mgpcpastor's blog

Refreshing insights into the process of pastoral searches can be found in this interview with Michael Lawrence.
Pastoral moves, and I refer to the Presbyterian system here in Australia, are not generally open.
I remember as a student providing a supply service one Sunday for a nearby church whose then pastor was ‘away for the weekend’. (He was, in fact, preaching for a call.)
Most of us have experienced those seemingly inexplicable visits from small groups of members from other Presbyterian churches. (Conversation over morning tea: Lovely to have you with us today. Where did you say you were from? Uh, didn’t your pastor leave a couple of months ago?)
I also recall very badly handling a failed attempt to leave Mordialloc Presbyterian and join the Army (what was I thinking?). The congregation demonstrated more grace toward me in forgiving the clumsy way I managed that (supporting my continued ministry there for another two and half years) than I showed to them.
Rather than a congregation who are interested in calling a minister having to inform the pastor’s present congregation that they are interested in him, the calling congregation and the pastor do all of their mutual considerations without the home congregation knowing it, and a call is usually only forthcoming if the pastor in question indicates they would consider it.
I think the process contributes toward the possibility of people feeling that they’ve been misled, at the very least.
How differently would this process function if the interested congregation had to first register their intention to interview with the congregation and Presbytery (regional oversight) of the pastor?
What if the leaders of a vacant church had to negotiate directly with the leaders of the pastor in question’s church about their interest?
It would be different, but not impossible to manage such a process.
From another blog post which quotes from Lawrence’s article:

First, I made it clear to the search committee at Hinson that I was going to involve the senior pastor and elders of my church, and eventually the congregation as a whole. They were accustomed to dealing with pastors who wanted to do it in secret, and so were surprised when I said I wanted to do it in the open. I didn’t want to do it the usual way, because the church is my family and I want to know what they think. I value their counsel. And I’ve covenanted with them—I’m not at liberty to abandon them at will or spring something on them.
Several months before any visits were made by either party, I let CHBC know that I was in discussions with another church. I explained why I was talking to another church, and I asked for the church’s prayer and feedback.
Then, when it was almost time for the search committee to visit, I let the congregation know: “The search committee’s going to visit next week, and I’m going to introduce them, and I want you to engage them.” I also warned the search committee that I was going to introduce them to the whole church.
On the Sunday they came, I had them stand up in the service that I was preaching at, and I prayed for them publicly.
That weekend, the search committee also met with elders and staff and other members of the congregation. In effect, I was interviewing them even as they were interviewing me. But more importantly, my church was interviewing them, and they understood that. If I was going to go, it would be because this church sent me, not because I ripped myself away from them.

It is true that Lawrence transitioned from the role of associate pastor to a lead/senior pastor position, which means that the church from which he came would view the issues of his transition differently than if it were their lead pastor under consideration.
Anyway, have a read and see what you think.