00059

One mistake that PNCs (pastor nominating committees) frequently make is the failure from the outset to adopt an explicit code of confidentiality. Such a code should include confidentiality about the identity of applicants the committee is considering, the status of any particular applicant, and the specific reasons for disqualifying a candidate. Adopting such a code has several advantages:

It protects the ministries of persons the committee is considering.
It does not allow the congregation to campaign for any specific applicant.
It does not cause unnecessary anxiety for the present congregations of applicants, some of whom will never even become serious candidates (many committees screen fifty applicants before reaching their final decision; there is no need for all fifty churches to worry about losing the pastor when most of their pastors will not reach the final selection process).
It protects the self-esteem of applicants the committee does not select (it’s hard enough to be rejected by a committee; it’s much harder to know that this rejection is public knowledge).