Intentional interim pastors are used by many Christian churches throughout the country to provide leadership and pastoral care in situations where churches find themselves without a lead pastor. They can provide a much-needed outside perspective to struggling churches, and allow churches to take their time in the search for their next lead pastor. A good interim pastor will also help a church address any issues they may have and help them discover what God has called them to in their next phase of ministry.
Intentional interim pastoring isn’t for just anyone. Even gifted pastors can struggle in interim situations—especially in those that involve church conflict or some sort of crisis.
VitalChurch Ministry, a nonprofit organization that sends out intentional interim pastors to struggling churches, knows all too well the challenges that face interim pastors. They know that to be an effective intentional interim pastor, it takes two things: a person needs to be called to this specialized type of ministry, and he needs to be trained.
For the past couple of years, VitalChurch Ministry has been putting on training events for those interested in interim pastor ministry. Last year’s event took place in Florida at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church headquarters. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers decided that an online training event was more appropriate for 2021.
The 2021 event will take place entirely on Zoom. It will run from Monday, May 24 to Thursday, May 27, 2021 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
What Will Be Included in the Training Event?
According to the official training event page, “…participants will discover strategies to diagnose real problems, facilitate change, resolve conflict, manage destructive powerbrokers, and deal with the idols at the root of many congregational issues.” They will also “…be exposed to a flexible and workable model of church governance, the use of transition teams, and a proven method for strategic planning.”
The training is put on by seasoned interim pastors with decades of experience in the field. There will be lectures, as well as group discussions and small-group exercises that will help participants “…deepen and broaden [their] understanding of interim ministry.”
All attendees will receive an Interim Pastor Training Manual before the start of the event, which will serve as a useful guide in future ministry work.
How Do I Sign Up for the Intentional Interim Pastor Training Event?
Attendees need not be currently working as interim pastors. They don’t even need to be pastors. The training is for anyone interested in helping struggling churches. In the past, VitalChurch training events have been attended by church elders, church staff members, as well as denominational representatives.
You can sign up online here: https://vitalchurchministry.org/2021-training
Special pricing is available through April 12, 2021.
