Churches come in many different sizes and styles—there are large contemporary churches and small traditional churches, and everything in between. One thing that all churches have in common (besides, hopefully, teaching from the Bible), is that they will go through some sort of transition at one time or another.
What Are Some Examples of a Church Transition?
A church transition could refer to any number of situations. Most often, a church transition occurs when there is a change in leadership—with one lead pastor leaving and a new one coming in. When a church has been led by the same pastor for many years, this type of transition can be very unsettling for many in the congregation and on staff. Or if a church changes pastors with some regularity, the church may have trouble finding its footing. How the church handles a pastoral change can be key for the future of the church.
Another type of transition could be when a church has seen many years of steady decline and decides to make an intentional shift. There can be significant resistance to this type of change, even if everyone acknowledges that change is needed. Still another form of transition happens when a church chooses to break away from a denomination they’ve long been a part of.
Training Pastors to Navigate Difficult Church Transitions
Transitions are never easy. Most people don’t like change and may even actively fight it. This makes it extremely important for churches to have someone in house who is equipped to guide the church through the transition.
VitalChurch Ministry, a Christian nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping churches through transitions, has put together an online training seminar to teach pastors and other church leaders how to navigate difficult circumstances, such as those mentioned above. VitalChurch Ministry is made up of a team of interim pastors who serve in churches throughout the country that are going through times of transition or crisis. Through their training seminar, which will be held February 13-16, 2023, they hope to equip other church leaders by providing them with the tools necessary to guide a church through a transition.
While the seminar is billed as training for intentional interim pastors, the organizers point out that it is also useful for denomination leaders and anyone else interested in helping churches navigate change. The training covers topics such as diagnosing problems, resolving conflict, managing destructive powerbrokers, and dealing with idols—issues that just about any church could use help with at one time or another.
The intentional interim pastor training will take place online (through Zoom), but it should be noted that the seminar is intended to be very interactive. Participants will have many opportunities to talk and network with one another, as well as with the presenters—many of whom have decades of experience in transitional ministry. There will be formal information sessions, individual and small-group exercises, group discussions, and question-and-answer times throughout the four-day seminar. Attendees will also receive various resources produced by VitalChurch Ministry, including their Interim Pastor Training Manual.
Registration for the 2023 online seminar is now open, with early-bird pricing until January 13, 2023. Even though it’s an online seminar, VitalChurch Ministry is limiting the number of people who can register, in order to allow for productive networking opportunities among the participants.
To learn more about the 2023 Intentional Interim Training seminar, you can visit the VitalChurch Ministry website: https://vitalchurchministry.org/product/iip-training
