Starting a new ministry

As I posted on my FB page yesterday, next Sunday I will begin a new ministry as the Transitional Pastor of Westport Baptist Church in Westport, IN. This is a great church that I have known for a long time, and I feel honored to have been asked to serve them during this time of transition.

Having worked 14 years in a judicatory role I had the opportunity to work with many churches during their search for a new pastor. One of the things I learned was that many of them did not especially value that period of time in their church's life. Many of them wanted to shorten the time they were without their next pastor as much as possible not realizing the value this transitional time could bring to their church.

This is a time when churches can get reacquainted with themselves. Chances are the church and community have changed since they called their last pastor. People have moved in and out bringing different gifts to the church. As the community changed it may have brought new ministry opportunities to the church. This transition time give the church time to recognize these changes and respond to them.

It's also a time for healing. If the previous pastor had served the church for a number of years there is a sense of loss when he or she leaves. Sometimes the pastor leaves under less than ideal conditions, and there may be some anger felt in the congregation towards those they believe caused the pastor to leave. There is often some confusion about why God called the pastor away at this time. Regardless of why a former pastor leaves a church, some healing will need to take place before the next pastor is called. This interim period is the right time for this healing to occur. It's important that the church not call its next pastor until that healing happens or some of the anger and mistrust may be transferred to the new pastor which isn't fair.

Few churches have a sense of vision for what God wants them to be and do. This transitional time is an excellent opportunity for a church to spend some time discerning what that vision might be. Too many churches want to wait until the new pastor comes who will then, in their minds, tell them what their vision should be. That's a mistake. It's far better for a church to understand God's vision for their ministry before calling a new pastor. It's far more effective to be able to explain that vision to pastoral candidates during the interview process and then ask how they can help lead the church in fulfilling that vision.

If a church is a member of a denomination, this is an excellent time to build upon that relationship. As churches get involved in its various activities it's easy to get separated from the larger body of Christ. Association and denomination involvement can suffer. Most denominations provide a process they can use to help the church identify pastoral candidates. As the church works with their denominational representative it helps renew that relationship. This can be very healthy long-term for the church.

I find this transitional time can also be a great time to explore new ways of doing ministry. Churches can sometimes be willing to try something new when the transitional pastor is leading it because they do not  view it as permanent. When it works out well, it might become permanent, but if it doesn't work out so good at least their regular pastor won't get the blame for it.

It's easy to see why I prefer the term Transitional Pastor rather than interim Pastor. When done right the church isn't sitting around waiting to call a new pastor. The church is active, involved in ministry and transitioning into a new period of ministry. I'm looking forward to my time with this church and excited about this new opportunity God has given me. Please pray for us as we begin our life together.