile

When you're finished developing your pastor search profile,you will move on to a community profile. Your community profile describes what the area/city around your church is like. It may include many of the following.

• Size – how large is the city/town where your church is located?
• Geography – is your church rural, suburban, or inner-city?
• Ethnicity – what people-groups are in your area – white, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, etc?
• Age – what ages dominate your town, young, seniors, families?
• Conveniences – is there convenient grocery and other shopping? Are there area attractions such as golf courses, bowling alleys, or other activities?

Here is a sample.

Our church is located in rural Mt. Vernon, Iowa approximately 20 minutes drive from Cedar Rapids. The area features rolling hills dominated by farms of cattle and corn. Mt. Vernon has a mix of cultures, though our area is mostly populated by Whites and Hispanics. Our congregation reflects this diversity. Our area includes diverse age groups, though our church contains many young families. Mt. Vernon is a conservative town which resists many of the “modern” indulgences. We offer a number of attractions for residents and are host to a large harvest festival each Fall. We boast three golf courses as well as indoor activities such as bowling, a movie theater, and a small beach on Smith Lake. We are anxious to see what God will do in our community as we move forward with a new Pastor.

Other Considerations in a Pastor Search Profile

You should also include photographs of your church building, your congregation, and a few pictures of the surrounding area. If you have a parsonage, send a picture of that too.

Your descriptions don't need to be long. Just give some basic information that will give the potential candidate an idea of what your church and community are like.

Once you have your needed pastor search profile, you should review the other aspects as you search for your next minister.

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