Interim Pastoring Archives - Helping Churches Thrive

A Great Opportunity For Older Pastors

Many pastors in their fifties and sixties are facing a similar scenario: They sense that they are nearing the end of their current pastorates and they are highly uncertain regarding the future. They know that most congregations don’t want pastors who are over sixty, and, in fact, many don’t want pastors who are over fifty….

Metaphorically Speaking…

The new paradigms in interim pastoring can be hard for people to understand. The “new wave” interim pastor isn’t an intern, a fill in, a substitute or something less than a “real” pastor; I’m thinking of the visitor who heard me a couple of Sundays and then told me that I was good enough to…

Types of Interim Pastoring

At one time there were only two types of interim pastoring – or, at least only two types had been identified and labeled. There was intentional interim pastoring, wherein the pastor lets it be known that he is not a candidate for the long-term pastorate of the church, and trial interim pastoring, wherein the pastor…

Putting Two Dollar Plants In Ten Dollar Holes

Or, “How an intentional interim pastor can help your pastor-less church prepare for its future.” Like Moses before him, Episcopal Bishop, Loren Mead received some of the best advice he ever heard from his father-in-law, a skilled and experienced gardener: “It’s better to put a two dollar plant in a ten dollar hole than a…

Top Ten Reasons For Calling An Interim Pastor

10. He helps keep the giving up. His steady presence sends the message that things are “okay” and his full-time status keeps the need for giving up! “Saving money” during the interim time can often result in diminished giving by the time the new pastor is called. 9. He helps keep the attendance up. When…

Not Your Father’s Interim Pastor

It wasn’t so long ago that almost all interim pastors were of the traditional variety. They preached sermons, gave pastoral care and basically just kept things afloat until the congregation could call a “real pastor.” Things have changed. Today’s interim pastors, who sometimes prefer to be called transitional pastors, are doing interim ministry in some…

Three analogies for understanding redevelopment transitional pastors

I’ve found that the following analogies are helpful for understanding the new paradigms in transitional (interim) pastoral ministry. The redevelopment transitional pastor is like: A “This Old House” crew member – If you’ve seen the long-running public television show you know the routine: A couple of homeowners sit down with the “This Old House” leaders…

When Is A Pastor Like The New Sheriff In Town?

In earlier posts I’ve written about the analogies I use to help people understand the new varieties of transitional (or interim) pastoral ministry. I’ve explained that proactive interim specialists, variously called “strategic interim pastors,” “restoration pastors,” “redevelopment transitional pastors” or simply “interventionists,” are like: “This Old House” crew members Dog or horse whisperers Special forces…

When Is A Pastor Like Nanny McPhee?

In an earlier post I wrote about some of the analogies I use to help people understand the new varieties of transitional (or interim) pastoral ministry. I explained in “Three analogies for understanding the redevelopment transitional pastor” that these proactive interim specialists are like This Old House crew members, dog or horse whisperers or special…

Gaining Restoration Authority

Where do strategic (or “restoration” or “redevelopment”) interim pastors get the authority to change so much so fast in the churches they lead? A church-health expert once told me that “all an interim pastor can do is to give a church a good slap in the face.” As one who has been doing interim pastoring…

The Big Mo And Interim Pastorates

Here’s a question which is being politely debated within interim ministry circles: Do interim pastorates which are more than one year long kill the Big Mo…momentum? The answer is definitely “yes and no.” YES! – If the interim pastorate is a traditional interim pastorate – in which the pastor works less than full time, preaches…

Joy In The Journey

(Unexpected fringe benefits for the interim pastor or “Guys, have your wife read this!”) “Ohhhhh yukkkkk! That sounds awful! That’s the last thing I’d want to do! Oh man, you can have that ministry!” Those words were the actual reaction of a fellow pastor upon hearing the basics of my strategic interim pastor ministry…

Working Yourself Out Of A Job

(How interim pastors can help their church’s pastoral search committees) Of the many projects I’ve undertaken as an interim pastor in several churches, helping these church’s long-term pastor search committees has been among the most satisfying. The help I have given has been greatly appreciated, the task of leading these groups has been comparatively…

The Surgical Model Compared To Ten Developmental Tasks Of The Interim Congregation

The surgical model involves three stages and as many as ten redevelopment tasks: 1. There's a DIAGNOSIS STAGE that takes about 2-6 months. The interim pastor will major on getting to know people and getting to know the congregation. During this time the church may need to get real regarding its history. Some churches…

Determining The Level Of Intentionality Needed In An Interim Pastor

Brian's note: Dr. Ken Moberg designed this grid to help church leaders determine the type of interim pastor their church needs. A "high level of intentionality" is another way of saying, a transitional or transformational (or interventionist) interim pastor, as opposed to a traditional or "maintenance model" interim pastor (or none at all).

“Enjoying The Ride”

(Or, “How you can survive the pastoral transition at your church”) Psychologists today tell us that stress is an inside job, more of a function of the individual human personality than an inevitable reaction to circumstances. You could almost say that we make our own stress. Two people are strapped into the same roller coaster….

“In Defense Of Playing Defense”

Okay, I might as well admit it. I’m the guy (or one of the guys) who’s always talking about playing offense, not defense, in the ministry of the church. “I love playing offense,” some of you have heard me say, “I don’t like playing defense, and I hate punting.” I’m not really talking about football,…

“Playing Twenty Questions”

Elsewhere on this site (“Gaining Restoration Authority) I’ve written about the value of conducting listening sessions at the beginning of a change-oriented interim pastorate. We have found this to be so valuable that we (Donna and I) would do this in any new pastorate that we would undertake, interim or long-term, no matter what the…

The Introverted Pastor’s Survival Guide, Part One

Many people are surprised to hear that a lot of pastors are introverts. More specifically, they are – in my opinion – introverts in an extrovert’s job. For the record, the basic differences are as follows: Introverts are less outgoing, talkative, enthusiastic and energetic, than their extroverted cousins. Introverts are more oriented to the world…

The Introverted Pastor’s Survival Guide, Part Two

A few years ago I came upon a delightfully different title in a bookstore’s psychology section: Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking. I wonder if anybody heard me saying “Amen!” as I paged through the book. Author Susan Cain argued that modern western culture is biased against introverts, noting…

The Introverted Pastor’s Survival Guide, Part Three

I’ve mentioned, in two previous posts on this subject, that many pastors are “introverts in an extrovert’s job.” By an “extrovert’s job,” I mean that the general population, widely believed to be more extroverted than introverted, carves the pastoral model in its own image. Here’s what I mean: While I’ve had people compliment me for…