Transitions can be tough. Very few people like change, and those in churches are no different. Hiring an interim pastor can help "soften the blow" when transitioning to a new pastor, but even transitioning from an interim pastor to a new senior pastor can be tough. People get used to a certain style of leadership and preaching, and sometimes the “new” can feel “wrong.” At VitalChurch, our interim pastors know that the transitioning of a lead pastor is difficult, and they do everything they … [Read more...]
Latest News & Insights
If We Like Our Interim Pastor, Can He Stay on and Be Our New Permanent Pastor?
VitalChurch Ministry has placed many interim pastors in churches around the country, and some even in other parts of the world. A VitalChurch interim pastor takes churches through an in-depth process of church revitalization where he helps churches get to the heart of their issues and address them. Our pastors also help guide churches in the direction in which God is leading, and none of this is a simple or fast process. Typically, a VitalChurch interim pastor stays in churches for more than a … [Read more...]
VitalChurch’s Ministry Assessments Provide Churches with a Mirror and a Map
Most people tend to think of our organization as one that provides interim pastor ministries to churches who find themselves without a senior pastor. That’s a large part of what we do, but another big part of our organization is conducting ministry assessments. Undergoing a ministry assessment can provide your church with valuable insight into the life of your church, and it also gives members of your congregation an opportunity to be heard. If you’re a leader in a church—either an elder or … [Read more...]
Why Does the Church Need Interim Pastor Ministries
If you’ve been a part of a church for any length of time—on staff, on a board of elders, as a volunteer, or just as a member of the congregation—you have probably experienced a period when your church faced some sort of transition or crisis involving your church’s leadership. It could have been that your pastor left (or was asked to leave) in an abrupt manner, or that he passed away unexpectedly. Whatever the specific circumstances were surrounding this event, it likely left you and other … [Read more...]
New Service from VitalChurch Ministry: Pastoral Search Assistance
As we’ve served around the country and around the world as interim pastors, one of the things we often do during our tenure in a church is assist them in the search for their next interim pastor. We’ve spoken a little bit about this before in this blog post. We talked about how churches can find the most success in their pastoral search and how we can come alongside churches to help facilitate the process. Since that blog post was published, we’ve decided to make pastoral search assistance an … [Read more...]
How Do I Find the Right Interim Pastor for My Church?
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 … [Read more...]
VitalChurch Ministry Becomes Its Own Independent Charitable Organization
We received some exciting news recently at VitalChurch Ministry—our organization was officially granted nonprofit status by the IRS! It’s been a long process—with lots of paperwork and even more waiting—and it feels great to be on the other side of it all! Previously, VitalChurch was operating under the umbrella of Church Resource Ministries (CRM), a Christian nonprofit dedicated to reaching the lost, bringing about lasting transformation among the poor, and mobilizing the Church for mission. … [Read more...]
Conflict Resolution is at the Heart of Our Interim Pastor Ministry
In many of the churches in which VitalChurch serves, our interim pastors are faced with some sort of conflict upon their arrival. Sometimes that conflict is the main reason the last lead pastor is no longer employed by the church. Other times, the conflict is the reason that a church has seen a steady decline in attendance and fruitfulness. Conflict is part of life, and it is part of every church at one time or another. It can’t be avoided, no matter how hard we try. It’s how a church deals … [Read more...]
We’re Hiring! Here Are a Few of the Things We’re Looking for in an Interim Pastor
As our ministry grows, we are contacted by more and more churches across the United States, and even in other parts of the world, looking for an interim pastor help them through their time of transition. It’s important that we have an adequate number of interim pastors upon which we can call, so that when a church needs an interim pastor, we have someone available. That’s why we’re always looking to add qualified interim pastors to our team. So, what makes a qualified interim … [Read more...]
The Pastoral Search Process: What to Do Before You Even Begin
When you’re in a church without a permanent pastor, there can be a lot of pressure to “get it right” when it comes to finding the next pastor that will lead your church. The interim pastors at VitalChurch have walked many churches through the process of searching for a new pastor and have learned some valuable things along the way. One of the things we have discovered is that what churches do before they even begin the search process may be the most vital to ensure they end up with a pastor who … [Read more...]