In an ideal world, every church would have a great lead pastor in place providing spiritual guidance, leadership, and stability to their congregation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case because we don’t live in an ideal world. Fortunately, there are individuals who serve as interim pastors, as well as organizations that provide interim pastors to churches that find themselves in a season of transition.
An interim pastor is someone who serves a church for a season as their lead pastor. Typically, their time of service is limited—until the church can call a new, permanent lead pastor.
Here are three instances when it might make sense for a church to bring in an interim pastor.
When Your Church is Suddenly Without a Pastor
Churches can find themselves suddenly without a lead pastor for a variety of reasons. The pastor could pass away unexpectedly or have to step down for health reasons. The pastor could get let go due to unforeseen circumstances, or the pastor could simply resign unexpectedly. If the church doesn’t have a succession plan in place, it can leave them in a tough spot.
Bringing in an interim pastor can give the church some much-needed time to do a thorough pastoral search. The pastoral search process is not a process you want to rush, and when done correctly, it can take a year or more. An interim pastor can provide stability to the church while the search process is being completed.
Some churches have associate pastors on staff who could potentially step into the role of lead pastor, but even when they do, it still might be a good idea to bring in an interim pastor for a period to give the associate pastor time to prepare to take leadership of the church.
When Your Pastor Leaves or Retires After a Long Tenure
Some churches also find value in bringing in an interim pastor even when the lead pastor leaves due to a planned retirement. If the pastor had been leading the church for many years, the transition to a new lead pastor can be a difficult one for many in the congregation. An interim pastor can help soften the transition, and give the next lead pastor a better chance at success.
When Your Church Needs an Outside Perspective from a Seasoned Pastor
If your church is struggling—even with a lead pastor in place—you may want to consider bringing in an interim pastor. Interim pastors are typically experienced pastors who have ministered in many different churches. They can provide a valuable outside perspective as to why your church may be experiencing the issues they are.
An interim pastor organization like VitalChurch Ministry can even provide a diagnostic assessment of your church prior to sending an interim pastor. By doing so, they can start addressing your church’s issues on day one.
If you’re still not sure if your church could benefit from bringing in an interim pastor, talk with church leaders who have worked with interim pastors in the past. You may be surprised at some of the benefits churches experience by working with an interim pastor.
