We talk a lot on our website about our biblically based, three-phase process of church revitalization. It’s really what sets VitalChurch Ministry apart from other organizations and individuals providing interim pastor services to churches, and it has served churches well for many years.
The process always begins with a church health assessment, which we call a “diagnostic analysis” or “diagnostic assessment.” We’ve refined this assessment over many years, creating a tool that gives a church an accurate understanding of their current reality.
It’s one of the most important parts of what we do as interim pastors. In fact, we will not serve in a church as interim pastors until the church has completed a diagnostic assessment. That’s how strongly we believe in it.
Over our many years of conducting church health assessments, we’ve collected thousands of survey responses from church members throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Some patterns have begun to emerge related to the areas in which churches struggle. The four most common are:
- Poor conflict resolution skills
- The poor use, misuse, non-use, and/or abuse of power
- A significantly lowered theological bar
- Idolatry
To take poor conflict resolution skills as an example, our diagnostic survey results reveal that only 27% of survey respondents would say that their church and its leaders are good at resolving conflict! This is a startling percentage, and shows how serious a weakness this area is in evangelical churches in the U.S. and the U.K.
When our interim pastors can go into a church already understanding their main areas of struggle, they can, in a sense, “hit the ground running.” If a church’s main issue is, in fact, poor conflict resolution skills, our interim pastor will focus on helping church leaders and congregants by:
- Addressing the root issue(s)
- Establishing scriptural guidelines for healthy interaction
- Serving as a non-anxious presence in the midst of conflict to help people listen well and own their own issues
No two churches are the same, and no two churches have the exact same areas of struggle, but in our many years serving as intentional interim pastors, we’ve seen and dealt with all types of issues. No problem is too big for God or for a church that is willing to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He says.
If your church is struggling in any area, or if your church is currently without a senior pastor’s leadership, VitalChurch can help. Our intentional interim pastors can guide your church, working alongside existing leadership to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to your church, and together, bring about transformation and healing. Contact us today to see how we can help.