Help for new pastors

GCI Church Administration and Development, USA provides help to prospective new full-time pastors and church planters using the Pastoral Assessment Process. The process (which includes a pre-assessment survey, an assessment interview and a follow-up report), helps these men and women confirm their calling to pastoral ministry and identify their strengths and strategies for growth. Here are comments from a new senior pastor and a pastoral team leader concerning their recent experience with the assessment process.

Stuart Mahan – senior pastor in Toledo, Ohio

A few years ago I began to feel God’s call to ministry, but I did not recognize at first that it was God calling me. I knew I enjoyed working with people, and I cared what was happening to them, but I did not see it as a calling. Then one day my pastor mentioned to me the possibility of taking his place after retirement, and my mind shut down. Who me – a church pastor? Are you serious? And then the inevitable question: Am I “worthy” of such a position?

After much prayer and counsel, and with the support of many members in the congregation, I decided to submit an application to Church Administration and Development (CAD) to become our congregation’s next senior pastor. CAD then notified me that my application was accepted and as part of the evaluation process, I would be given a pastoral assessment, which would help me confirm my calling and give me needed feedback.

CAD sent me a pre-assessment survey, which asked about my experience and thoughts and vision concerning my local church. Truthfully, I was rather intimidated at first. But as I filled out the survey, replying from the heart, I began to look at myself and those around me with new eyes. However, once again, feelings of not being worthy crept in. Who was I to apply for this position? I was just an ordinary guy who had worked construction for 23 years. I had no official college education to prepare me for being a pastor. Should I continue this endeavor?

The answer kept coming back as “yes” – and soon the time came for me to meet with a team of GCI pastors and ministry developers for my assessment interview. My wife Pauline went with me. She has been a constant support during these life-changing events. The interview started with a prayer and soon questions were directed toward me to answer. It was clear that the team was there to help me clarify my calling, not to decide for me. They helped me look into my heart: Was it one that cared and loved as Christ loves? Did it beat in unison with God’s purposes? Could it learn to change and grow? Could it have vision? It was at this point that I realized that God was there with us. I answered all the questions as best I could, and if I did not know the answer, I said so. All the while, the assessment team was encouraging.

Hours later, the interview was over. I was drained and so was my wife. We did what any normal human being would do at this point – we went out for a big, fat juicy hamburger! As we ate, we reflected on the past several hours and realized that the assessment team was there only to help me. My experience was that the process is a valuable tool to confirm one’s call to be a pastor or church planter.

The result for me was that after 23 years of laying brick and block in the construction trade, I am now the senior pastor of our congregation in Toledo, Ohio! Pretty amazing stuff! “Life changing” only begins to describe the last year of my life. Am I worthy? No. None of us are. Only Christ is worthy. But he knows my strengths as well as my faults and weaknesses, yet I know he has called me to this ministry.

The assessment process was a wonderful experience. I know now both who I am and what I am capable of doing. I feel affirmed in my calling and confident that everything is possible through Christ.

If you are feeling called by God to be a pastor of an existing GCI congregation or the planter of a new one, I urge you to respond. Contact your senior pastor or the Church Administration and Development office in Glendora. Ask about the pastoral application and assessment process. And above all, listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling you.

Lance McKinnon – pastoral team leader in Atlanta, Georgia

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the pastoral assessment. So it wasn’t until I was on the other side of it that I realized just how beneficial it was.

First off, it was more intense than I anticipated – but in a good way. The questions made me dig deeper into where I really am and what I need to focus on.

It was a helpful exercise, but quite draining – kind of like counseling on steroids. Many of the questions were really helpful to me and my wife Georgia. They helped us work through several issues, clarifying things inherent in ministry and in our approach to it. I also found it clarifying to see where some of the questions were coming from. There were many “aha” moments. It was an immensely helpful process to go through on a number of levels.

GCI pastor George Hart, who led my assessment interview, did a great job helping us get to the bottom of our answers. George was skillful in keeping the interview on track. The other members of the interview team were also excellent. I felt at ease with their approach and felt their support and patience throughout. The team provided a safe environment for us to honestly and openly process our answers to the assessment questions.

So my assessment of the pastoral assessment process so far is a “perfect ten.” I look forward to receiving the assessment report with its various commendations. I know that too will be immensely helpful.