CB Northwest does not post open positions online. We do provide a variety of helps to churches and pastors on both sides of pastoral placement. Please select the link that applies to you below for more information.
If you are looking for a long-term pastoral position and wish to use our placement service this section will get you started in the process.
If you are looking for a youth pastor position and wish to use our placement service this section will get you started in the process.
If you are a church with an open position you need help filling, or in need of pulpit supply, this sections will show you the services we have available to you.
If you are interested in serving churches as an interim pastor, or with pulpit supply this section will get you started in the process of entering our pool of interims and pulpit supply pastors.
John Long
Director of Church Development
johnl@cbnw.org
971-274-1381
We recognize that many people have put together their own résumés for churches to use, but the information we request is what search committees have asked for, so we ask that you complete our Pastoral Placement Form also. This will provide search committees with the same categories of information on each candidate.
This placement form, when completed, will provide a listing of churches you have served, your education, your ministry style, your basic philosophy of ministry, and a list of references that can be contacted when cleared with you. (It is important that you mark "yes" or "no" on the reference form so that the names are not released without your permission.)
Please check your spelling and grammar. Be realistic in your responses. We suggest you have someone proofread your form. Remember that this will be the first impression you make on a search committee.
Our Pastoral Placement Form is to be filled out online through our website. The form is broken into multiple sections. The longer sections can be saved and completed later.
In addition to the placement form we are also asking you to include the following:
Please upload your cover letter, conversion experience, and résumé (if desired) through the website.
The second page of the Placement Form refers to the CB Northwest Identity Document. That document can be downloaded here.
Please do not send us sermon tapes. These will not be forwarded to the church or kept on file. We do not accept incomplete forms.
There is an annual placement fee of $50. This cost helps cover phone calls, correspondence, etc. on your behalf. The placement fee is payable online through PayPal. Placement forms will not be processed without the placement fee.
Once you have finished your placement form and the placement fee has been processed, your form will be read and summarized. The summary and a good portion of your placement form are entered into a database. When a church seeking a pastor sends us a profile of the man they are seeking, we create a query using their criteria and the computer gives us the names of the men who most closely fit. It's not exactly e-harmony.com, but it helps significantly. Whenever your résumé is sent to a church, you will receive an email notifying you of that.
When openings are posted, churches are usually inundated with résumés - many of which are from people not really compatible with their needs. So we do not post openings, but focus our efforts on trying to match what they are looking for with the candidates available to us.
However, the seminaries and bible colleges often post openings (Western Seminary is one such school that does so). If a person contacts us saying "I see that XYZ Church is seeking a senior pastor, would you send my information to them?" the answer is always, "Yes." Nevertheless, most of the résumés that go out from CB Northwest do so as a result of the matching efforts.
When CB Northwest sends your placement form to a Search Committee, you will be notified (by email) so you can begin to pray about the possible opportunity. We urge the local church to inform you when you are no longer under consideration.
If there are unusual circumstances that could surface in a read-through of your placement form, be sure to inform the CB Northwest office of this fact. If you have been in the ministry, stepped out for any reason at all, and now are coming back to apply for placement, please give a brief but detailed explanation for the period of inactivity.
If you or your wife have been divorced and remarried, we need to know the details concerning this issue and be given permission to share it with any Search Committee. Some of our churches are willing to consider such candidates while others are not. We need to keep the Search Committee accurately informed.
If you are out-of-state, be aware that moving costs can sometimes be a strong factor for churches, as well as the cost of travel to candidate, etc. However, that will not keep us from presenting your placement form to churches where it seems appropriate. God, after all, is in charge of placement, and we are all open to His will, regardless of distance.
All materials submitted become the property of CB Northwest and will not be returned. You will be responsible for making additions or corrections to your placement form as needed by updating your form online. These corrections may include changes in address, email, phone number, or ministry assignment.
Please let the CB Northwest office know when you have been placed so we can remove your name from our file.
John Long
Director of Church Development
johnl@cbnw.org
971-274-1381
CB Northwest assists churches in finding youth pastors.
John Long
Director of Church Development
johnl@cbnw.org
971-274-1381
CB Northwest does not post open positions online. We do provide a variety of helps to churches look for pastors. Our placement services are available to both member and non−member churches. Scroll down to the section that pertains to your type of church.
John Long
Director of Church Development
johnl@cbnw.org
971-274-1381
At your invitation, someone from our office will be available to meet with your Elder/Deacon Board and discuss any unresolved issues that might still linger in the church body. The Search Committee should be selected prior to this meeting so that the candidate selection process can be explained at the same time. This meeting should take place so that any necessary corrective steps can be taken and the church can respond with unanimity toward the candidate selected by the Search Committee. We will also work to help you find an interim pastor for your interim period.
