“Dr. Yeats, I have 237 pastors-less churches on my list.”
As I rode down the elevator, the administrative assistant for MBC’s pastoral ministries shared with me this disheartening news. It broke my heart to hear that one out of eight Baptist churches in the heartland are without a shepherd to lead the congregation. I thought, “That is too many pastors-less churches.”
As I reflected on the number, the thought of these men of God, who experienced forced termination or resigned out of frustration, grieved me. I began to pray for those churches where the circumstances were difficult and congregational leaders had to make the painful choice of a leadership change.
There are so many reasons and circumstances that come into play regarding a pastoral leadership change. Some are good. Most are ugly. In many ways the enemy is mocking the people of God and our testimony in the communities we serve.
During the transition time, there are many decisions the church has an opportunity to make. There are several options today that didn’t exist 20 years ago. You may contact MBC pastoral ministries leader Gary Mathis to discuss those options, or you may contact the director of missions in your area for guidance.
Since I have served more than a dozen churches in transition between senior pastors, I am convinced that this season in the life of a church has the potential to be a time of growth and healing. The transition time is not the time for the church to sit back and wait until a new pastor arrives.
However, rarely do positive things happen if the church chooses to just have a series of pulpit supply preachers while the search committee embarks on the arduous task of finding God’s man to lead God’s church. What most churches need is a trained, skilled transitional pastor or interim pastor who can guide the church through some important processes.
Why call a transitional pastor or interim pastor? Why bring someone in from the outside? There are many reasons:
1. In most churches, the majority of people attending Sunday morning services do not understand the former pastor’s leaving. If he dies or leaves abruptly for some reason, they may experience a host of emotions including anger, confusion or grief. These emotions need to be addressed and processed so that the people in the church can begin to move forward in their gospel ministries. If the church does not adequately process its loss of a leader, or tend to its wounds, the next pastor may become an unintentional interim.
2. The transitional pastor can be a catalyst to help the pastor search process. The goal of an effective pastor search team is to pray, study, research and discover the leader God has prepared to lead the congregation toward a new level of obedience to Christ. No church would choose to simply hire an available person that was like their last pastor or who was not like their last pastor. That is not God’s plan. The trained interim can assist the committee, pray with them and guide them around the potholes incumbent in the process.
3. Oftentimes it takes an outsider to help identify and correct internal problems. It is part of being human to mask our personal problems and weaknesses. Churches have personalities, too. Sadly, it is not uncommon for churches to practice denial regarding staff disorders, financial irregularities, outdated governing documents, ideological divisions and immoral practices within the leadership. If unattended, these issues can perpetually percolate to the surface and hinder the work God has called the church to do.
4. Sometimes the transitional pastor can help the church ask the hard questions about ministries that no longer have a Great Commission purpose. If the new pastor inherits these problems, it may take years for him to navigate the issues before he can effectively lead. Some pastors never make it through the problems, become discouraged and resign. Then the congregation has to go back to square one in the search process.
5. In most cases the transitional pastor provides stability in the pulpit and continuity of leadership. If the church has a string of “preachers” filling in on Sundays for months, possibly years, a lack of confidence begins to emerge. Gossip and criticism spring up like weeds. This makes the task of the search team more difficult. They develop the idea that they must hurry up and make a “hire” instead of patiently waiting before the Lord to find the right man at the right time. Good leadership and consistent teaching from the Word of God calms the angst and encourages the congregation to use the transition time as an opportunity for spiritual growth.
I’ve heard it said by more than one church, “We can’t afford an interim or transitional pastor.” The reality is that over time the cost of not using the giftedness of one may be more costly to the church and its witness to the community.
God has a shepherd for every congregation that is on mission with Him. As a church, part of the journey is to walk together with the leader(s) God calls. Pray for those who lead. Pray for the pastor-less churches that they seek wisdom and understanding. Pray that those who shepherd possess bold convictional faith for these days of challenge.