Specialized Interim Leadership

Ordained leadership of Episcopal congregations during the interim period between installed rectors is understood and practiced in two very different ways: by “substitute rectors” or by trained and experienced interim specialists. (The terms used for the interim period and for the relevant clergy roles can be confusing. Moreover, they are not applied consistently throughout the Episcopal Church. [Go to an attempted clarification])

Congregations using the “substitute rector” model regard the interim period as an uneventful time to be endured when initiatives and some programs are put “on hold” and the members wait patiently for the search process to identify and select a new rector.

On the other hand, congregations using the specialized interim leadership model seize upon this unique opportunity for congregation development as an exciting and formative “prime time for renewal.”

SUBSTITUTE RECTOR

A “substitute rector,” “acting rector,” or “extended supply priest” provides only the basic priestly functions to the congregation while it searches for a new rector.

With this model, any priest who happens to be available when needed regardless of training or experience can "fill in," providing a “caretaker” or “place-holder” ministry. Thus, an assistant to the previous rector, a priest between settled assignments for any reason, or a retired priest living in the area is selected to be interim rector, sometimes on a part-time basis even though the status of the previous and the future rector is full-time. Such an interim rector simply plays an accompaniment to the search process and may be regarded by a congregation as its “babysitter,” rather than as its ordained leader guiding it through a major transition in its life.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL

There may be some unusual situations where the “substitute rector” model is practical and, perhaps, even appropriate. In virtually all cases, however, the future of the congregation and its relationship with its next rector require a specially trained, experienced interim priest with congregation development skills and temperament.

The work to be done during this crucial period is too important for the position to be used as a training opportunity to be “in charge” for a priest who has served only as an assistant, as a rehabilitation time for a priest who experienced personal or professional difficulty, or as a chance for a retired priest to continue functioning while earning income that supplements a pension.

UNFAIR TO NEXT RECTOR

The major problem with the “substitute rector” model is it places the major burden for guiding the congregation through the necessary emotional process of transition from one rector to the next upon the newly-called rector who, while trying to establish a new relationship with the members, finds that they are still clinging to or grieving the loss of their relationship with the previous rector. Moreover, most clergy lack the training and experience to guide a congregation through such a transition. It unfairly forces the new rector into the role of “unintentional interim” and makes for an unfortunate and sometimes resented beginning of the new tenure.

SIMILAR TO DIVORCE

The ending of any relationship between a priest and congregation is similar to a divorce in a marriage. It does not matter if the relationship was predominantly good or bad, stormy or calm, positive or negative, effective or dysfunctional; its ending is painful. (Of course, that pain is greater if the clergy engaged in inappropriate actions that wounded the fabric of the congregation’s life.) Time and work are necessary to put the relationship and its conclusion in perspective and to move on from them before entering into a new relationship. Those who refuse to recognize this are denying a basic reality of congregation life.

COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP

Members of a congregation bond with their rector in a complex, parental-like relationship that combines spirituality, emotions, and friendship. The priest is the representative of Jesus Christ at times of crisis of all kinds, at the hospital bed, at the grave, at the baptismal font, at the altar, and at the communion rail. It is a relationship based on respect and trust that are damaged when the priest retires or resigns for whatever reason. Feelings of betrayal, abandonment, and anger are common. The loss can threaten the very identity of a congregation. It requires a time of transition. A congregation cannot change rectors as people change shoes or brands of soap.

TRANSITION IS PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESS

William Bridges in his book Managing Transitions defines any transition as “the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation.” He identified the several stages of a transition with the middle stage being “the time between the old sense of identity and the new. It is a time when the old way is gone and new doesn’t feel comfortable yet.”

INTERIM SPECIALIST

Loren B. Mead, the founder of The Alban Institute, in his book A Change of Pastors…And How It Affects Change in the Congregation (a recently revised and re-titled version of his original work Critical Moment of Ministry: A Change of Pastors) states: “The period between pastors is a time of growth and development that can lead to a much stronger congregation – if the time is taken to do the work well.” [Go to "A Change of Pastors..."]

Mead conceived the specialized ministry of the interim pastor whose job is to guide congregations through the transition, formulated the five developmental tasks that set the priorities for the work of the interim specialist, and designed the original training program for interim specialists.

More than anything else, Mead’s five developmental tasks have come to define the purposes of the interim period and the goals of the interim specialist. [Go to Developmental Tasks]

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Over time, the training programs Mead designed have become more comprehensive and are now offered by several organizations with faculty members who are experienced interim specialists dedicated to training others in their specialty. The training equips an interim specialist with the basic tools and techniques to lead a congregation through the developmental tasks. Experience serving as an interim priest for multiple congregations tempers the training and enables the specialists to develop their own approaches and designs. Additional continuing education in congregation development and leadership, in academic (including advanced degrees) and other settings, greatly enhances the skills of the interim specialist.

DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS SIMULTANEOUS WITH SEARCH

In a healthy and effectively functioning congregation, where the departure of the previous rector, while disappointing for most, was widely understood and accepted as timely and appropriate, sufficient progress on the developmental tasks can be achieved simultaneously and on a parallel track with the search process for a new rector – in roughly 15 to 24 months.

WHEN TO DELAY SEARCH

In certain circumstances, the search process should not be initiated until significant progress has been made on the most crucial of the developmental tasks. These circumstances include:

· The intervention by the Bishop to dissolve, formally or informally, the relationship between the previous rector and the congregation.

· Mutually unmet expectations or general dissatisfaction by the congregation, perhaps after a relatively short tenure, with the recent clergy relationship(s),

· Serious conflict within the congregation, perhaps with the previous rector aligned with one faction.

· The unusually long tenure of the previous rector.

· Inappropriate conduct by the previous rector.

