The Pastor Search Team is no longer taking resumes for Senior Pastor.

July 2007

One year ago this month (July, 2006) Lakeland Baptist senior pastor Ben Smith announced his retirement effective 01/31/07. Shortly thereafter the Committee on Teams nominated 27 members who agreed to serve on the pastor search team if elected. The Lakeland church body voted and narrowed the field to 18, and in the weeks that followed voted again to elect the required 9 members of our current pastor search team.*

The team first met in late August and elected officers, while the church entered into a time of fervent prayer for 7 weeks in cottage prayers meetings that culminated in a weekend of focused prayer at Lakeland. During this same time period the search team contacted knowledgeable consultants affiliated with Lifeway®, Southern Baptists of Texas state convention (SBTC), and the North Texas Baptist Association (NTBA). Formal training was provided by Ed Ethridge, Director of Missions for NTBA, and three primary resources were secured for continued reference: Pastor Search Committee Handbook published by Lifeway®, The Pastor Search Handbook published by SBTC, and Seeking God to Seek a Pastor by Dr. Gregory Frizzell.

From September through early November, the committee solicited candidate resumes via our membership, our church website, NTBA website and newsletter, SBTC website and state paper, and seminary websites and postings. To date over 200 resumes from 29 states and 3 foreign countries have been received. During this time the team prayerfully studied God’s word concerning pastoral qualifications and His directives to His church. The team requested input from church membership and received close to 50 responses.

Through prayerful review and much deliberation concerning these resumes, the committee was able to focus on a smaller number of candidates (roughly two dozen) who seemed to demonstrate biblical pastoral qualities and whose strengths seemed to best match Lakeland needs. The search team requested sermons from these candidates and began to listen prayerfully to each one.

As we entered 2007 and Ben Smith’s retirement date neared, the search committee reviewed candidate resumes for interim pastor* and sought assistance from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. After interviewing Dr. David Allen, the team unanimously sought to secure his services as interim. The team presented him to the deacon body and staff for a time of sharing, questions and answers, and subsequently announced to the church membership that Dr. Allen would serve as interim pastor beginning the first Sunday in February.

After listening to the requested sermons, the search team narrowed the search again and sent questionnaires (along with information about our church and community) to a smaller group of candidates. Once all remaining candidates had responded to the questionnaire, the search team prayerfully reviewed their answers along with their sermons and resumes. Again God allowed the team to narrow slightly the search to a half dozen candidates.

During and just after the Easter season, the search team conducted face-to-face interviews with these candidates. The team communicated with these men that the committee would subsequently focus on only one candidate until either God closes this door (by candidate who senses God is not calling him to Lakeland or by committee that is not unanimous on moving forward with candidate) or all are in agreement that this is God’s man for the senior pastorate at Lakeland. In June, the deacon body sensed the need for continued emphasis on prayer and opened their homes for several prayer meetings each week.

God has closed doors—both at the candidates’ requests and at the committee’s request—in each stage of the search. Some have been led by God to another place of service. Others, after prayerful consideration, have asked that they be removed from our list of candidates after God affirmed their work at their current church was not yet complete. At other times, the team has contacted candidates to let them know we did not sense God leading us to proceed further with them, only to have the candidates affirm that God had opened the door to another church or ministry. Often these times when God closed doors were during times of concentrated prayer by our church body. We rejoice in seeing God’s will done in the life of those He has called and in the life of our church.

The search team is currently working with one candidate. We are in the midst of contacting references and running background checks. The committee anticipates within a few weeks meeting with the candidate and his spouse to provide an opportunity for more extensive questioning from both parties. We also anticipate listening to the candidate preach in a live setting. Afterward the search team will continue in a time of concentrated prayer, asking God to confirm any decisions we make. Should God close the door, the search team will seek His direction before approaching a different candidate.

