Interim Pastor

Full-Time Interim Pastor

The Full-Time Interim Pastor will provide spiritual leadership, organizational guidance, and pastoral support during a critical season of transition. This leader will help assess the church's long-term viability and determine the best future pathway for the congregation.

This role requires a leader who can balance preaching, strategic leadership, pastoral care, and organizational transition work.

Review Timeline

3-Month Review

• The Elder Board will conduct a formal review of progress, including a clear recommendation on the church's long-term direction.

6-Month Review

• The Elder Board will conduct a second formal review, assessing progress on implementation of the chosen direction, organizational needs, and alignment with the Interim Pastor's leadership.

Beyond 6 Months

• Continuation of the engagement will be based on mutual agreement between the Elder Board and Interim Pastor, with ongoing 3-month review checkpoints, for as long as needed to ensure a healthy transition.

This structure allows both the church and the Interim Pastor to remain aligned and intentional at each stage while giving the church flexibility to extend the engagement as needs evolve.

Initial Assessment

During the initial assessment phase, the Interim Pastor will lead an intentional process to determine the church's best path forward, which may include:

• Hiring a permanent Lead Pastor

• Pursuing a partnership or affiliation with another church or ministry

• Exploring a merger

• Pursuing another viable path identified through the assessment process

Once a direction is chosen, the Interim Pastor will help implement it by leading the church through the early stages of execution, creating momentum and stability for the future.

Key Responsibilities

1. Transitional Leadership & Strategic Assessment

Assessment Phase

• Evaluate the church's current health, sustainability, attendance trends, finances, volunteer capacity, and ministry effectiveness.

• Assess long-term pastoral staffing needs.

• Work with leadership to evaluate opportunities, including partnership conversations, mergers, or any other viable path.

• Provide a recommendation to leadership regarding the best path forward for the church.

Implementation Phase

• Help execute the chosen direction.

• Support pastoral search efforts if hiring a Lead Pastor, or help facilitate the necessary steps for whatever path is chosen.

• Maintain organizational clarity and healthy momentum throughout implementation.

2. Preaching & Worship Leadership

• Preach approximately 2 times per month.

• Prepare and deliver sermons.

• Coordinate the preaching schedule for remaining Sundays.

• Recruit and communicate with guest speakers or internal teaching team members.

• Ensure consistent Sunday teaching coverage.

3. Leadership Advising

• Serve as primary advisor to the Elder Board and church staff.

• Attend Elder Board meetings.

• Attend staff meetings.

• Provide strategic counsel to church leadership.

• Help leaders make healthy, mission-focused decisions during transition.

4. Pastoral Care & Congregational Engagement

• Provide pastoral care to church members.

• Meet with members for prayer, counseling, and support.

• Visit individuals and families during times of crisis or need.

• Foster unity during a potentially uncertain season.

• Maintain visibility and trust within the congregation.

Desired Qualifications

• Previous pastoral leadership experience.

• Experience serving in transitional or interim leadership roles preferred.

• Strong strategic thinking and organizational leadership abilities.

• Strong preaching and communication skills.

• Ability to lead through change and uncertainty.

• Relationally warm, emotionally mature, and collaborative.

• Alignment with the church's mission, theology, and values.

Success Metrics

Over the course of the engagement, the Interim Pastor should help the church achieve:

• A clear recommendation on future direction following the assessment phase.

• A decision made regarding the path forward.

• Initial execution of the chosen path underway.

• Continued congregational health and stability.

• Strong leadership alignment during transition.