PASTORAL & CHURCH
TRANSITION
IN METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY CHURCHES
Pastoral & Church Transition
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SOME LESSONS LEARNED IN 40 YEARS
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Lay leaders and members love their church.
Everyone wants the best for the church.
Each person knows what is best.
Conflict increases during a pastoral vacancy.
Attendance drops during a pastoral vacancy.
Offerings go down during a pastoral vacancy.
Lay people who “share the pastor’s duties” during
the pastoral vacancy usually leave the church
within a year after the new Pastor is elected.
New Pastor often must leave within 2-4 years after
having been elected.
Pastoral & Church Transition
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CHURCHES DID NOT CALL FORTH WHAT
THEY NEEDED IN THE “RIGHT” PASTOR
 Church moved too quickly to calling a
Pastor due to fear
 Church did not understand its past or
current realities
 Church was not unified in its direction for
the future
 Church did not know what pastoral skills
would be most appropriate to lead the
church into the future
Pastoral & Church Transition
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PASTORS DID NOT FIND WHAT THEY
WERE LOOKING FOR IN A CHURCH
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A church that is unified in its vision and clear about
its purpose
A church that is growing or has the desire to grow
A church that is spiritually mature whose members
are growing in spiritual depth
A church that focuses more on its mission than on
its “drama”
A church whose members demonstrate a
willingness to work cooperatively with one another
over time to achieve all that God would have the
church to do!
A living wage
Pastoral & Church Transition
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The Tasks of Transition
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Maintain forward movement in the church’s ministry
Manage the human dynamics
Come to terms with our history and understanding
of our current realities
Build a clear sense of identity and purpose that is
widely shared and owned.
Build commitment for new directions in ministry.
Pastoral & Church Transition
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1. MAINTAIN FORWARD MOVEMENT
Continue offering quality worship
 Continue providing care for one another
 Continue providing care for others
 Continue tearing down walls of
exclusion and injustice while building up
hope for reconciliation and peace
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Pastoral & Church Transition
2. MANAGE THE HUMAN DYNAMICS
OF TRANSITION
 The Dynamic of Grief
 The Dynamic of Fear
 The Dynamic of Control
 The Dynamic of Hope
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Pastoral & Church Transition
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3. COME TO TERMS WITH OUR
HISTORY AND UNDERSTANDING
OUR CURRENT REALITIES
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Facilitate a process of conflict
identification, mediation, and
management related to the relationships
with the previous Pastors.
Pastoral & Church Transition
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Conduct an organizational analysis and needs
assessment to determine the internal and
external factors that could contribute to the
successful future of the church.
 Surveys
/ Interviews of congregants
 Review church documents, processes
and systems, risk management audit
 Financial health assessment
 Demographic analysis
 Assessment of forces and trends that
impact the success of the church’s
ministry
Pastoral & Church Transition
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4. LEAD THE CONGREGATION
THROUGH A SERIES OF EVENTS TO
HELP BUILD A CLEAR SENSE OF
IDENTITY AND PURPOSE THAT IS
WIDELY SHARED AND OWNED.
Dialogue and consideration of the purpose of
THIS church.
 Explore and experience various dimensions of
congregational identity and purpose.
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Pastoral & Church Transition
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5. BUILD COMMITMENT FOR NEW
DIRECTIONS IN MINISTRY
Select the Pastoral Search Committee
 Agree on the Pastoral Search Process
 Conduct congregational surveys and forums
 Recruit the candidate
 Announce the candidate
 Candidate visits the city and church
 Congregation votes on the candidate
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Pastoral & Church Transition
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The Tasks of Transition
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Maintain forward movement in the church’s ministry
Manage the human dynamics
Come to terms with our history and understanding
of our current realities
Lead the congregation through a series of events to
help build a clear sense of identity and purpose that
is widely shared and owned.
Build commitment for new directions in ministry.
Pastoral & Church Transition
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TIMELINE: 12-18 months (on average)
4-6 months – Coming to terms with our
history and understanding our current
realities
 4-6 months – Creating a clear sense of
identity and purpose that is widely shared
and owned.
 6 months – Building commitments for new
directions in ministry (Pastoral Search
process)
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Transition Partners
Local Church
Interim
Pastor
MCC
Pastoral & Church Transition
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The Intentional Interim Pastor
 Long-term: 12-24 months
 Is an interventionist, not merely the worship
leader
 Facilitates the transition process
 Is highly experienced with particular skills
 Is appointed by the Office of Church Life
and Health, in consultation with the local
Board
Pastoral & Church Transition
The Pastor is a duly ordained clergy person
who has been licensed to practice. Though
there are a variety of pastoral roles, in a local
congregation the Pastor is elected to be
responsible for the duties of teacher, preacher,
and spiritual leader … All UFMCC churches
are led by Pastors or Interim Pastoral Leaders.
