See also frequently asked questions for
Pastors,
Synod Staff, and of a
General Nature.
Our Pastor is leaving! Now what do we do?
Congregations who have just lost their pastor, or as some say, “fixing to...,” have a unique opportunity to recognize the interim period as God's time for them to review, reflect, celebrate, and discern God's hand leading them into their future. A trained and experienced intentional interim pastor can be exactly the pastoral leadership presence needed by a congregation in this specific time and place in their congregation's life journey. Contact your synod office to discuss the possibility of working with an interim pastor during the time of transition.
Why not use the time of “vacancy” to save money after our pastor leaves?
Congregations who have used intentional interim pastors have discovered that the transition / interim was a time wisely invested. These congregations discovered that utilizing an Intentional Interim specialist assisted the congregation to bridge between pastors.
What happens if our congregation chooses “supply pastors” to cover our vacancy?
When a congregation chooses to use “supply” for Sunday or use part time pastors to “cover” a few days a week, they miss an opportunity to discover, grow and become healthier. To by-pass this opportunity to re-discover the "who" of a congregation's identity can lead to its next pastor becoming its unintentional interim pastor. In those cases, everyone's hopes and accomplishments are diminished and likely, the cause of the Gospel is not well-served.
Why can’t any pastor, full or part time, “cover” the ministry needed during our pastoral vacancy?
Interim Pastors serve in every aspect of ministry plus provide opportunities for the congregation to address issues such as coming to terms with the congregation’s history, closure for the previous pastor, leadership shifts, reconnection with the church at large, and re-evaluation of congregation’s vision and mission.
Why not use this “vacancy” time for coasting, for maintaining, for holding on?
Congregations utilizing intentional interim pastors say "It's a time to work creatively, purposefully and differently, examining the history of the past and imagining the future that God intends for us."
What are some of the emotions experienced by congregations during times of transition, loss of Pastor?
Grief, among others.... Whenever there is loss, there is grief. Some congregations have run roughshod over the normal manifestations of human grief in the transition between pastors. All the developmental work waiting to be accomplished in the transition/interim period will occur within the emotional context of grief. The trained intentional interim pastor addresses “grief” and other emotional issues.
What if we really like our Interim? May we call the Interim as our next pastor?
No. It is normal for the congregation to look at the Interim as the “replacement.” If the Interim is called there is no time to face issues and grow in this time of transition. An interim pastor must be objective and honest with the congregation. To be a possible candidate for “call” would compromise her or his objectivity and honesty with the congregation. It would be a conflict of interest for the Interim to even be considered because the Interim has an unfair advantage when considered against the pastors the synod recommends. For these reasons and others like them the interim pastor has in the Letter of Agreement a clause that states: “The interim agrees not to be a candidate for the position of installed pastor of the congregation being served by her / him.”
What are the goals of the Intentional Interim Ministry program?
- to come to terms with significant shifts in thinking concerning the “in-between times” during a pastoral vacancy,
- to reorient thinking to see this transition time as a time of positive growth and purpose,
- to offer interim ministry resources and support to congregations, pastors and synods, and
- to introduce ELCA clergy and ELCA churches to the interim specialist pastor, “called” and trained to serve churches full-time during the in-between times.
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