Quick Answer
In congregational traditions the church itself calls its pastor, by a vote of the members at a properly called meeting, usually by secret ballot and usually requiring a supermajority. Two-thirds and three-fourths are the most common thresholds, and your own bylaws set the number.
The standard sequence:
- 1The congregation elects a search committee — elected by the members, not appointed by the outgoing pastor or the deacons alone.
- 2The committee searches and recommends one candidate. Baptist and most independent practice strongly favours a single name over a slate.
- 3The candidate preaches in view of a call, on a Sunday announced well in advance, with a real opportunity for members to ask questions.
- 4The church votes at a called meeting, on notice your bylaws specify, normally by secret written ballot.
- 5The result is announced as a number, and the call is extended or it is not.
Not every tradition works this way. Presbyterian congregations vote to call, but the presbytery must concur and often moderates the meeting. United Methodist, Catholic, Episcopal and Orthodox congregations do not vote on who their clergy will be at all — clergy are appointed or assigned, though an Episcopal vestry conducts a rector search with the bishop's consent. Which system you are in is covered in church voting by denomination.
This article describes common congregational practice. It is general information, not legal or denominational advice. Your constitution, bylaws, and denominational standards govern.
Step 1: Electing the Search Committee
The committee should be elected by the congregation. This matters more than it appears: a committee appointed by the people whose judgment is in question inherits their credibility problem, and the eventual call inherits it too.
Give the committee written terms before it starts:
- What it may commit to, and what requires the church's approval — compensation range, housing, moving costs, start date
- Confidentiality, which is genuinely necessary, and its limits
- Reporting cadence, so the congregation hears something every month even when the answer is "still searching"
- How it will handle internal candidates, decided before anyone applies
The most common committee failure is silence. A congregation that hears nothing for seven months invents explanations, and the explanations are rarely generous.
Step 2: One Candidate, Not a Slate
Congregational practice overwhelmingly presents a single candidate. It looks less democratic and it is kinder.
Presenting two candidates turns a call into a contest. The person who arrives does so having beaten someone a portion of the church preferred, and the comparison never entirely goes away. It also puts the losing candidate in a painful position with their current church, which is a real cost borne by someone who did nothing wrong.
If the committee cannot agree on one name, the answer is to keep searching, not to let the congregation choose between two.
Step 3: In View of a Call
The candidate preaches, meets people, and takes questions. Things worth arranging:
- Announce it early, from the pulpit and in writing, so the people most affected can be present.
- Publish a biography and the committee's reasoning in advance, in the same envelope on the same day for everyone.
- Hold a real question session, and let the candidate answer difficult questions honestly rather than steering the room.
- Be candid about the terms the church is offering. A call accepted on a misunderstanding about compensation or expectations ends badly and usually quickly.
Step 4: The Vote
Notice. Nearly every church constitution requires advance notice of a called meeting, typically announced from the pulpit on one or two consecutive Sundays plus written notice. Notice defects are the single most common reason a church decision is reopened, and they are entirely avoidable. See the church business meeting guide for the mechanics.
Who votes. Members in good standing, as your documents define them, on a roll fixed before notice went out. If that phrase is doing more work than your bylaws can support, read who is a voting member of a church first.
Secret ballot. This is long practice, not modern squeamishness. Members should be able to vote honestly without their neighbours watching, and on this question more than any other.
Threshold. Whatever your bylaws require. Two-thirds and three-fourths of those present and voting are the most common. Read the clause carefully: "two-thirds of the membership" and "two-thirds of those present and voting" are very different numbers, and the first can be unreachable if your roll is inflated.
Step 5: Announce the Real Number
This is where churches most often stumble, and it is the part that shapes the next five years.
A pastor called on a "strong majority" that turns out to have been 68 percent begins ministry with roughly a third of the church knowing it and the pastor not. Someone will tell them eventually, usually at a bad moment.
Announce the count. And consider what many churches write into their bylaws or committee terms: a floor below which the committee will not recommend extending the call even if the technical threshold was met. A candidate who clears two-thirds by four votes has been told something important about the congregation, and so has the church.
If the vote fails, the honest response is to say so plainly, thank the candidate, and let the committee resume. Re-running the same vote hoping for a different room is how a disappointed church becomes a divided one.
Honest question
Would you trust an online vote to decide your community's annual budget?
What Goes in the Minutes
- The motion in the words voted on, including the terms of call being approved
- That quorum was present
- That notice was given, when, and how
- The count, not "carried"
- The date
Attach the terms of call — compensation, housing, benefits, start date, vacation, study leave — as approved. Ambiguity here is the source of a remarkable share of later conflict, and it costs nothing to be specific now.
Common Mistakes
The committee negotiates terms the church never approved. Decide in advance what the committee may commit to.
Notice goes out on the wrong clock. Count the days your bylaws actually specify, from the day they specify.
The roll was never fixed. Members added or reactivated during the process make every percentage arguable.
The vote is by show of hands. On this question, use a ballot even if the bylaws do not require one, unless they require otherwise.
Nobody says the number. Covered above, and it is the one that keeps costing after everything else is forgotten.
The interim is a candidate without anyone saying so. If an interim pastor may be considered, decide and announce that at the beginning, not after the congregation has grown attached.
FAQ
Q: What percentage is needed to call a pastor?
Whatever your bylaws require, most commonly two-thirds or three-fourths of members present and voting. Check whether your clause measures against those present or against the whole membership, because the difference can decide the outcome.
Q: Who votes to call a pastor?
In congregational traditions, the members in good standing, at a properly called meeting. In presbyterian traditions the congregation votes and the presbytery must concur. In episcopal traditions, including United Methodist, clergy are appointed or assigned rather than called by a congregational vote.
Q: What does in view of a call mean?
It means the candidate preaches to the congregation with the understanding that a vote on calling them will follow, usually the same day or shortly after.
Q: Should a church consider more than one candidate at once?
Congregational practice strongly favours presenting one. Two candidates turn a call into a contest and leave the person who arrives having beaten someone part of the church preferred.
Q: Is the vote to call a pastor secret?
It normally is, and it should be. Members should be able to vote honestly without being observed, and many bylaws require a ballot for exactly this reason.
Q: What happens if the vote fails?
The call is not extended. Say so plainly, thank the candidate, and let the committee resume its work. Re-running the same vote in a different meeting is how a disappointed church becomes a divided one.
Q: Can members who cannot attend vote on a pastoral call?
Only if your governing documents allow absentee or electronic voting. Many church bylaws assume presence, and adding remote participation requires a bylaw amendment rather than an announcement.
The Bottom Line
Elect the committee, let it bring one name, give real notice, take a secret ballot, and say the number out loud.
The number is the part churches are tempted to soften, and it is the part that determines whether a new pastor arrives knowing what they walked into. Telling them is a kindness, not a discouragement.
Where your bylaws allow homebound, deployed, or travelling members to take part, vote.direct sends each member a private ballot and returns a timestamped tally you can attach to the minutes. Church votes start at $4.99 and cover up to 50 members.
Working through a pastoral call and unsure what your documents require? Call or text (512) 222-8191, or email [email protected] with the clause.
This article is general information, not legal advice. We recommend you do your own research and confirm anything you plan to act on. Where this article states law, the section is cited so you can read the primary source yourself rather than take our word for it — that is what the citations are for. Election requirements also turn on your own governing documents, which we have not seen, and statutes are amended. For advice about your community, consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
We work hard to verify every citation against the primary source, but laws change and errors happen. If you spot an inaccuracy, email [email protected] and we will correct it. See our editorial standards for how these pages are researched and checked.
