AN INTERIM’S VALUABLE ROLE
In recent years, the role of interim pastor has become almost a norm for vacant churches. Interim pastors can help a church reflect on the possibilities inherent in this time of transition. Even if the previous pastorate has been productive and satisfying, it still carries the imprint of the prior pastor’s personality and interests.
Sometimes the role of the interim pastor is to help resolve some past conflicts and wounds so that the new pastor has a more even playing field when s/he arrives.
In either circumstance, during this time of transition, a church can examine its ministry and consider if there are some new directions it wants to consider.
CREATING A HEALTHY ATMOSPHERE
I want to suggest an additional task that an interim can play. An interim is in a better position than most to convey the importance of a congregation contributing to the maintenance of the health of a pastor. Before a pastor is chosen, the interim can share with the congregation the health challenges that all good pastors confront.
S/he can help the congregation to recognize some of the dynamics of modern ministry that can contribute to unhealthy patterns for a pastor. S/he can help them understand that the better a pastor is, the more s/he needs to pay attention to the stewardship of his or her health. S/he can help them begin to strategize how they can team with their pastor to promote healthy ministry in their congregation.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE
Drawing upon the work of the Pastoral Care Network, www.pastoralcarenetwork.org. ,or other resources, the interim can suggest some initial actions that the congregation and its leadership can take towards the care of their new pastor. They can also help the congregation create an atmosphere that communicates to the new clergy that they expect the pastor to pay attention to his or her health and that of the pastor’s family.
By creating this understanding, a new pastor enters a community that communicates an understanding that they expect this to be part of the new pastor’s ministry. They recognize that healthy clergy make healthy congregations.
Join the Effort to Care for Clergy
This is an excerpt from my third book in the Healthy Clergy Make Healthy Congregations. In An Interim’s Gift to a Congregation I provide a step by step design on how an interim can raise the awareness of a congregation about the issue of clergy health. It will be available on Amazon in September.
In the next blog, I will suggest a theological framework for this idea. Subscribe to my blog by clicking the tab in the right hand corner and keep up with these ideas about clergy care.
