Interim pastors play vital role in keeping continunity in church

By CYNTHIA ROBERTSON

When a pastor of a congregation leaves or retires, the result is often confusion and disorientation, even with the presence of an interim pastor. Yet coping with the loss of the long-time pastor is not the end of the line. In fact, the interim pastor helps to usher in a new beginning.

An interim pastor is a necessity in this movement from the past toward the future, and he or she should never be thought of as a trial pastor until someone else comes along. At the same time, the caveat is for the congregation not to become too emotionally dependent on the interim pastor. In certain denominations and in particular cases, the interim pastor is not even to be considered a potential candidate for long-term pastoring. Instead, he or she may be thought of as a leader of the congregation while it searches for its long-term pastor.¬Ý

Mark Strauss, a professor of the New Testament at Bethel Seminary in San Diego, has served in such a manner in three different interims ’Äî all of which were needed because the senior pastor had left.¬Ý

’ÄúThe interim must always be aware of where he or she stands in relation to the congregation,’Äù said Strauss. ’ÄúThe goal ’Äî if the person is not a candidate ’Äî should be to shepherd the church faithfully through the period of transition.’Äù

Just as a long-term candidate develops emotional bonds with the people, so does the interim pastor, said Strauss. ’ÄúI thoroughly enjoyed my time in each of the congregations. You learn to truly love these people,’Äù he said.

So how does a church get through such a transition? Strauss explained that he usually preached, at least in part, on the theme of ’ÄúWhat is the church?’Äù This helps the church to reconnect with who they are and what their mission is.¬Ý

Then, too, how individuals handle change in their lives and get along with others will reveal a lot about the health of a church’Äôs transition.¬Ý Strauss has done much preaching on the issues of reconciliation and renewal.¬Ý

’ÄúA study of the book of Acts is also great. This prepares them for the next phase of their church’Äôs life,’Äù said Strauss.

Some churches find that focusing on peacemaking, as well as pinpointing its own mission statement, serves well. Del Cerro Baptist Church, which is currently under an interim pastor, has been doing so, meeting for several old-fashion town hall meetings. Their latest town hall meeting focused on the church’Äôs history and timeline. People put up Post-It stickers to mark their place on the timeline.¬Ý

Some of the younger members had feelings of abandonment, especially if they had become members under the last long-term pastor when he left just two years ago. Yet they can take advice from other members who joined 30 or 40 years ago. ¬Ý

’ÄúYou can’Äôt invest too much in the youth in order for the church and its outreach to work,’Äù said one elder.

’ÄúThis is where we invested our lives, and we’Äôre not about to move. Let’Äôs find a new avenue and move on,’Äù another member said.

New life is exactly what the church will experience in the interim experience, explained David Montzingo, associate pastor of St. Dunstan’Äôs Episcopal Church. ’ÄúIf I could make an analogy, it would be like a woman who was married 30 years and then her husband died. If she got married within three or four months after he died, could that work? Yes, but what’Äôs the probability that it would be a good move? Very small.’Äù

A member of College Avenue Baptist Church for 27 years, Paul Preddy agreed with Montzingo’Äôs reference, using a similar analogy. ’ÄúPeople need to say, I am committed to my church, I am going to stay,’Äù he said.

’ÄúJust like in a marriage, they need to be committed.¬Ý People who are just consumers of church, jumping to the next church as soon as there is a better program, or better music somewhere else, are just ’Äòshacking up,’Äô you could say. When trouble comes, you don’Äôt break up the family. Instead, you need to be sensitive to each other,’Äù said Preddy, who stayed on with CABC through its interim pastorship from 1998 to 2000.

In having the interim pastor adopt a role of manager rather than that of an innovative leader helps to facilitate the work of a new pastor rather than complicating it. ’ÄúIt’Äôs like the interim has a fresh set of eyes, with his own background and experience, but he must be judicious with doing away with traditions and bringing in new ideas. They’Äôll be short-lived unless the new pastor has exactly the same goals,’Äù Preddy said.

At St. Dunstan’Äôs, Father Fred Bartlett was senior rector for 29 years before he retired last June. ’ÄúThat’Äôs a big change in the parish,’Äù said Montzingo.

The Episcopalian denomination is one of those in which its interim pastor may not be considered as a candidate for the long-term pastor. At St. Dunstan’Äôs, where the interim rector is Father Tom Phillips, the congregation understands that it could take a year and a half to two years before the diocese makes the decision of who is to fill the role of permanent rector. Phillips works with the church governing body during the interim period

’ÄúThe church engages in reflection about who it is and where it is going,’Äù explained Montzingo. ’ÄúThe interim rector has the particular role of helping the church prepare for the new rector by being clear who it is as a church and its mission and ministry.’Äù

While a new direction may be what any church or congregation is seeking, at the same time, it is essential to keep what does work for the congregation. ’ÄúWe ourselves have kept our programs and services in place,’Äù said Montzingo. ’ÄúThe time for big change should be when the new rector comes, not right after Father Fred left. It’Äôs wise to keep continuity.’Äù

Some of the things that St. Dunstan’Äôs will keep in place, for example, are those services involving Holy Week, such as the Maundy Thursday celebration and the Good Friday observation. ’ÄúWe have a very rich tradition with these services,’Äù said Montzingo.¬Ý

A member of Del Cerro Baptist Church since she was 14 years old, Zelda Stuart serves on the Pastoral Search Committee. Her heart runs deep for her home church of 40 years, and she has definite ideas about what will work in the future for Del Cerro.

’ÄúIn Del Cerro’Äôs past, we were mentored, tutored, trained, encouraged, monitored, teamed up, and never had to reinvent the wheel.¬Ý We were taught that what we did mattered on multiple levels’Ķ. not only our church but the Christian church as a whole,’Äù said Stuart.

’ÄúBut most importantly it mattered to God, and our attitude was everything, and that was what we offered up. It was part of our tithe, our ministry, our gift and our talent, and we were also taught that success didn’Äôt always mean it was successful and failure did not always mean defeat, but all of that was judged by God.’Äù

Jim Poorboy, the interim pastor of Del Cerro Baptist Church, echoed that thought. ’ÄúLongevity doesn’Äôt guarantee success, but the lack of longevity does guarantee a lack of success, in terms of pastorship,’Äù he said.

¬ÝWhat’Äôs more, an interim period can be a time of excitement. ’ÄúEspecially if we think ’ÄòWhat is God going to do with us next?’Äù said Strauss.¬Ý

The church was never meant to be run by paid church leaders, he explained.¬Ý

’ÄúEvery believer is called to exercise their spiritual gifts in the body.¬Ý The leadership’Äôs role is to train God’Äôs people to do the work of the ministry. An interim can therefore strengthen the church by getting the people to take responsibility for the ministry,’Äù said Strauss.¬Ý

And therein is growth in the church’Äôs relationship with Christ.