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