Last week, I was at the second Presbytery meeting of Salem Presbytery. As a fairly new member to the Presbytery, my Presbytery meetings are stilled fill with meeting many people who are new to me -- new colleagues, new elders, new ministries, new restaurants, etc. This meeting was not an exception. I am very lucky in Salem Presbytery that I have many old friends who are great at introducing me, so I 'm not the girl who just go braces at the middle school dance.
One of these introductions, led me to to the most dreaded question I face as an interim ministry-- the question that makes me want to body slam someone like the Rock used to do before he became the Tooth Fairy -- "So, once your done at Trinity (as the interim) are you going to be looking for a "real" call?" Meaning....."Don't you want to be installed?"......."Only people who cannot find installed called are interims?"....."What's wrong with you that you don't have an installed call?"
Luckily, I every now and again, I find that my internal filter does work and I do not respond to that question with complete honesty nor to I resort to physical violence.
I simply responded with, "My real call is to interim ministry and I do not plan to ever have an installed call again." (Knowing that God always have plans that are different as mine, so I have no doubt that at some point, I will be in an installed call again because that is the last thing I want).
It was that question and the hundred of other questions I have received since 2008 when I first felt the call to transition/interim ministry, that led me to starting this call.
The Presbyterian Church USA has made huge strides in realizing the importance of interim ministry over the past to 10-15 years, however most pastors and many Presbyteries still do not have any real understanding of the importance of this ministry. They do not understand how a successful interim sets-up an installed pastor for a successful installed ministry. They do not see that an interim minister is not just a place holder. They do not comprehend how a single, female minister, who is in the 6% of PCUSA ministers under the age of 40 would choose to go intentional choose a ministry that is only "short-term." I sometimes ask myself the same question as I sit around the table with my "colleagues" in interim ministry-- who's hair is all white (if they have hair) and who chromosomes are different than mine. They do not have any idea what goes into a successful transition.
So, I decided to start this blog. A blog that will give my colleagues a little insight into what I do in my "real" call. A blog that hopefully will help other interims in their call and their process. A blog that can be used in any church that finds itself looking for a new pastor. A blog that will help the Presbytery and pastors around the PCUSA do more than just give lip service to "intentional interims."
I have a good list of ideas for post over the next few weeks, but after that it may be a bit hit or miss. I hope that you will share this blog with your friends who participate in ministry -- whether it is the ministry in the pew or it is the ministry in the pulpit. My only hope is that in the end, the PCUSA churches will be enriched by the understanding of the on the ground work of the interim minister.
