13. What advice would you give me on how to avoid forced termination?

I would say the same to anyone on this subject: Be very careful about what church positions you take. I think pastors need to look as far beyond the search committee as they can into the life and history of the church. This can be difficult to do but some steps I’d recommend is to ask as many questions as you possibly can of the search committee. Request an opportunity to review not only the constitution and bylaws of the church but also the minutes of the last several years’ worth of business meetings. Perhaps ask to meet with the church’s recording secretary. Call local pastors. Do whatever you can to make sure you understand the church that is interviewing you. Also be sure and tell the committee and the body during any interview process what you anticipate being controversial in what you believe or how you do business. Try to get as many expectations from the church body spelled out clearly and objectively in the job description the committee presents you. Once in the church remember to always prefer others and that just because you are the pastor doesn’t mean that you are always right or that your priorities should always hold sway. Be willing to go slowly – more slowly than your worst original expectation of timeframe – in bringing a congregation through change. When making changes – even if they seem small to you – be sure and let the congregation have ample time to speak to the issue and think through it. When you are wrong, acknowledge it publicly. You should publicly confess your own sins. Seek input from the lay leaders of the congregation. Handle conflict directly and quickly whenever possible. I’ll stop there because this is becoming an essay; the important thing to sum up is that we should be very careful to maintain our relationship, as pastors, to the body as members of that body.

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