My Beloved –
As I write this, I have been on the ground here at OPPC for about 2 ½ months. It has been an exciting time of settling in, figuring out where things are and who does what. It’s been a chance for you to get to know me and me to get to know you.
Personally, I am enjoying myself tremendously. You are a fun, welcoming congregation with lots of ministries and activities. I feel fortunate to be here.
By the time you read this, however, you may be wondering about your next installed pastor. Who will it be? How will the search be conducted? How long will it take? And the ever popular, ‘why do we need an interim period, anyway’? In this article I will take a stab at answering these questions.
Unlike the Methodists, Episcopalians and others, we are not a top-down, hierarchical denomination. No one assigns a pastor to us. At the same time, we are connectional. Every church has a stake in what every other church does.
While every church is connected to every other church, each of our churches also has considerable autonomy. Part of that autonomy is tremendous freedom in choosing our next pastor. Part of our connectionalism is recognizing that every other church has a legitimate stake in who our next pastor is. We honor that connectionalism, and make wiser choices, when go about our search in a thoughtful, organized manner.
The interim period can be a wonderful opportunity for churches. It’s a great time for experimenting, introspection and determining just what kind of church God wants us to be and what ministry we should be doing.
Traditionally, we divide the work into two parts. The first are the Five Interim Tasks. They are:
- Coming to Terms with History. Every pastor leaves their mark on a congregation. Are there conflicts needing resolution? Does the congregation need to process grief, relief or guilt over the pastor’s departure?
- Discovering a New Identity. Again, every pastor leaves their mark on a congregation. Who are we after the pastor leaves? Do we have a clear sense of self-identity without our pastor?
- Strengthening Patterns of Lay Leadership. The interim period is a natural time for allowing older leaders to step back gracefully and allowing newer leaders a chance to step into larger roles. It can also be a good time for considering whether patterns of lay involvement in the church are healthy or unhealthy, empowering or disempowering for most of the congregation.
- Strengthening Denominational Ties. What is the nature of our relationship to our Presbytery, Synod and the General Assembly? Do we have to beg commissioners to attend Presbytery meetings? Is there resentment towards the denomination? Do we understand what it is about Presbyterianism that makes us distinctive?
- Preparing for New Leadership. One of the biggest mistakes a church can make is calling a new pastor too soon. Too many churches hire ‘on the rebound.’ It is not right to hire a pastor until there is room in our hearts for them and we are ready to embrace their spiritual leadership. In most churches, this takes about one month for every year of the previous pastor’s ministry. In our case, I do not recommend bringing anyone new on board until at least one year has passed since Pastor Shelley’s departure.
Additionally, every new pastor will want to do some things their own way. Are we ready to give them the room and freedom of movement they will need to fully settle in and do their best ministry?
These tasks are more of a direction to travel than a destination to reach. We never fully master any of them, but we can move more and more along their path.
Along with the Five Interim Tasks, there is also the Congregational Mission Study (CMS). By the time you read this, I will have consulted the session and will be busy assembling the CMS Team. The purpose of this study is to answer some very critical questions:
Who were we ‘back in the day’? How many members did we have? How many staff? What was our average Sunday attendance and what was our average annual pledge?
Who are we now? How many members do we average on Sunday? How many people are on our payroll? What is our average annual pledge? What is our level of education, income, and how often do we take part in a local mission? Do we understand our budget and are we happy with our worship services?
What is our local Mission Field? Where might God be calling us to act locally? How is Carmel different than it used to be? What are the employment, educational and recreational opportunities available to us? What are our crime and poverty rates? What do our schools need? Why would a pastor want to uproot their family and move to our neighborhood?
Where do we think God wants us to go? What kind of church does God want us to be? Does God want us to have a particular mission emphasis? Should we try to change the demographics of our congregation? Should we embrace a more liberal/conservative theology? And just how liberal/conservative are we, anyway?
What are the attributes a new pastor will need to help us become that church? Should the pastor be an excellent fundraiser, have a heart for youth or education, speak another language? Are we looking for a new pastor or a mid-career pastor? Would we welcome the spiritual leadership of a single/married/divorced/gay or lesbian pastor?
Depending on the complexity of the congregation and how hard the team works, this study normally takes 3-6 months. Please be assured that this is a team and congregational effort. There will certainly be surveys and a chance for everyone to have input. I should especially note that the CMST’s job is to create and direct the CMS. If my fingerprints are all over the final product it will have no validity.
After the CMS has been presented to the congregation and approved by our session, it will be sent to our Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry (COM). Part of their ministry is to help guide the search process and do their best to insure a good fit between the congregation and the new pastor. If they feel that the CMS was not detailed enough, or if the conclusions do not match their understanding of our church, they should tell us to go back and strengthen it.
Once the COM has approved the CMS, the church is free to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). This will require a congregational meeting. Usually, the session will nominate the slate but there will always be opportunities to nominate from the floor. (At this point, I am no longer involved in the process. The PNC will be guided by our COM liaison.)
The first job of a PNC is to write up the required Ministry Discernment Profile (MDP). This is essentially a job description that can be posted on our denomination’s electronic job board, as well as on our website and circulated as widely as possible. Again, the MDP has to be approved by our session and our COM.
Once the MDP is posted, the PNC can sit back and wait for the Pastor Discernment Profiles (PDPs) to come pouring in!
Remember, ministry doesn’t stop just because we are in an interim period. We will still worship and have Christian education. The choir will sing, ministries will be supported, elders and deacons will be elected and potlucks will be devoured. We will do all the things churches do, and maybe a few items more! And when we are ready, God will send us the minister God has chosen to lead us and help us be the church God wants us to be.