A Guide to Candidating
Douglas G. Scott
I cannot recall, in any of my reading, a single instance of a prophet who applied for the job.
A. W. Tozer
Some practical hints can make finding a church easier. Douglas Scott, rector of Saint Martin's Episcopal Church, Radnor, Pennsylvania, has worked out a valuable process for candidating, a process born after several bouts at the only slightly sanctified negotiating table.
"Being in a highly structured church," he says, "I had a lot of help the first time out. I was going to be a shared person between my bishop's staff and a congregation in the Philadelphia area. I got a call one day from someone in the bishop's office saying, 'We're going to get together with you, the bishop, and the rector from the church and hammer out a good working agreement.'
"I went determined to be as tough as George Meany—and ended up saying about two words the whole session. I sat in the corner while my future was thrown onto the table and apportioned between two parties. I felt like a pawn. I never got a chance to say, 'These are my skills, this is my training, these are my gifts.'"
The next time around, Scott was applying for an assistant post.
"This was my first real interview, and like all young clergy, I was excited about finally seeing my gifts and talents appreciated and used. I fully expected to be able to work out the Lord's ministry jointly. What I really found was myself in the middle of a debate about whether my appearance, politics, and taste in popular music would fit this congregation.
"After several experiences like this, you become a little cynical about the process. I did. And that's why I wrote this chapter on candidating and interviewing. I had heard so many clergy who were embittered by the process. Too many end up feeling ...
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