Each year some 3000 churches in America find themselves without a Pastor. That's approximately 250 Pastors who leave their church each month. When this happens, often the church leaders and members launch into full search mode for a new Pastor. This becomes a challenge, because the other sad statistic is that fewer young people are pursuing a call into Pastoral ministry. This leaves a very shallow pool of potential candidates and churches are in danger of making the mistake of hiring a new Pastor based on their availabilty, rather than their compatibility with the congregation.
A few months ago, when God called Fanny and I into the Transitional Pastoral ministry, we had no idea about these statistics. As I began to pray and research, the need for a ministry such as ours became highly apparent. I've been the Lead Pastor and Administrative Pastor of churches that grew and thrived. I've been part of a church that transitioned from one Pastor to another and witnessed some of the bumps in the road along the way. I also experienced being part of a church that closed its doors because the new Pastor was a poor fit, not having a true heart and vision for the congregation.
Closure, Character, Clarification
Along with our current training and preparation, I see how that experience can be of benefit to a church without a Pastor. When a church is in this place, solid guidance toward the next chapter of its life is greatly needed. Instead of focusing on simply finding a warm body to fill the pulpit, a congregation can utilize this season to examine itself as a church and find closure to the past, realize its true character, and discover clarification for the future.
Through prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can help in this process. It's what God has called us to do. The goal is to bring renewal and revitilzation to the church. With leadership, communication, counsel, and guidance, we can assist the church in becoming a healthy vibrant body of believers. All of this can take place before a new permanent Pastor is hired. Each congregation is different, but it is our solid belief that the Lord has wonderful plans for the local church.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
In today's world, the church needs to rethink its time without a Pastor. A traditional Interim Pastor can be a blessing in providing preaching, teaching and oversight of current ministries, but a Transitional Pastor does all of that and more. Being intentional toward set goals for the congregation and taking the steps to bring it about will be a blessing to the congregation for years to come.
We simply want to help. We want to be a blessing. If your church is interested in learning more, we'd love to hear from you. You may contact us HERE. Or if you feel led, you're welcome to fill out our Church Survey which will lead you to even more information.
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