Finding the right interim pastor for your church can be complicated. Typically, when a church has a need for an interim pastor, they are in a bit of a crisis, or at the very least, they are in a tough spot. Often when churches contact us about the possibility of using one of our interim pastors, it’s because they have found themselves unexpectedly without a senior pastor. Their pastor either passed away, left abruptly, or was asked to leave without much warning.
Knowing that the pastoral search process is not a quick or easy one, churches look for an interim pastor to step in immediately to fill the gap while they search for a new permanent pastor.
Don’t Hire Just Any Pastor as Your Interim Pastor
Hiring the first pastor to come along who is willing to serve as an interim can be a big mistake, although it can be tempting when there is pressure from the congregation to find someone quickly. Being a good pastor is a very different thing than being an effective interim pastor, so just because someone has experience as a pastor doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll make a good interim pastor.
All of the interim pastors at VitalChurch Ministry have felt called by God to interim pastoring and have received extensive training in the field. They know how to deal with churches in transition or crisis and how to guide them toward their next phase of effective ministry. They follow our biblically-based process of church revitalization that has been shown to be effective in many churches around the world.
They also have the support of the other interim pastors on the VitalChurch team. This is critical, especially for pastors dealing with churches that have significant issues to work through.
Matching Churches with the Right Interim Pastor
At VitalChurch, we require every church we work with to undergo a church assessment before we match them with one of our interim pastors. An in-depth church assessment will tell us what’s important to a church, their areas of strength and weakness, and a lot of other important information. This assessment, along with much prayer, helps us match churches with the interim pastor that will be the best fit based on the church’s needs, their doctrinal stance, and personality (yes, churches have personalities!).
Occasionally, churches will ask us if we will forgo the church assessment and just allow them to hire one of our interim pastors until they can find a new permanent pastor. However, our many years of experience in interim pastor ministry have taught us that the church assessment is a necessary component in establishing a successful church/interim pastor relationship. We want to make sure that every interim pastor we send into a church is equipped to handle that church’s specific issues and will fit in with their culture and doctrinal stance.
Contact VitalChurch About an Interim Pastor for Your Church
If your church is in need of an interim pastor, we’d love to talk with you and see how VitalChurch Ministry can help your church through this time of transition. Send us a message through our website and we will get back to you soon. We look forward to talking with you!