‘WILD CARD’ SITUATIONS

In addition to the circumstances related to the recent ordained leadership of the congregation and addressed generally by the developmental tasks, some “wild card” situations also warrant a delay in starting the search process for a new rector. These are basic organizational or structural issues that should be addressed first because their outcome will have direct bearing on the nature and scope of the search.

For example, so-called “yoked congregations” (otherwise independent congregations sharing one rector) will want to consider whether to continue their yoked relationship before a search begins and while there is no tenured rector in place. Similarly, a congregation with serious financial issues will be wise to address them before starting the search for a new rector it may not be able to afford.

These and other wild card situations are incorporated with the five developmental tasks in the overall developmental agenda for the congregation before initiating the search process for a new rector.

PRIORITY ON DEVELOPMENT

This “head start” given to the developmental agenda (whose time frame cannot be predicted with certainty) over the search process (whose time frame is fairly predictable) will vary depending on the circumstances of the congregation and could range from a minimum of six months to several years.

However, once the search process begins, it becomes the engine driving the interim period and the congregation’s commitment to the developmental tasks diminishes. If initiated too soon, essential progress on the developmental tasks may not be possible before the call is issued to a new rector. Alternatively, when a congregation is deliberate about accomplishing the developmental work before the search, its vestry with the guidance of an interim specialist will be able to assess when sufficient progress has been made and when the “time is right” for the search to begin while work continues on the developmental agenda.

LONG VIEW OF THE TRANSITION

In reality, the transition process covers a period much longer than the time the interim priest is in place in the congregation. It begins when the previous rector first starts planning for retirement or to seek a new position. Even though these plans are usually private, the rector begins at that point to disengage from the congregation and the members often sense it. The transition does not completely end until the new rector has fully settled into the new position, the “honeymoon” has concluded, and the rector and lay leadership have come through a significant disagreement successfully. Some congregation development experts urge the appointment of a consultant who works with the congregation for as much as possible of this entire time, bridging the tenure of the interim pastor.

‘TINCTURE OF TIME’

The simple passage of time – what some have called the “tincture of time” applied to the wound of any loss – is part of the transition. Time alone, however, will not accomplish the developmental tasks; they do not “just happen” automatically. They require an intentional commitment by the congregation and the guidance of a trained and experienced interim specialist.

UPSET OVER CHANGE

Because a transition period inevitably involves change, some people mistakenly think that the primary job of the interim priest is to upset the members of the congregation by changing its ways of doing things and its programs, making changes solely for the sake of change.

Trained and experienced interim specialists know that change must be targeted for definite purposes, such as helping a congregation experience practices that are standard in the Episcopal Church or the Diocese but that have not been implemented in that congregation or to show alternative ways of doing ordained ministry than those that were favored by the previous rector. It is a time to experiment and try new things, sampling different paradigms of leadership, spirituality, congregation life, and organization for ministry. This creates a climate of flexibility, recognizing that the next rector will have different favored ways as well.

Nevertheless, change is difficult for most people. Appropriate and necessary changes implemented gradually at the rate of five mile per hour may feel to many in the congregation as exceeding the speed limit.

DIFFICULT REALITIES

In addition to change, congregations sometimes experience upset during the interim period because harsh, unpleasant realities come into the light. There are many examples of such realities including financial irregularities, misconduct, decline in membership, conflict, deferred maintenance, deficit financing, and paradigms of congregation life that are appropriate to another time.

The interim specialist, coming into the congregation with fresh eyes, experience leading other congregations, and awareness of currently standard congregational practices, is often the one who exposes these realities in the course of work on the developmental tasks. In a sense, the interim priest is similar to the child in the fairy tale who declares that the emperor’s new clothing does not exist. The interim specialist may be accused of “rocking the boat” by disturbing the status quo that allowed such realities to remain hidden and by casting a negative light on the tenure of the previous rector who did not address them.

SMOKE SCREEN FOR ANXIETY

The trained and experienced interim specialist knows that upset about changes made during the interim period or about the exposure of difficult realities may also be a smoke screen at a deeper emotional level for anger about the change that created the interim period itself.

The end of the relationship with the previous rector can trigger discomfort about unfinished business with that rector or with previous rectors. There are understandable feelings of anxiety about the future of the congregation and its ordained leadership. After all, the consistency of priestly leadership of worship, the dependability of pastoral care in moments of crisis, the steady administration of the congregation, and the familiar face and voice at congregation functions are gone all at once.

LIGHTNING ROD

The interim priest is often the lightning rod for these feelings. Members may transfer to the interim pastor their anger toward the previous rector for leaving or for some other cause. They may blame the interim specialist that work on the five developmental tasks brings up matters they would prefer to deny or avoid. As a result, it is not unusual for congregations to complain about their interim priests during and following the interim period.

Nevertheless, the trained and experienced interim specialist knows that such complaints and resistance to change are often the tip of the iceberg of much deeper and more serious emotions.

PRESENCE AND RELATIONSHIP

Accordingly, the fundamentals for the work of the interim specialist are establishing presence and relationship with the members of the congregation and placing a high priority on listening to their thoughts and feelings.

The interim specialist quickly communicates by presence and relationship that a capable, caring priest is in charge of the congregation, although not indefinitely. The interim specialist also is available to listen to the members of the congregation describe how they perceive the congregation and this transition in their ordained leadership.

SPIRITUAL CONTEXT

A trained and experienced interim specialist places the process of transition in ordained leadership and the work on the developmental tasks in a spiritual context. The entire experience is grounded in prayer and bible study. Through teaching and preaching the interim specialist helps the members identify and depend upon the presence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit leading the congregation into its new and different future. In truth, the transition is a time for the spiritual renewal of the congregation.

2/19/2008