Appointed Interim Pastors
- an option of vitality when your church needs an interim pastor -
Interim pastor needed
Pastoral vacancies are not uncommon to Baptist Churches. Sooner or later and for many differing reasons the pastor will go, and a trusted leader will be needed-temporarily. This is one of the most vulnerable stages of church life for a congregation. Turning to your American Baptist leaders who engage such matters regularly is one of the wisest responses you can make. A quick or uninformed decision here can be devastating, but careful actions now can make a difference for years to come.
Interim Ministries-ABC
Your denomination has a national office designed to assist you and your regional staff for such transition times. When you have interim questions or when a prepared and skilled minister is not immediately available, you may want to turn to us.
Appointed Interim Pastors
A few well-qualified clergy who find themselves in personal transitions are nominated by regional staff to serve an interim while they engage their own search. They serve under the same policies as Ministers-at-Large. The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board of the ABC supplements medical coverage for these persons.
What does an interim pastor do?
The tradition and habit of Baptists has been to reduce all expectations and goals of the church during its interim time and focus on finding a new pastor. This pattern has resulted in most interim pastors serving only a day or two per week, leading on Sundays and caring for crises in the life of the congregation.
Huge shifts in our culture, our churches and our understanding about transition times have occurred in the past fifteen years. When once we felt we could not find or afford pastoral service in an interim time, now we are beginning to realize we cannot afford to let these months pass without knowledgeable and focused leadership.
Our commitment to you is to provide an interim pastor who will:
- Perform all the basic functions of a pastor-worship, preaching, visitation, counsel and administration;
- Be responsive to the most critical issues of your congregation whether conflict, growth, healing or other need for change;
- Persistently lead the membership to face and progress through the five interim ministry tasks:
- Learning from the church's history,
- Discovering the church's current identity,
- Facilitating leadership shifts that will occur,
- Capitalizing on denominational relationship and resources,
- Preparing the body with hope and vision for the future.
Financial considerations
The church's costs for these services are based on your church budget when your pastor departed. The last pastor's compensation amount plus the auto reimbursement amount are combined to create a monthly fee. In addition to the fee, the church will be responsible for furnished housing and utilities for your interim pastor.
Included in the above is the expectation that the church will provide one week of vacation per quarter, one week of continuing education per calendar year and up to two weeks per year for illness without any fee reduction. The church does not pay medical or retirement premiums or other usual ministry-related expenses.
This formula has enabled churches large and small to utilize our program, and these fees make the program self-supporting. IM-ABC draws no funds from mission dollars and applies all of its income to the benefit of better interim ministry.
Your interim pastor works on a completely separate contract, usually agreeing to move to your community and work 4½ days per week. S/he receives a monthly honorarium, auto mileage reimbursement and full expenses for travel to the assigned church and return home at the close of the assignment. There is also a continuing education benefit plus Worker's Compensation and a travel accident policy.
Ways we work with you
You can enter this program with confidence. We have more than two decades of service with highly satisfied clergy and churches. We work very seriously at finding an interim who will match your theological and geographic concerns and who will be sensitive to your church's needs. True to our Baptist principles your interim will take primary direction for the ministry from your guiding Board or Council. There are provisions for pastors to be withdrawn with dignity if significant differences occur.
Church leaders, possibly a transition team, will work with the interim pastor in planning the emphasis and approach. The interim will not engage in any conversation with the membership or the search committee regarding prospective pastors and has agreed not to become a candidate for this pastorate.
Throughout the time, your interim will receive guidance from and provide monthly reports to both the regional and national staff. All of us are committed to making the interim period successful. These provisions leave you essentially free to go about the continuing work of ministry until a next pastor is called.
Steps to take
- Contact your regional staff. They will guide you through the request, the fee arrangement and the delivery of well-screened names.
- Plan on six to eight weeks from your request date to an arrival day. It can take longer at times.
- Select a contact person to coordinate all arrangements for the church, and name a couple to prepare furnishings and a hospitable housing arrangement.
- Be assured that if the interim assigned cannot serve until a new pastor is called, IM-ABC will work to provide a replacement.
- Know that you may call the IM-ABC office anytime throughout the process.
A word of encouragement
Church transitions are seldom easy, but they are clearly a part of God's design in the life of the local church. We urge you to enter this time prayerfully and with faith and hope.
We believe the Spirit raised this program into being and continues with us. Our more than twenty-eight year record of service is a wonderful testimony to the secure partnership of clergy, local church, regional and national agencies.