The Search Committee: A Novel

From the Back Cover They started out seeking a pastor. But what they found was each other. When a small-town southern church throws a hodgepodge of wildly different personalities together in a van and sends them out to look for a new pastor, the dust gets kicked up in more ways than one. There?s Travis, a young husband whose ambiguity about becoming a father is threatening his marriage. Dot, a middle-aged busybody whose strong opinions set everyone?s teeth on edge. Susie, an attractive single mom coping with a troubled teenage son. Bill, an older man who centers his entire life on caring for his fragile wife. Joyce, a transplanted Yankee who feels like an outsider. Matt, highly educated but socially awkward. And Frankie, who just tries to keep the peace. Jostling along bumpy back roads, they squabble about practically everything, from which pastoral candidates show promise to where to stop for lunch. But gradually the facades fall away, revealing seven lonely souls drawn together in a search for healing and grace. 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.