Candidacy questions, #3

Here is another list of questions from a questionnaire.

1. Please give a brief testimony of your Christian experience.
2. Regarding your personal devotional life, briefly describe your approach and practice.
3. What are your hobbies and special interests?
4. Is your wife persuaded of your call to pastoral ministry?
5. How do you anticipate her being involved in your ministry?
6. Are you quick to admit when you are wrong and seek forgiveness?  Do you quickly repent before your wife and children when you have wronged them?  Is repentance a consistent part of your life?
7. Would your wife and children agree with this answer?
8. Give a recent example.
9. In what areas do you have particular weaknesses?
10. What has been the clearest evidence of God’s blessing on your ministry?
11. What are your greatest strengths personally?
12. Have you ever been under church discipline and if so for what?

Philosophy of Ministry

1. What goals and objectives do you have for your ministry?
2. What do you envision being your primary responsibilities as an assistant pastor?
3. What do you see as the greatest dangers for an assistant pastor?  The greatest challenges?
4. Describe briefly how you would go about carrying out your responsibilities as an assistant pastor at our church?
5. Describe the type of person to whom you would be able to most effectively minister.
6. Next, describe the type of person to whom you would find it most difficult to minister.
7. Which PCA churches/ministers would you say have most influenced your philosophy of ministry (list at least three)?
8. Briefly describe your role and style as a leader?
9. What objectives do you have for your relationship to potential elders in a church?
10. How do people change and what would you do to promote sincere transformation among people in your church?
11. Please describe your approach to evangelism.
12. What is your present involvement in evangelism?
13. What is your vision concerning world missions?  Have you taken any trips personally?  How do you see yourself helping our church get more involved in missions?
14. What is your understanding of the community in which our church is ministering?

Philosophy of Preaching

1. Briefly describe your understanding of the nature and purpose of preaching and type of sermons you normally preach?
2. What does this statement mean: “Every good sermon should have both law and gospel?”
3. How does the “historic-redemptive unity” of the Bible bear on preaching an OT and a NT text?
4. Do you think it is possible and/or desirable to include Christ in every sermon?  Explain.

Philosophy of Worship

1. Describe your philosophy of worship.
2. What style of worship do you favor?  (Traditional, Liturgical, Contemporary, Blended, other) List several churches that have shaped your perspective in this regard.
3. Describe how worship style reflects or forms our theology?  In other words, does the way we worship effect, change or form our beliefs?  If so, what does the above style (question #2) communicate?
4. What are your views concerning the so-called “charismatic gifts” of the Spirit including speaking in tongues, word of knowledge and healing?
5. What elements do you believe should be generally included in a worship service?
6. What type of music and instrumentation do you believe are acceptable or unacceptable for a morning worship service?
7. How often do you believe the sacrament of Communion should be observed and why?
8. Are there any elements or activities that some include in a worship service that you believe should not be included?
9. Please describe your view regarding ministry opportunities for women in the church.  Specifically address what role a woman may have in the worship service and in what contexts and to whom she may teach.