Coming to Terms
Ed Bratcher
The immediate goal of coming to terms is to make certain everybody understands the arrangement—the same arrangement. The long-term goal is to be able to work together happily for years to come.
—Ed Bratcher
By the time a search committee makes their selection and the pastoral candidate has agreed, in theory at least, to come to a church, a long process has been concluded. At this point, however, a shorter but equally vital process is about to begin. It's time to talk about the terms of call.
Throughout the interview process, committee and candidate have each expressed their ideas and concerns. As they've come closer and closer to an agreement, they've made more and more assumptions based on what they've learned about each other. Coming to terms is, in part, the process of transforming those assumptions into assurances.
When we get to this point, we feel we're talking with friends. We've come to know the search committee during the "courtship" period. These good people represent the congregation we expect to pastor soon. So we naturally want this coming to terms to feel more like a family discussion than a union bargaining session.
The immediate goal is to make certain everybody understands the arrangement—the same arrangement. The long-term goal is to be able to work together happily for years to come. Here are some things I kept in mind during this crucial last stage of the candidating process.
Some Friendly Business
Often the committee initiates this process and goes through the terms of the call as they understand them. Sometimes, however, we may need to formalize these assumptions ourselves, by saying something like, "For both of our sakes, let's make sure we have this all worked out. I need to know your expectations for ...
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