Churches Seeking a Minister
Leadership is the key to the health of any organization or institution. The Baptist General Convention of Missouri is committed to assisting local churches as they seek God’s will in calling pastors and staff members. We also realize the process of calling a new pastor or staff member is not an easy task.
Leadership is the key to the health of churches. When right leaders are in the
right place at the right time, church health can and does occur. BGCM
provides a uniquely professional system for pastoral calling. It is based on the
premise that effective ministry matching occurs when there is comprehensive
information and analysis.
What Makes Our System Unique?
The process along with experienced coaching provides
churches the best opportunity to experience a ministry match that glorifies God
and grows the Kingdom. In coaching there is no substitute for experience and
expertise. The BGCM team is well-trained with a wide range of
experience in assisting churches. Led by Dr. Verlyn Bergen with over 35 years experience in ministry to hundreds of
churches, BGCM will provide your search committee with the help it
needs to be exceptionally successful.
What Will It Cost to Use the BGCM System?
The cost is $100 for the printed materials involved. All the services of the Resources & Relationships Team are provided by BGCM.
Our Ministry Goals
1. BGCM is committed to helping churches with the “calling” process.
Our conviction is that most people have not had an opportunity to serve on a search committee for any minister for their church. We want to provide a clear process and the resource materials needed to assist search committees as they lead their congregations to call a pastor or staff member.
2. BGCM is committed to helping churches and ministers find the right match.
We also believe that churches can become healthier when they are successfully matched in as many areas as possible with their ministry staff. These areas include: doctrine, ethics, issues affecting the church, marital and family issues, temperament, leadership style, gifts and values, financial understandings, and others. This is not just about placement, but matching.
The Baptist General Convention of Missouri believes that one of the greatest needs for congregational health is the right leader in the right place at the right time.
Our Services
The BGCM is available to assist local churches and ministers in several specific ways:
First, the BGCM recommends that local churches provide training and orientation for their search committees. The BGCM will provide someone free of charge to assist your committee with this initial training.
In addition, the BGCM will provide the following services:
Healthy Partnerships Needed
The foundation of healthy partnerships between ministry leaders and churches is complete, comprehensive information disclosure from both entities. This is the reason we recommend the Minister Profile and the Church Profile. The Minister Profile and Church Profile are designed to complement each other in such a way that real matching can occur.
Description: Different sections are included in the Church Profile and the Minister Profile.
We recommend that once a candidate is being seriously considered by a search committee, the candidate be asked to complete the MinisterSHAPE. This service provided by BGCM will provide a more comprehensive analysis of the candidate's compatibility with the congregation. Send an e-mail to search@baptistgcm.org or contact Dr. Verlyn Bergen, Resources & Relationships Team Leader (vbergen@baptistgcm.org) to request assistance for your search committee.
Sources for Resumes for Churches Seeking Pastors and Staff
The Baptist General Convention of Missouri is often asked for resumes in the search processes. Out of
respect for the matching principle, we do not supply resumes en masse to
churches. Why not? Because we believe that there is a much better way that will
provide more success to churches honestly seeking the best fit for their
congregation.
We strongly suggest that search committees start asking a basic question, 'Who
do we know and trust to provide us with names that we know are the kind of
candidates that we would want to consider?' This could be a former, trusted
pastor or another pastor you know well. Members of the
search committee will know individuals to whom they can turn for recommendations. The question many churches ask first is, 'Where can I get names?' We
believe the more basic question--Who could provide us with a
recommendation?--is a better place to begin.
Search Committee Network
The Baptist General Convention of Missouri also has a Search Committee Network. This is an email network of Baptist pastors, staff members, and lay leaders from across the state. Once or twice each month we share information regarding churches seeking pastors and staff members. Search committees have the opportunity to share specific information regarding their congregation and their search priorities. We can also provide specific contact information for your search committee. This allows the Network members to share recommendations through the convention or directly with your search committee. We have found this process to be very helpful in identifying possible candidates for Missouri congregations. If you would like to share information about your search process with the Search Committee Network send an e-mail to search@baptistgcm.org. The BGCM is also willing to suggest other possible sources of resumes with your search committee, if they are needed.
If you have questions or need additional
information, please contact either of the following:
Baptist General Convention of Missouri - www.baptistgcm.org
Dr. Jim Hill, Executive Director, 1900 N. Providence, Suite 301, Columbia, MO
65202, 888,420,BGCM x705, or
jimhill@baptistgcm.org.
Dr. Verlyn Bergen, Resources & Relationships Team Leader, 888.420.BGCM x702, or vbergen@baptistgcm.org
