Douglas Clark Interim Pastor and Teacher

Douglas Clark Interim Pastor and Teacher

In his book A Change of Pastors…And How It Affects Change in the Congregation, Loren Mead uses the phrase “trajectory of ministry” to portray how the relationship between a pastor and a congregation grows and changes over time. The trajectory of ministry during what we call a “settled pastorate” is understandably different from the trajectory of ministry that happens during an interim pastorate.

Here are a few of the topics that come up during this time in a church’s life:

  • Common attitudes toward the interim time
  • The interim pastor as “temporary shepherd
  • The stages of the interim season
  • The tasks of the interim season
  • The search and callprocess
  • Looking at congregational culture
  • The role of spirituality
  • The role of ethnicity
  • The role of context (social, historical, geographic)
  • Theological questions