Our search manual is designed to help leadership and search committees walk through the process of a Senior Pastor search from forming the search committee, all the way through the search process to the installation service of the new pastor. It contains surveys, forms, interview questions, sample profiles, sample letters, and a number of articles on a variety of topics for help in your search process. The cost of the manual for CB Churches is $25. To order, click here.
For assistance with filling an associate position please provide us with a job description or the closest thing you have to a job description for the position you are trying to fill. Please be sure to let us know who to send résumés to. Make sure to include any requirements you have for the position. If the position is not typical, or you really don't have a job description please contact our office to speak with someone about what you are looking for so we can best help you in your search.
CB Northwest will work to help you find someone to fill your pulpit, even on short notice. Please contact us as soon as you know you will have a need for pulpit supply.
For assistance with filling a Senior Pastor position please provide us with a church and pastor profile. Make sure to include any requirements you have for the position, and please be sure to let us know who to send résumés to. Initially, we will send out the five best-matched résumés. We will continue to send you additional résumés as requested for the length of your search. There is a $50 fee for this service.
Our search manual is designed to help leadership and search committees walk through the process of a Senior Pastor search from forming the search committee, all the way through the search process to the installation service of the new pastor. It contains surveys, forms, interview questions, sample profiles, sample letters, and a number of articles on a variety of topics for help in your search process. The manual is geared toward working with our office for placement, but contains many helps that are not specific to our office. The cost of the manual is $50. To order, click here
For assistance with filling an associate position please provide us with a job description or the closest thing you have to a job description for the position you are trying to fill. Please be sure to let us know who to send résumés to. Make sure to include any requirements you have for the position. If the position is not typical, or you really don't have a job description please contact our office to speak with someone about what you are looking for so we can best help you in your search. We will continue to send you additional résumés as requested for the length of your search. There is a $50 fee for this service.
CB Northwest will work to help you find someone to fill your pulpit, even on short notice. Please contact us as soon as you know you will have a need for pulpit supply. There is a no fee for this service.
For assistance with filling a Senior Pastor position please provide us with a church and pastor profile. Make sure to include any requirements you have for the position, a please be sure to let us know who to send résumés to. Initially, we will send out the five best−matched résumés. We will continue to send you additional résumés as requested for the length of your search. There is a no fee for this service.
Our search manual is designed to help leadership and search committees walk through the process of a Senior Pastor search from forming the search committee, all the way through the search process to the installation service of the new pastor. It contains surveys, forms, interview questions, sample profiles, sample letters, and a number of articles on a variety of topics for help in your search process. The cost of the manual for CB Churches is $25. To order, click here.
For assistance with filling an associate position please provide us with a job description or the closest thing you have to a job description for the position you are trying to fill. Please be sure to let us know who to send résumés to. Make sure to include any requirements you have for the position. If the position is not typical, or you really don't have a job description please contact our office to speak with someone about what you are looking for so we can best help you in your search. We will continue to send you additional résumés as requested for the length of your search. There is no fee for this service.
John Long
Director of Church Development
johnl@cbnw.org
971-274-1381
CB Northwest Identity Document
Documento de Identidad para CB Northwest
In Search of the Near−Perfect Pastor
Succession, Transition, or Transformation
Church Law & Tax Report's Compensation Handbook for Church Staff
Factors in Determining Compensation
Some Questions for Evaluation of your Church Compensation Plan
Letter of Invitation to Pastor Installation
New Pastor Installation Service Idea
CB Northwest assists churches in finding interim pastors and pulpit supply in a variety of situations. If you are interested in serving churches as an interim or you are available for pulpit supply please fill out the appropriate form or forms available for download at the bottom of this page. When opportunities arise, either our office or a church will be in touch with you. We recognize that conditions change, and some of these expectations are negotiable.
For interim pastors, in addition to the profile we would also like a picture and a personal introduction letter. The letter would be to introduce you to a church and should include the following information: personal information about your family (wife, children), your educational and ministry history, and some information about your gifts, talents and abilities as they relate to an interim role. The letter should be no more than 1 page.
You must also read and agree with the CB Northwest Identity Document, which can be downloaded below.
Email your profile form, picture, and letter to placement@cbnw.org, or mail to:
CB Northwest
ATTN: Placement
1315 SE 20th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
John Long
Director of Church Development
johnl@cbnw.org
971-274-1381