As the retiring bishop of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, I have been asked to reflect on interim ministry from a bishop’s perspective ofoversight. Interim Ministry is normally defined as ministry between the times: between the times a pastor ends his or her ministry with a congregation and the time when a new pastor is called and begins his or her ministry in the new ministry setting. Intentional Interim Ministry, at least according to some definitions, is ministry required to restore a congregation to health if that congregation is in conflict or is dysfunctional or so unhealthy that it would be inappropriate, at best, or foolhardy, at least, to begin a call process for a new pastor. Normally, although not always, intentional interim pastors have special training and expertise in conflict resolution and special gifts for bringing healing to conflicted or dysfunctional situations. In either case, interim ministry is invaluable in the ongoing life of congregations and synods and we would all suffer immeasurably without interim pastors, whether intentional or not.
I regard our interim pastors as unsung heroes of the church.
- The Rev. David A. Donges, Bishop, South Carolina Synod
Through years of experience in the church we have learned that it is not usually wise for a new pastor to begin ministry the day the former pastor leaves, which is in contrast to the common secular practice of having one CEO take office the same day the former CEO leaves office. We’ve learned that it is important for the health of the congregation for there to be an interim period of at least six months and up to a year following a long pastorate. One rule of thumb is that a congregation should be in an interim status for one month for each year the former pastor had served. An extreme example I encountered was a congregation who had been served by the same pastor for thirty six years before his untimely death just weeks before his anticipated retirement. This formula would have had the congregation in an interim status for three and a half years! Normally we suggest six to nine months or until the congregation is ready to begin a formal search and call process. For very conflicted or dysfunctional situations we recommend a year or more of intentional interim ministry.
In reality, any called pastor who follows a long pastorate can easily become what some call an “unintentional interim.” This means that he or she realizes this after a couple to three years and leaves having, in effect, served as an interim pastor.
For us in South Carolina, blessed with a large cadre of retired pastors who desire to continue to serve the church, most interim appointments are made from this group. Once in a while we appoint a pastor who is on leave from call to interim ministry and occasionally bring in an intentional interim pastor from outside the synod. In any case, while the interim has the full authority of a called pastor, there are two things an interim cannot do: be available for call in that congregation or influence the call process. While the appointment of an interim is my responsibility as bishop, we work closely with congregational leadership. I would not attempt to appoint a pastor who doesn’t want to serve a particular congregation nor would I try to appoint a pastor that the congregation doesn’t want as an interim. In this endeavor as in any aspect of life in the church, working together to determine appropriate interim ministry usually serves the church very well. Interims are under direct contract with the congregation being served and the details of those contracts are worked out between the congregation and the pastor, following our suggested guidelines and advice. Normally contracts are drawn up for six months with the possibility of contracting for an additional six months or more.
I regard our interim pastors as unsung heroes of the church. Without their willingness and availability to serve, I’m not sure how we would shepherd congregations in the transitional time between called pastors.