Questions to ask about faith

How do you approach interpreting difficult or seemingly contradictory passages?

The answer describes the method behind every sermon you will hear afterward. Listen for whether they name a way of working, comparing texts, reading in context, consulting commentaries, or whether difficulty is treated as something to smooth over.

From: Bible Questions to Ask Your Pastor

How do you pick people for leadership roles, and what have you learned from getting it wrong?

The second half is where the value is. Good answers describe a process, watching someone in a small role first, rather than intuition about character.

From: Questions to Ask a Pastor About Leadership

What's something you find funny about church life that you'd never say from the pulpit?

Save this for last and only with a pastor you know reasonably well. If they decline, that is a reasonable answer and not a dodge, since half of what they know is told to them in confidence.

From: Funny Questions to Ask Your Pastor

What have you been praying about regarding us that you have not said out loud?

Couples who pray separately about a relationship often carry reservations they have raised with God and not with each other. This gives that hesitation somewhere to go while there is still time to talk about it.

From: Christian Dating Questions to Ask Before Marriage

How do you teach about money and giving?

Ask what they say from the pulpit, how often, and whether they know what individual members give. The last part matters, since access to giving records shapes pastoral relationships in ways congregations rarely discuss.

From: Theological Questions to Ask a Pastoral Candidate

Is there anything about him you struggle to reconcile with what you believe about God?

Suffering, judgement, and the fate of people outside the faith are the usual pressure points. Whether someone can hold a tension without resolving it says more than either certainty or doubt would.

From: Questions to Ask About Jesus