13 Essential Interview Questions for Pastors

Are you seeking a new pastor for your church? Whether you're looking for a lead pastor, a teaching pastor, a missions pastor, or another pastoral role, the interview process is incredibly important! It aims to uncover not only the candidate's theological knowledge and spiritual depth but also their compatibility with your specific congregation and staff. 

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The following pastor interview questions and answers will offer you deeper insights into your candidate's leadership style, theological beliefs, personal life, and relationship with God. These are more than just good questions to ask a pastor; they are the launching point for meaningful conversations that will help you discern the will of God for your church!

13 Questions to Ask Pastoral Candidates

Deep Questions to Ask Pastors

1. How has your personal journey with God influenced your pastoral approach?

If you’re looking for questions to ask a prospective pastor, this question is a great place to start! Unpacking their testimony and asking about how they view their pastoral calling provides a window into the candidate’s character and the driving forces behind their ministry. This discussion is key to discerning whether their spiritual and leadership qualities align with the needs and vision of your church in its current season.

2. Have you ever experienced a crisis of faith, and how did it affect your ministry?

This pastoral interview question dives into the authenticity and resilience of a pastor's faith journey, probing for moments of doubt or challenge that have tested their commitment to their calling. While this may be one of the hardest questions to ask a potential pastor due to its sensitivity, it invites your candidate to share vulnerably about times when their faith was shaken and how they navigated those turbulent waters. Understanding how they emerged from a crisis of faith can reveal their capacity for personal growth, deepen empathy, and how such experiences have refined their approach to pastoral care and leadership. 

Good Questions to Ask a Pastor Surrounding Team Dynamics

3. What is your approach to building a cohesive and effective ministry team?

This can be one of the best questions to ask a pastoral candidate to learn about their working style. While no one style is necessarily better than the other, it’s important the candidate you are considering aligns with your vision as a church leadership team. Some follow up questions may include: 

• How do your candidates navigate interpersonal relationships among volunteers or general members of the congregation? 
• Is this candidate team-oriented, or do they prefer to work solo?

4. How do you handle conflict within the church staff or congregation?

This pastoral interview question gets to the core of how a potential pastor handles disagreements, whether within the church staff or the congregation at large. Do they approach conflicts with a heart of understanding and a desire to find common ground, or do they struggle to mediate differences? It's important to explore their strategies for conflict resolution and how these reflect their commitment to empathy, understanding, and Christian principles. This question isn't just about their ability to resolve issues; it's about ensuring their approach to conflict aligns with the values and expectations of your church leadership.

Questions to Ask a Prospective Pastor Related to Personal Growth

5. How do you maintain personal integrity and accountability in your life and ministry?

Ensuring that your new pastor embodies the same values both in their public ministry and in their personal life is crucial. This may be one of the hardest questions to ask a pastor because it dives into your candidate’s personal life. 

Does the candidate engage in mentorship that keeps them grounded and accountable? How do they view and utilize counseling, both for themselves and in ministry? What personal and professional boundaries have they established to maintain their moral and ethical standards? Unpacking these aspects is vital in assessing whether a pastor's private life reflects the principles they preach, affirming their authenticity and reliability as a spiritual leader within your church.

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6. How do you stay informed and grow in your theological understanding and pastoral skills?

The journey of a pastor is never static; it thrives on continuous learning and growth. If you’re looking for good questions to ask a pastor, make sure you inquire about their commitment to continuous learning! How do they keep their theological knowledge fresh and their ministry skills sharp? This line of inquiry helps gauge whether they view ministry as a dynamic calling that requires ongoing development to meet the ever-changing needs of the congregation and the broader community.

7. How do you balance pastoral duties with personal and family life?

Ministry demands can weigh heavily on anyone, so your pastor interview questions should ensure that your candidate has tools to avoid burnout, prioritize family, and live their life outside of the church with the utmost integrity. 

Anyone who has ever experienced burnout or compassion fatigue will understand the significance of this question. A pastoral candidate should know what they need to do to take care of themselves and their family. Even with a hectic schedule, how do they prioritize family time? What does work-life balance look like to them? 

Theology-Related Questions to Ask a Potential Candidate 

8. How do you see the role of the church in addressing social justice issues?

This question probes the candidate's perspective on the church's involvement in the surrounding community, reflecting their vision for a church that practices not just inside the walls but in the community, as well! This question will also give you insight into how the candidate will approach social issues.

9. How do you approach Biblical interpretation?

Your church has its own way of understanding the Bible, shaped by your denomination or core beliefs. This question is key because it gets right to the heart of how a candidate reads and explains the Bible. Do they take the words of Scripture at face value, or do they look for deeper, symbolic meanings? How do they decide what the Bible says about modern-day problems? This isn't just about agreeing on beliefs; it's about making sure that your candidate’s theological approach to the Bible aligns with your leadership team. 

Work-Style Interview Questions for a Pastor

10. How do you incorporate discipleship and mentorship into your pastoral duties?

Effective pastoral leadership isn't just about leading services; it's about fostering growth and spiritual maturity within the congregation. Accordingly, your pastoral interview questions and answers should aim to address this topic. What strategies or programs do they envision implementing to encourage spiritual depth? How do they plan to walk alongside individuals in their faith journeys, providing guidance, support, and discipleship? 

This line of questioning reveals the candidate's understanding of the pastoral role as a multifaceted commitment to the spiritual well-being and growth of the church body, highlighting their vision for building a community that thrives in faith and fellowship.

11. How do you handle the administrative responsibilities of a pastor?

As you are working your way through pastoral interview questions, make sure you ask about administration! While most pastors aren’t huge fans of administrative work, your candidate must learn to embrace at least some administrative duties. How do they manage their schedule? How do they ensure they are following up with people? What is their system for communication? 

Pastoral Interview Questions About Vision

12. What is your vision for church growth, both spiritually and numerically?

This is one of my favorite interview questions for a pastor because it aims to understand the candidate's vision for the church's development. Importantly, church growth isn’t just about growing wide; it’s also about growing deep! It’s crucial that the pastoral candidate has a vision for discipleship while also demonstrating humility in the way they answer this question. “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1).  

13. What legacy or impact do you hope to leave, and how would you work to implement it?

When looking for deep questions to ask pastors, it’s helpful to be future-oriented. How would the way this pastor serves your congregation now impact the future well-being of the church? 

This is a two-fold question to ask a potential pastor, combining both vision and practical implementation. It’s important that the person you hire is not only able to look to the future and lean into the vision that God is placing on their heart but also has the mindset and wisdom on how to execute that practically. 

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