CCBC has has been having an adventure! When the previous pastor (John Harding) resigned after 10 years of ministry and moved to Kansas, the church called me as interim pastor. I came to do what is called an “intentional interim.” Research has shown that a church in between pastors is in a unique situation. It is a liminal time, a threshold time–because they are not what they once were, but not yet what they will become. It is a time ripe with possibilities. For this reason, there are five tasks that a church can address in the interim period that will help it move into its future in a healthy way. These tasks are:
- Come to terms with history
- Discern a new identity
- Accomplish shifts of power
- Rethink denominational linkage
- Commitment to new leadership and a new future
Quite a list! These are especially important for a church that has had a long-term pastorate–as this church has.
I arrived here on May 1 and we have been actively working to accomplish these tasks by means of a variety of activities, programs, preaching, prayer, and discussion. It hasn’t always been easy–change rarely is–but we have come a long ways in a year!
We have a couple more specific tasks that are essential to complete, and then we will be ready to start the new pastor search process. We will be working with our regional executive minister, Pastor Alonzo Patterson, in Anchorage, and will soon be preparing a church profile that will allow us to access the national search system of the ABC, USA. Everyone here is eager to get started on that; looking forward to calling a new pastor and beginning a new season of ministry in the community and abroad.
Tags: Interim Process, Pastor Search, Updates