Coaching For Interims

Creating a clear, simple statement of mission or purpose for a congregation is no easy feat, and the envy of every pastor I know is that their parishioners embrace it so well that they can share it by heart in their own words in a variety of situations.

In this episode titled, “How We Developed a Communication Plan to Clarify Our Congregation’s Mission,” small church pastor Rev. Tom Hathaway shares how they discovered three deeply ...

Multigenerational thriving is the dream of every pastor for their congregation. And yet, it doesn’t happen simply by bringing people together. Rather, it results from having evolved a good strategy through careful listening and negotiating the needs and interests of people in their various stages of life.

In this episode titled, “Building Multigenerational Community: How We Found the Balance,” part 2 of the multigen series with Rev...

Many pastors say that multigenerational worship is important, yet admit that finding a healthy balance between togetherness and separateness is elusive. In this episode titled, “Multigenerational Worship: How We Found the Balance, and What It Looks Like,” Rev. Allison Palm and Sadie Kahn-Green of the Unitarian Universality Church in Nashua, NH, share their journey of innovation and discovery to finding a format that works well for ...

As fewer congregations are able to afford a full-time trained Interim Minister, working with an Interim Consultant on a part-time basis is proving to be an effective way that congregations in transition can have access to the change leadership skills and knowledge so valuable during such times. In this second of two podcasts about the emerging role of the Interim Consultant, Rev. Dr. Ruth Shaver shares from her direct experience se...

Increasingly, congregations find themselves in a transition period – often when a pastor has left – and struggling to find someone with the change leadership skills and knowledge who can help them move forward. This is particularly true for congregations with diminishing resources. Trained Interim Ministers are in short supply and are often already working elsewhere. To this need, a new role is emerging, that of the Interim Consult...

Talented pastors know that a vision is essential to the congregation’s vitality. They also know that ownership of the vision by the people in the congregation is necessary for it to be effective. And yet, it’s not always clear whether the people own the vision, or if it’s really the pastor’s vision and the people are accepting it because they want to make the pastor happy. In this episode titled, “A Vision-Is It the Congregation’s ...

Transitional ministry has many of the tasks of settled ministry, but with more urgency, especially if the congregation is anxious. This can lead the transitional minister over functioning by doing things the congregation can do themselves. And yet, effective transitional ministry that leaves the congregation in a healthier place, requires that the congregation have ownership for ministries past and present, as well as new ideas. In...

For a pastor who admits having been burned out early in ministry, embracing the bonfire metaphor for her ministry now seems dicey. Yet, Rev. Liz Miller offers this bonfire metaphor to describe a vibrant new stance and perspective for her ministry where she’s close to the heat of things, but no longer consumed by it; paying full attention, yet not holding tightly to particular outcomes. Listen to her lessons learned and new wisdom i...

Many pastors give a lot to their ministries – much of their life and identity – in their efforts to be a “good pastor.” It works well…until it doesn’t. But then what? In this episode, Rev. Liz Miller speaks to what she discovered after experiencing severe burnout – what she calls “laidback” ministry. It’s a peak into her recent insightful book title, “Only Work Sundays: A Laidback Guide to Doing Less While Helping Your Church Thriv...

An important part of the work of an intentional interim minister entering a congregation is to assess its health.  In this episode, “Guidance for an Incoming Interim Minister: Assessing the Long-term Health Prospects of a Congregation from the Legacy Perspective” Legacy Church Specialist, Charlie Kuchenbrod, offers helpful parallels with what we’d look for in people: Are there acute life-threatening illnesses? Chronic illnesses? To...

Every local church congregation, like the people who comprise it, has a natural life cycle. Some last longer than others, but they all pass through the same stages – formation, adolescence, adulthood and completion. And just like many individual humans, congregations often struggle to come to terms with the end of their natural life. Consequently, people are unfairly burdened, precious resources are wasted, and opportunities for ce...

Congregations, like people, have natural lifecycles, and when they forget this by presuming their local church will last forever, it doesn’t turn out well. People are unfairly burdened, precious resources are wasted, and opportunities for celebration and recognition of faithful ministry are missed. In this episode, Legacy Church Specialist, Charlie Kuchenbrod, shares from his depth experience with congregations facing the likely en...

When congregations get to that point where even a half-time pastor is no longer sustainable, is there any hope? Yes! Actually, there is a lot of hope! But it first requires letting go of being preoccupied with the dream of returning to how things were – the glory days. Once they do that, everything changes and hope and positivity can return. Now they can move forward in a way that's both faithful to the ministry that they have had,...

As an Interim Minister, have you ever wondered about the rest of the story? You know – feedback about the impact of your ministry on the congregation after you left? In this episode, settled ELCA pastor, Rev. Heidi Johnston, expresses her gratitude to the Intentional Interim Minister who preceded her, including specifics of how the IM set her up for success.

Particular things the IM did to set me up for success –

• The IM express...

Have you found your church caught in a pattern where worship is seen as a show performed by the pastor with the congregation being the audience? If so, you have a lot of company. The good news, however, is that worship services can be created that have that added spiritual crackle and energy that often results when more people are involved in leading worship. In this episode, Rev. Anna Tew shares some specifics of how her congregat...

As a pastor, having a part-time secular job on the side can bring added joy and satisfaction to your life. It can also provide an economic buffer in a changing church world. But where to start looking? What skills does a pastor have that would be valued in a secular job? In this episode, ELCA pastor Rev. Anna Tew tells how she came into a part-time coaching job at her CrossFit gym that is blessing her, and them, on multiple fronts!

As pastor, does it sometimes feel like everyone in the congregation is your boss? Are you struggling to get back more time for yourself and feeling pretty exhausted? If so, you are not alone. Listen here as Rev. Anna Tew tells how she recovered from such a place by using the flexibility of pastoral ministry to her advantage.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe t...

Does your church have more property than it needs? Is much of your building unused most of the time? If so, you have lots of company! Many churches have significant real estate that’s fallow – unused – and yet they continue to pay for its upkeep. Of course, no one likes this situation or planned for this reality, yet churches often have difficulty moving forward. Put differently, churches often struggle to incorporate their propert...

The word “community” is used a lot when talking about church life, yet it’s often a vague notion. But if we frame it as a spiritual discipline – that is, creating community as a spiritual disciple – we get much more traction: What does it mean to be a community now? What does it mean to create community as a Jesus follower? What does it mean to be a Jesus follower in this congregation? At this time and in this neighborhood? How do ...