If the entire search team is unanimous in its view that this is God’s man for senior pastor at Lakeland—and if the candidate and his family conclude the same—then the search team will notify the church membership in writing when we plan to bring the candidate before the church to meet with various groups and preach in view of a call. The notification will include candidate biographical information along with statements and signatures of all committee members. After the evening service, the church membership will vote by paper ballot whether or not to extend a call to the candidate. The vote must be 90% or more of members present in favor of the candidate before the position will be offered to him. If the vote is sufficient and the candidate accepts, Lakeland will at that time have a new senior pastor.*

It is important for the church to know that the search team recognizes the process has taken time and will take time. We are prepared to wait on God’s man for our church. It is also important for the church to know that we have proceeded together in unity. Every step we have taken to this point, we have taken unanimously. Finally, as a team, we have tried to be confidential throughout the process. This is necessary for obvious reasons. We know our church desires to know more details, but it would be unwise to go beyond what we have said. We are not trying to hide anything. However, we are trying to take the process one step at a time, cover all of the bases, and respect the confidentiality of those whom we are interviewing. When you ask one of us individually about what is happening, please recognize that our response may seem cautious not because we have anything to hide, but because we are committed to confidentiality for the good of all involved.

Thank you for your prayers and your patience. When God reveals his man to us, it will have been worth the wait.

*See the church constitution and by-laws for pastor search team election procedures, search process requirements, and information on extending call to pastor. This publication is available online at www.lakelandbaptist.org or may be requested through the church office.

 

September 2007

Dear church family,

The pastor search team continues to work with only one candidate. We contacted numerous references concerning the candidate and completed credit and criminal background checks on both him and his spouse. The committee met again with the candidate, this time with his spouse as well, to provide an opportunity for more extensive questioning from both parties. We listened to the candidate preach in a live setting. Afterward the search team requested additional sermons from him for our review. As we prayerfully listen to each of these, we continue to seek God’s face in a time of concentrated prayer—asking divine wisdom and confirmation of any decisions we may reach as a team.

We ask that the church body continue in fervent prayer for the search process. Pray for each member of the search team and his or her family—that God will protect them from the evil one. Ask God to divinely guide the team to the one man that He has already selected to be the next senior pastor of Lakeland Baptist Church. Lift up the candidate and his family, asking God to give a strong sense of direction—whether that may be to come to Lakeland, to continue in their current ministry, or to seek another place of service that God has prepared. And pray for one another—that we will be united in love by His Spirit, that we will edify and encourage one another, and that we might be faithful witnesses to those in our community that do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The search team recognizes the process has taken time and will continue to take time. We are prepared to wait on God’s timing and His man for our church. We seek to take the process one step at a time, cover all of the bases, and respect the confidentiality of those with whom we are talking. We know our church desires to know more details, but we believe it unwise to go beyond what we have said at this point. Thank you for your continued prayers and your patience. When God reveals his man to us, it will have been worth the wait.

 

October 2007

On behalf of the pastor search team, I would like to say “thank you” for the numerous prayers offered up to God by so many of you for our church and her staff, our pastor search team, our candidates, and the entire search process. We see God at work in our church and have felt His presence, power, and wisdom in our search process. The team also appreciates your patience as we realize this process has taken considerable time. And though I suspect there is not a single person here tonight who desires more earnestly than the nine of us for Lakeland to have a senior pastor, we realize that to rush ahead of God would be both foolish and futile. Therefore we are compelled to move forward at His pace and prompting. Furthermore, we are grateful to God for His providence in sending Dr. David Allen at the appropriate time as interim pastor to proclaim the whole counsel of His word and provide direction for His church.

A couple of weeks ago in consultation with Dr. Allen as our spiritual leader, our search team requested a concentrated time of church-wide prayer and asked permission to address the entire church to dispel rumors that seem to be circulating among us. We have received emails and letters of concern from some of you and have responded each time, either in writing or in person, as candidly as possible while maintaining necessary confidentiality. But this evening, rather than address a small group of individuals, we thought it best to address all of you jointly as our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ concerning where we are in the search process.

As noted in the September 30 church bulletin, we continue to work with only one candidate. Please continue to pray for us as we deal with this person and his family. Ask that God affirm His will in this matter and that we will trust God’s direction completely and lean not on our own understanding.

Thank you again for your continued prayers and patience. May God unite our hearts in His love so that others outside the church may be drawn to Him. (John 13:35; 17:20-23)

Pastor Search Team