a humble look at a new way of serving God's church...

In three weeks I start serving a new congregation as their Interim Minister: it will be a journey of discovery for us all. Like many old-timers entering this new type of ministry, I come with a set of skills that are not always valued by those who "do" interim work over the long haul. Indeed, I have witnessed healthy congregations disoriented and wounded as "professional" interim pastors apply a one-size-fits-all approach to their calling. Not so for me: as I learned over 40 years of full-time service in four different congregations, my first job is to listen carefully to the people and the Spirit as we pursue incarnating the love of Jesus for our context.

Starting in the 1980's, an extended "family systems" type of interim ministry became normative throughout the once mainstream - but now side-lined - Protestant churches of the United States. The intent was both noble and well-intended; this type of interim ministry was predicated upon solving problems. For a few centuries, pastoral accountability had become non-existent. Clergy abuse was sky-rocketing, pastoral alienation and loneliness was epidemic, and a host of bad habits had evolved that often left congregations caught in a cycle of "doing the same old thing over and over while expecting different results." The "new" model was designed to interrupt old patterns of thinking and acting, help lay leaders explore new and healthier models of ministry, and offer the necessary training to turn our words into deeds. 

The former interim ministry model involved tapping retired and experienced pastors to serve for a few months while new settled leadership was brought into place. (For an insightful take on this, read my colleague's reflection @ https: //richardlfloyd.com/2010/08/09/ten-theses-about-interim-ministry/) For many churches the old model worked, but for just as many, it did not. And the new reform clearly worked in identifying entrenched bad habits that could be named and addressed. What did not work, it seems to me, was treating the reform in a linear or sequential manner. This created a mechanical approach to nourishing the life of the Spirit. Remember how sequentially many treated the "stages of grief?" It also reinforced the "pastor as fixer" model rather than the pastor as partner in ministry. Pastoral accountability continued to be minimal, congregations continued to be sold a bill of goods about what their "fixer" could truly accomplish, and a wooden application of the interim work wounded and diminished existing strong, faithful, and creative lay leadership.

Nearly 50 years later, another corrective has come into play intended to bring greater sensitivity to the interim work, address the clergy shortage crisis, tenderly discern what the Spirit may be saying to each congregation, and do so using skills that are analytically objective AND spiritually humble. What's more, the potential exists for this new model to practice what I call "small is holy" or please do not rush the movement of the Holy Spirit. Pastoral skill is valued, as is a slow pace of interaction, so that trust and respect is nourished. Further, in the five identified tasks of interim ministry, it is now normative that not ALL tasks are equal in value in every congregation. Some faith communities are NOT broken. We are all risk averse to one degree or another, but that does not make them dysfunctional. And while not all existing churches are called by the Spirit to close, or merge, the new working hypothesis is: it takes time to discern this so move with careful deliberation. As one wise soul put it: The rule of an interim should be like a doctor: “Do no harm.” A good interim will leave a small footprint.

One of the realities I find most refreshing five years after walking away from the church, is the pastoral and programmatic expertise of our new crop of denominational leaders. These servants are stretched and challenged by a 21st culture of disdain for organized religion. But instead of despair and exhaustion, many of the new leaders see possibilities. As one wise soul has said to me on multiple occasions: remember, we serve a God of resurrection. I am humbled to be a part of this era's transitional ministry. I start in February - and I'll keep you posted. I'll also keep you up-to-date on the music work we're doing because that is just as important in culture care as anything more formal.