The Role of an Interim Pastor in the Average Church
They work at Taco Bell. They shop at Kmart. They drive luxury SUVs and glide to the notes of Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories. They never forget the coffee, but sometimes forget their Bibles. Once a week they shake hands with genuine affection and love. They raise thankful voices in worship to their God and Friend. Joyfully they offer their hard earned money. They highlight the inconsistency of the building’s temperature and celebrate the beauty of their ecclesiastic tradition. They embrace those whom some refuse to touch. With incredible resilience they shovel the side walk, replace light bulbs, paint and repaint walls, rewire burned out fuses, and fix broken toilets. They call me pastor.
For me there is no greater privilege than that of being called pastor. Great is the responsibility and difficulty of a life that is lived under this title, but greater is the extreme honor to be trusted as a minister. To be sure, when one is called Christian there could be no more scandalous association. Identification with the incarnate Word is a humbling beauty. Therefore, to be commissioned to preach and teach God’s people through his Word, is truly another level–perhaps even a double honor (1 Timothy 5:17). What a beautiful burden of blessing that has graced my life in the form of being called pastor.
My role as pastor of an average church has seen me through a number of divergent seasons. Originally I was hired to pastor the youth. Since that initial appointment I have been called upon to expand my job description a number of times–from youth pastor to associate pastor to interim pastor. But they have always called me pastor. In many ways my role has remained consistent though my specific title and responsibilities have changed as much as Dennis Rodman’s hair. General purpose is never mitigated by specific divergence.
“Pastor” in English means the person in charge of a Christian church. “Pastor” in Latin means shepherd. “Tacos Al Pastor” (shepherd style) is a special kind of taco that you can order at a Mexican restaurant (it is quite delicious). If we take our cue from latin etymology (and later Scripture) a pastor’s role is much more akin to that of a simply dressed, grungy dude who watches, feeds, and protects a flock of animals rather than a BlackBerry toting, don’t have time right now, airbrushed, mysterious professional that often pillages the office like a Somalian pirate. What then is our role as this humble shepherd? More specifically we will discuss how an interim shepherd should behave (Pastor Steve has done a wonderful job outlining the general role of a pastor, I strongly encourage you to read: The Role of the Senior Pastor in the Average Church).
I know that God has called me to my particular fellowship for a season. Here in lies the complexity of interim mission and leadership. How do we create, maintain, and increase significance (both personally and corporately) at an average church when it is clear we are not called long term to a specific community? Paul instructs Timothy and Titus that a pastor (or elder) must be sober-minded, generous, able to teach, a lover of good, holy, and disciplined (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). These and other qualities are without question vital to the ministry of the interim pastor. However, I believe by viewing Jesus’ own ministry we can glean two particular disciplines that are specifically relevant for the transitional shepherd.
Jesus, like the interim minister, knew his time was limited (Matthew 26:11). His ministry as the incarnate Word of God would eventually culminate with the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. It was in this temporary ministry that Jesus demonstrated two disciplines that are helpful for every average church interim pastor–discernment and presence.
Jesus was discerning about his mission and message. In Matthew, Jesus applauds Peter’s declaration that he was indeed the Christ. (This followed a number of spoken rumors that Jesus was thought to be John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Do not be surprised when a congregation tries to make you into their favorite leader from the past. Average churches grow extremely attached to their pastors because they have many opportunities to connect with them. Pray for patience and constantly voice gracious compliments of the pastors who have come before you.) Interestingly, Jesus does not commission Peter and the disciples to immediately run to their MacBooks and blog about him being the Christ. In fact, Jesus says, tell no one. Discerning the lack of knowledge and readiness for the complete message, Jesus maintains some pause regarding his mission and message.
While shepherding a flock through an determined or indefinite amount of time we can easily be moved to rush the message and rush the mission. Many of my own downfalls as an interim pastor have been made in haste and impatience. In a rushed initiative it is easy for passion to be mistake for arrogance and insensitivity, leading to corporate stagnation and ineffectiveness. Feeding the sheep is a gradual process. Therefore transitional shepherds must patiently pursue the God-given mission and message, resting in the understanding that he who began a good work will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6).
Jesus was present with his people. A great temptation for interim pastors is to constantly keep our eyes on the horizon for other opportunities. Though thinking ahead is a virtue, living in the future is a cancer. Jesus continues to point toward the cross, but never stops touching people’s lives. Christ had an incredible focus on his present time. He connected with a needy tax collector sitting in a tree (Luke 19:5) and he noticed the touch of a woman on his garment while in the middle of a crowd (Mark 5:28-30). Though Jesus came to die, he was extremely present with people before his death (as he undoubtedly is now).
Pastoring for a season my cause us to neglect genuinely connecting with the flock. Whether for fear of future painful separation or lack of earned relationship, it will be easy to remain emotionally absent. To be present with people is to see them and love them where they are; time can not be allowed to negate healthy pastoral affection. When caring for another’s child, not being present is grounds for dismissal–the child needs attention and love. In the same way sheep need to be protected through the shepherd’s watchful attention. Regrettably when caring for another’s flock, not being present is part of the job description. Jesus exhibited no such behavior. In an average church our focused presence is a vital aspect of a healthy transition.
Significance for the average church interim pastor will be determined by his ability to watch, feed, and protect the sheep. They were the focus of Jesus ministry. They must be cared for and loved with patient perception and unmitigated attention. They call us pastor. Therefore, it is our role as interim pastors to remain present and discerning regardless of the time we are called to care for a particular congregation.
Jason C. Helveston
Interim Pastor
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