By Tom Hicks

[Not comprehensive. Not in any particular order.]

How would you counsel someone who asked you how much they should give to the church?

What is your perspective on congregationalism?

Do you think it’s valuable for a church to have a prayer meeting? What do you believe about officers coming to prayer meeting? Would you come to prayer meeting as pastor?

Why are you a Baptist? What does it mean to be a Baptist?

What about Sunday afternoon service? How important is it to the church’s life and health?

Do you affirm our confession’s doctrine of the Sabbath?

Do you affirm the doctrine of “inerrancy?” [Familiar with the Chicago Statement?]

What does it mean to have “the ability to teach?”

Do you agree with our church’s confession of faith? Do you take any exceptions to anything in them?

What has God taught you over the past few years?

What is the mission of the church?

What do you believe are the most dangerous errors facing the church today?

What are the three uses of the moral law of God?

How would you describe the difference and similarity between the law and the gospel? Are we required to keep the law today?

Who should be permitted to take the Lord’s Supper?

What are your views on Christian liberty? Drinking, smoking?

What are some key things people need to understand about justification and sanctification?

What is the “order of salvation?”

What is the biblical definition of forgiveness?

Under what conditions, if any, should someone be allowed to get a divorce?

If someone was baptized as an infant, should we require that person to be immersed?

What if someone suggested that we use a dramatic presentation of a biblical story in public worship? How would you respond?

What is your testimony of conversion?

How does a pastor lead God’s people?

How would you describe your calling to be a pastor? Discuss the relationship between the internal call and the external call. How do you know for certain God has called you and that it isn’t self-deceptive presumption? How would you respond if the church chose not to call you to be a pastor?

Do you believe you will be able to pastor the other pastors and deacons of this church? What does that look like?

If no other called man were available, do you believe you could pastor a church by yourself?

Do you hold any position in theology that we might find unusual or controversial?

Would you say that you affirm the five points of Calvinism?

What would you do / How would you react if your church did not call you to be a pastor?

How would you counsel someone who repeatedly gives in to the same sin? Say you are trying to pastor a man who has regular outbursts of sinful anger. He knows it is a sin. He is grieved and sorrowful when he does it and wants to overcome it, but he fails over and over. How do you deal with him? What do you tell him?

As an elder, what will you do if you fundamentally disagree with the Senior Pastor on a practical issue not closely related to the gospel? [When should you submit to the leadership of the senior pastor and when should you not submit?]

What if it comes to your attention that a Senior Adult teacher is teaching against the doctrine of predestination? How will you handle it?

How would you handle an issue in which a deacon’s wife is gossiping and spreading rumors? What would you do?

What is the proper relationship between “shepherding” and “ruling?” Between “teaching” and “getting involved in people’s lives?”

How should a pastor/elder love the sheep?

What text of Scripture would you point someone to if you wanted to teach them the doctrine of sanctification?

Could you list 3 or 4 doctrines that our church should not divide over? Could you list 3 or 4 doctrines that our church should divide over?

Could you give us a brief outline of your pastoral theology? (Theology of the pastorate?)

How do you handle criticism? How would your wife handle criticism of you?

Could you describe/discuss how (and how often) family worship takes place in your home?

How do you define “success” in the role of the pastor?

What effects would you want to see as fruits of your pastoral ministry?