Our Proven Pastoral Placement Process
Searching for and finding the right pastor isn’t about filling a position quickly… it’s about choosing a deliberate path to discern God’s best fit for your church’s unique mission and people.
Let us guide you from uncertainty to clarity
MinistryMatch brings together biblical wisdom, data-driven insight, and years of proven experience to guide your church every step of the way.
Our process and our tools help churches avoid the potential pitfalls and mismatches with clear outcomes—so you can move forward with confidence.
Stage 1: Organization
Tools Used: Search Team Workbook
Every successful search begins with preparation. MinistryMatch guides your leadership team in forming a Search Committee and defining the role clearly. This foundation ensures alignment before the search begins and throughout the entire process.
Stage 2: Information Gathering
Tools Used: Church Effectiveness Survey + Candidate Requirements + Team Report
Every church has its own story, people, and future. In this stage, MinistryMatch helps you gather insight from every level of your church community. The Church Effectiveness Survey captures the heart and hopes of your congregation, offering valuable perspective on your church’s health, unity, and vision for the next pastor.
At the same time, your Search Team, elders, and staff complete the Team Report, providing a clear picture of your current leadership dynamics and ministry strengths. Finally, your Candidate Requirements tool defines the theological alignment, values, and ministry priorities your next pastor should share.
Together, these inputs create a clear, unified understanding of who your church is—and who you’re seeking to lead it forward.
Stage 3: Candidate Collection
Tools Used: MinistryMatch Assessment + Candidate Application
As candidates apply, they complete the MinistryMatch Assessment and the Candidate Application — the same trusted tools used by thousands of pastors and leaders nationwide. This gives a detailed look at each candidate’s ministry motivations, values, strengths, beliefs, and background, creating a meaningful comparison with your church’s profile.
Stage 4: Matching & Selection
Tools Used: MinistryConnect Matching Engine
MinistryMatch’s intelligent matching system compares and scores each candidate’s assessment and application with your church’s requirements. From this data-driven shortlist, your Search Team can quickly identify top candidates with the best fit, conduct in-take interviews, and prayerfully identify those who best align with your mission and culture.
Stage 5: Candidating
Tools Used: Candidating Roadmap + Church Interview Guides
Your church now meets and interviews top candidates. With MinistryMatch’s resources and step-by-step guidance, your team walks through structured evaluations, reference checks, and candidating weekends—leading to the prayerful calling of your next pastor.
A Spirit-Led Process, Supported by Data
At every stage, MinistryMatch combines prayerful discernment with powerful assessment tools to ensure that your next pastor isn’t just qualified on paper but truly called to serve your church’s unique mission and people.