Congratulations on the excellent editorial in the May 16 edition
of the Baptist Message, titled “Search committee can help keep minister
from being scapegoat.” It would be well for every pastor search committee,
in the present or the future, to take the advice of your column seriously.
Congratulations on the excellent editorial in the May 16 edition
of the Baptist Message, titled “Search committee can help keep minister
from being scapegoat.” It would be well for every pastor search committee,
in the present or the future, to take the advice of your column seriously.
Your recommendation that the “search committee should
be open and frank with any prospective pastor” is good advice. The other
side of this story is true also, that the prospective pastor should be open
and frank with the search committee. There is oftentimes too much hidden below
the surface of any negotiations that make strife between a new pastor and the
church inevitable. If the church, search committee and prospective pastor cannot
be honest with each other, there is little hope of a longterm and successful
relationship to ever develop.
Alas, it will be Gods work that will suffer the most
from any lack of openness and frankness.
Philip E. Hyatt
Lafayette