The role of the missions pastor is an important one to fill. As a refresher the missions pastor deals with all things missions whether that is local missions around the church community, international missions to places around the United States, or worldwide missions to places all over the world. The missions pastor is focused on getting the church congregation actively involved in missions in these three places and sets up partnerships with organizations to help send church members to serve the places that need them to fulfill a need and can spread the gospel.
We here at JustChurchJobs know the value of this position and want to do our very best to help you in your search for the right candidate to fill the role. So as such we are going to provide a list of interview questions that we think are the best interview questions that you should ask when you’re looking to hire a missions pastor. Keep in mind that these questions are not the end all be all and we simply hope to give a general idea of what you should think about when giving interviews for this position. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What is your testimony?
We at JustChurchJobs believe that this question should always be asked first and foremost no matter what position it is that you are trying to fill. A testimony is an induvial life story of who they were before they met Christ, how they came to salvation in Christ, and what their transformed life after finding Christ looked like. Sharing a testimony requires vulnerability which is necessary for working in ministry and spreading the gospel. This question is even more important for the role of the missions pastor as their role deals heavily in the spreading of the gospel on missions trips.
Can you give an example of when you shared the gospel?
As mentioned above, the role of the missions pastor deals heavily in the sharing and spreading of the gospel. It would be helpful to you to listen to a time when they have shared the gospel because if a candidate has never shared the gospel before or even feels uncomfortable in sharing the gospel, then they should not be considered any further.
What places specifically do you want to reach missions wise?
A high-quality candidate should be already thinking of places to go on mission to or places they have been before and are passionate about. This shows initiative in the candidate and really shows off their work ethic and shows if they are on fire or not for the Lord and for doing missions. An apathetic candidate is going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and someone who is not actively thinking of ways that the church can go on mission.
How would you approach someone on your missions team who is causing problems in the missions environment?
This is an important question to ask your candidates to get a good read of their problem-solving skills and how they handle conflict. When it comes to missions or really any area of the church, it is extremely difficult to complete tasks and focus on the goals at hand when someone is causing problems. A high-quality candidate should give Biblically sound ways of dealing with conflict with grace and truth.
What are some ideas you have for fundraising missions trips?
Missions trips are certainly not free and require fundraising to pay for things like travel expenses, food expenses, and other things. This question will give a clear look at not only the creativity and innovativeness of the candidate, but it would also give you a look into their practicality. As the role of the missions pastor, candidates should be able to come up with creative ideas to fundraise missions trips that get the whole congregation involved.
Could you give a gospel presentation in 3 minutes or less?
This question may seem a little strange, but it is important that a candidate for this position be able to share the gospel in quick and simplified manner. Nobody knows how long they will have when given a gospel presentation and needs to make the most of it.
We here at JustChurchJobs hope that this small interview question guide has been helpful for you and at the very least has gotten you thinking about potential interview questions you can ask! JustChurchJobs is here to help however we can! You may be struggling to find high quality candidates to fill your missions pastor role at your church and if you are well, we can help with that too! We wish you the best in your hunt for the right candidate!