(MCC Bylaw V.B.4)
Transition: Roles and
Responsibilities
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The Board of Directors assures continuity of
leadership, administrative policy, and legal and
fiscal viability
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Continues all of its routine fiduciary functions.
Works with the Office of Church Life and Health to
assure sufficient interim pastoral leadership,
including a clear job description and contract
Assures the continuing financial vitality of the
church
Addresses the additional financial needs of
transition
Transition: Roles and
Responsibilities
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The Church Staff (compensated and volunteer)
assures the continuity of congregational life and
ministries, including administration of the church..
 Continues in their respective individual ministry
roles and responsibilities under the supervision of
the Interim Pastor.
 Provides spiritual leadership as examples of
faithfulness to the mission, vision, and core values
of the church.
 Facilitates intercessory prayer for the members of
the Pastoral Search Committee, prospective
candidates, and others with roles and
responsibilities throughout the transition process.
Transition: Roles and
Responsibilities
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The Office of Church Life and Health
provides guidance, support, and direction in
the overall process of transition.
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Appoints the Interim Pastor, in consultation with the
Board.
Consults with and coaches the Board, Pastoral
Search Committee, and Interim Pastor throughout
the transition process.
Consults with the Pastoral Search Committee
regarding prospective candidates for Pastor.
Transition: Roles and
Responsibilities
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The Pastoral Search Committee presents a qualified
candidate to the congregation for election as Pastor at
a Congregational Meeting.
 Determines how it will approach the task
 Creates and adopts a process and timeline to
complete its work
 Develops guiding policies, in writing, for how the
committee will work together
 Develops and implements a plan for engaging the
congregation in the process and communicating
with the congregation
 Consults with OCLH staff throughout the process
Composition of the
Pastoral Search Committee
7 Members of the Pastoral Search
Committee
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3 Members of the Board
4 Members elected by a Congregational
Meeting
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
1.
All discussion and deliberation occurs
when the PSC is meeting together
either face-to-face or electronically
(telephone conference call or Internet
conference).
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
2. Members of the PSC do not discuss
PSC matters between themselves or in
small groups of members of the
Pastoral Search Committee.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
3. Members of the PSC do not discuss
PSC matters through e-mail.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
4. Members of the Board of Directors do
not discuss matters related to the PSC
when the Board is meeting either in
open or executive sessions.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
5. The entire PSC selects the Chair of the
PSC.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
6. The Chair will guide the process, serve
as the representative of and
spokesperson for the Pastoral Search
Committee, and assure transparency
of process while maintaining
appropriate confidentiality of content.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
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TRANSPARENCY OF PROCESS
means that the congregation has a
right to know what the process is, how
to participate in the process, and what
progress is being made in the process.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
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CONFIDENTIALITY OF CONTENT
means that the congregation may not
know who has applied for the position,
the number of applications that have
been received, the opinion held by the
PSC or any PSC member regarding
any applicant, or any other information
regarding any of the applicants.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
7. The Chair should be the one to initiate
and receive communication from the
congregation regarding matters of the
PSC and its process.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
8. The Chair should be the one to initiate
and receive communication with
prospective candidates for the office of
Pastor.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
9. The Chair should be the primary
contact between the OCLH staff and
the PSC.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
10. All deliberations of the PSC are strictly
confidential. Members of the PSC
should not disclose the discussions,
deliberations, or processes of the PSC
with anyone outside the committee,
except the OCLH staff and any others
as jointly determined by the OCLH staff
and Chair.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
11. The members of the PSC will hold one
another accountable for such
confidentiality and will remove from the
PSC any member who breaches this
confidentiality.
Pastoral Search
Process Guidelines
12.
The PSC will develop a budget for its
work and submit the budget to the
Board of Directors for approval.
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Postage and printing
Conference calls for interviews
Long-distance calls
Background checks
Candidating Week (transportation,
housing, food, etc. for the Candidate and
his/her partner)
Pastoral Transition
Might your church want to choose to have
an Interim Pastor?
An intentional interim pastorate?
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** YES **
Office of Church Life and
Health would begin
recruitment right away.
Interim candidate would
visit for a weekend.
Board would advise the
OCLH staff if the candidate
is acceptable to the
church.
Interim Pastor would guide
the transition process and
provide leadership for the
church.
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** NO **
Volunteers would take on
additional responsibilities
for up to two years.
The PSC would
immediately begin its work,
based only upon results
from congregational
surveys.
Congregational Meeting
elects a candidate.
Repeat the process in a
very few years.