Interim Pastoral Skills as a Resource for Library Leadership Transitions

David E. Cox, a veteran pastoral minister specializing in interim ministry and who is now a library leader, and Carisse M. Berryhill, a library science professor, explore how skills used by interim pastors can be applied by interim leaders or new directors to successfully lead libraries making the transition to new leadership. Cox recommends using a system-based strategy that moves through five steps: coming to terms with history, discovering a new identity, allowing for needed leadership change, reaffirming community with stakeholders, and commitment to new directions in programs and services.

Interim Ministry: God's New Calling is Changing the Life of Baptist Congregations

No longer does the interim period between pastors need to be a lull or a valley. Now trained interim pastors can lead a church to prepare for its future. Daehnert describes this exciting new ministry from his thirty-three years of experience in ministry. In addition to traditional interim ministry, a new program called Intentional Interim Minsitry has emerged. Intentional Interim Ministers are trained and experienced to lead congregations to use the interim to reflect on its history, to examine its organizational structure and leadership, and to redefine its purpose and vision. In this manner, rather than “down” time, the interim period can enable the laity to plan for and prepare for the arrival of a new pastor.

When Congregations Grieve

All life is interim. Moseley speaks from his personal experience of grief when he lost his wife of 31 years. Using his own grief and recovery as his model, he draws parallels for churches and interim pastors to use in dealing with the church's grief over losing a pastor. Whether the former pastor was deeply loved or left under engative circumstances, there is still a sense of loss and grief. Congregations may experience anger or fear of building a relationship with a new pastor. One key to working through grief is remembering the past and looking to the future based on the realization of God's presence in the present—God with us.

The Future of Intentional Interim Ministry

The interim period is a time of change, transition anad transformation. A new approach to interim ministry has been developed over the past 30 years, Intentional Interim Ministry. Intentional Interim Ministers are required to undergo training prior to being certified and evaluation after serving as an interim pastor. The future of Intentional Interim Ministry appears bright as more churches seek to be intentional during an interim, and as more Intentional Interim Pastors are trained and certified.