And after the church finds their next pastor, find another church and do it all again! My goal with this post is not to convince you to become an Interim Pastor but to remind you of a critical ministry role that is often overlooked.īut if God is calling you to serve Him in this way, serve Him with all your heart. Is God calling you to be an Interim Pastor? Maybe He’s leading you to train the next generation of pastors and missionaries in higher education.Īll of these are worthy endeavors, and all are most certainly needed.īut may I challenge you to prayerfully consider if God might be calling you to serve as a modern-day Titus? To help those sheep without a shepherd in their most desperate hour? To guide them to honor the Lord and keep serving Him? To put what remains into order as they wait for their next pastor? Perhaps He’s calling you to plant a new church or replant a dying church. Maybe the Lord is calling you to the mission field. ![]() Perhaps your gifts and passions are a great fit for an Associate Pastor role. God might be calling you to serve as a Lead Pastor. ![]() If you sense a call to ministry leadership, you certainly have many options. We need an army of Interim Pastors to help navigate churches through the uncertain waters of transition. With an estimated 35,000 churches in America without pastors at any given time, there’s an urgent need for the ministry of Titus today. Just like the ministry of Interim Pastors today. Titus’ ministry in Crete was temporary, but it was essential for the spiritual health and development of these churches. Essentially, Titus served in the role that we now know as the Interim Pastor. His role was to help these new churches get organized and prepare for the day in the not-so-distant future when local elders would be identified and appointed to serve. Paul planted the churches in Crete, but he wasn’t going to be their long-term pastor. So, Paul gave Titus an assignment in Titus 1:5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” However, there were no pastors or elders to shepherd these flocks. Prior to writing his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul had completed a journey to the island of Crete, which resulted in the starting of multiple new churches. The New Testament’s Interim PastorĪlthough the Interim Pastor role is often overlooked as a viable ministry option, it is biblical. As my friend Tony Wolfe wrote, “Sheep without a shepherd have a tendency to wander, to bite, and to lose focus.”Ĭhurches in transition need help. Unfortunately, many of these congregations face this season without clear guidance and suffer the consequences. In my Southern Baptist denomination, the number is around 4,750.Īnd every single church stands at a critical crossroads during the interim season. With an estimated 350,000 churches in America, that would mean that 35,000 churches are without pastors at any given time. Still, a conservative estimate would be around 10%. At other times, the percentage may be lower. For example, the percentage has hovered around 25% for the past few years in my local association. At times, this percentage is even higher. In my experience, approximately 10% of churches are without a pastor at any given moment. While the demand for associational leaders is relatively low and specific to my denomination, the need for God-called, biblically-qualified men to assist churches in transition is significantly higher. The second was the role of the Interim Pastor. The first was the role I have served for the past nine years – the ministry of the local associational leader (using any of its various titles). ![]() However, a couple of roles were never mentioned as potential ministry paths during my seminary education. In fact, we need more laborers serving in each of these ways, not less. Let me say that all these potential ministry roles are vital for advancing God’s kingdom. Some would pursue church planting or replanting. Others felt called to the mission field or to teach theology in higher education. Some were trained to become an Associate Pastor (Worship Pastor, Student Pastor, Small Groups Pastor, etc.). The Preaching Pastor was obviously the path that most seminary graduates would take. In seminary, I was encouraged to consider many different potential ministry paths.
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