Top ten questions that churches just beginning a pastoral transition should consider
We’re in a time when many pastoral departures are imminent. Some clergy were on the brink of retiring or searching for a new call when the pandemic began. Not wanting to leave their churches in the lurch, they decided to hang on for a while longer, not realizing the pandemic would go on for nearly a year now. Others were already actively looking for a new place to serve and hit pause on their searches for the same reason. Then there are those ministers who were happily serving when the pandemic hit. Maybe conflict started or deepened in their churches over the challenges of the past months. Maybe they don’t want to pastor in the ways that the pandemic has required, some of which will carry forward afterward. Or perhaps they simply - understandably - want to protect their own health and that of their loved ones.
In short, many churches are looking down the barrel at a time of leadership transition.
If your settled pastor is thinking about leaving or has just departed, here are ten questions to guide your congregation into the early stages of the between-time:
How do you bring healthy closure to your departing pastor's tenure?
What are the primary pastoral tasks that need to be picked up by others?
What are the opportunities and challenges presented by the time between settled pastors?
What does your church need to figure out about its identity, direction, and pastoral needs before starting a pastor search?
Keeping responses to all of the above in mind, what kind of leadership does your church need in the transition time?
How might your church approach the search as a means of spiritual formation?
What are the qualities needed in pastor search team members?
How can your pastor search team members deepen their relationships with one another and their mutual trust with the church as a whole?
What resources does your pastor search team need to conduct its process well?
How can your church come alongside the pastor search team in its work?
If your church or pastor search team needs more resources, check out Searching for the Called. You can download the manual here, and an online course is coming next week.