The Search Committe by Tim Owens

A mismatched team of seven hit the road in an Econoline church van on a mission to find a new pastor. They don't agree on much other than the stops at Hardee's for coffee and a biscuit. But they stick to the call, trying to slip undetected into worship services across the Southeast—all in hopes of stealing a preacher for their congregation.



Each member is wrestling to balance their own busy life and personal struggles. And they're trying to keep their issues to themselves. Forced to spend countless hours together, these very different personalities from different generations begin to bond. And their lives are profoundly changed as they love and support each other through the difficulties in each of their lives.

My review:
Take seven people with different personalities, put them in a van to travel in search of a new pastor, and you have the makings of some funny stuff, or a disaster.

The book has a lot of humor in it. To me, the idea of a search committee is foreign to me. A handful (sometimes I think it boils down to one guy, the church boss) of people decide who the church will call, and members vote on him, so I was interested and entertained by how the search committee works. It actually sounds kind of fun.

Each individual on the committee has problems and struggles they are dealing with. None of them are perfect. One struggles with lust. Another loses a spouse. As they travel from church to church, they learn more about each other and how to be there for others.

If there is a lesson to be learned from this book, I would say there are two actually. First off, none of us are perfect, but God loves us anyway and keeps working on us. Secondly, sometimes what we are looking for is right in front of us, and we don't need to go looking elsewhere. I enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it.

About the author:

Tim Owens has a doctorate in environmental engineering and is the co-owner of an environmental engineering firm. He also holds three patents, is a Scoutmaster, and participated in disaster relief in Honduras and Mozambique as a water systems engineer. He currently resides in Summerville, South Carolina, with his wife and four children.

Check out his website.

The Search Committee is available from Tyndale House Publishing.

Thanks to Tyndale for the review copy.