When seeking to bring the help of a man of God into a certain place to do the work of God, there are a few necessary principles found in the Scripture that must be followed if God's man is to be had. The first and most obvious is the man must be actively serving the Lord where he is at the present time (Acts 16:1-8). Paul, before God gave him the now famous Macedonian vision, was agressively serving the Lord and seeking to know the Lord's will for his present and future place of ministry. Secondly, the right man of God must have a vision from God including a burden for the people and the attitude of being a helper of the people of God (Acts 16:9). This vision must include not only the burden for the people, but also a plan for carrying out the work must be given by God to the man of God, and he must receive a promise from God that He will do the work through him. (Acts 16:10)
Paul had all of these significant and necessary principles of the Word of God given to him and thereby knew without a doubt, or better said with great assurance that God had called him to go to this 'new' place of service. He made specific plans and got into the place of God's calling and proceeded to win the first convert. (Acts 16:10-15) Notice that he not only won people to Christ, but he built them up in the faith demonstrating the two foundational principles of local church building, evangelism and edification of the believer. Without the balance of both of these the church will suffer greatly. In every healthy, growing local church God supplies a man with these basic foundational requirements for in time of Satan's assault on the man of God he must know that God sent him there to do His work, and no man can 'shut the door' of opportunity for service until God Himself closes the door so that 'no man can open'!
Although it might seem obvious, it must be understood that when God calls He arranges the surrounding circumstances, such as Bible doctrines, beliefs and preferences held by the man of God vs. the doctrines, beliefs and preferences of the local church,, a place for him to live, provision for his needs etc., for nothing is too hard for the God of heaven when He is ALLOWED to provide the plan. Notice, the word ALLOWED. Too often man interferes with his desires and totally upsets the plan of God through haste which always creates waste the Dutch proverb says, or through expediency, or just plain stubborness which the Scripture says is the same as idolatry. Bringing ourselves under the authority of God is a must when we attempt to make any important decision that will affect the lives of so many of God's people.
Therefore, when seeking that certain man of God, it could be that the Lord already has chosen a man and all that must be done is to ask the right questions the first of which should be: ' Has God given you a vision for the people and work here at ____________________________ Church? Has God given you the necessary plan and promise to do the work and keep you here in time of trouble? Has God given you the necessary gifts to 'feed and lead the flock of God?' His outward appearance and preaching/teaching ministry might be great, but if the inward man is not supplied by the vision God must give him in order to be effective in the place God wants him, there is no hope of an enduring ministry for the Lord! It could well be that instead of the church asking questions of the man of God, the right man will be coming to the church with the answers! Did not Paul go immediately to the place of God's calling as soon as the Lord revealed it to him?
Just as in the case of Paul, entering into the prospective area of ministry to survey the situation many times will provide the man of God with the information the Lord wants him to know before God will give him the necessary vision for his future ministry. Attending the church, introducing himself and family to the people, exposing himself to the culture of the area are ways for the man of God to put himself in the right surroundings for God to give the vision which every man of God so desperately needs before he can really 'spend and be spent' for the Lord. Although this might not sound like the average method of a 'pulpit committee search' it definitely is the way God would have it to be accomplished if His man is to be 'the man' for your local church.