Bessemer City First Wesleyan Calls New Pastor

This past Sunday the congregation of Bessemer City First Wesleyan Church voted to extend a call to Pastor Wes Brown to serve as their Senior Pastor. Pastor Brown has accepted the call and will begin his ministry here in July.

The Transition Team developed the following Pastoral Profile based on all the work that has been done with the congregation over the last year.

Pastoral Profile (Spring 2008):

* Bessemer City First Wesleyan Church is looking for continued growth and desires a senior pastor who is willing to grow with us, to seek new challenges, and to explore creative methods of ministry.
* The senior pastor should be comfortable with and provide leadership for multiple style worship services.
* The senior pastor should also be prepared to lead the church as it transitions from a pastoral size model church to a program size model church.
* The senior pastor should be prepared to join lay leadership in moving toward and possible completion of a building program.

A recent congregational survey yielded the following characteristics and responsibilities as most important in our next pastor:

Characteristics of a Senior Pastor:
Srong Leader / Innovator / Encourager / Hands On Worker

Tasks and Responsibilities of a Senior Pastor:

Preaching/Teaching / Leadership/Vision / Prayer/Intercession / Evangelism/Outreach

Worship Style:

Traditional Service
More formal service
Choir, Pianist, future hopes of an Organist
Traditional hymns
Message is currently delivered by Senior Pastor

Contemporary Service/In House Church Plant
Informal Service
Praise team leads worship
Full band
Power Point is used to convey song lyrics & visual aides
Message is currently delivered by Senior Pastor

The transition team feels these services would be best served by having a pastor for each service who’s preaching style matches that service.

I have known Pastor Brown for eight years and have worked closely with him on a number of district projects. He is well respected across our district and has provided strong pastoral leadership in four previous congregations. It is my opinion that he is a very good match to this pastoral profile and am excited to have him coming to assume the mantle of pastoral leadership after my service as an intentional interim.

There have been developments in my personal plans for our intentional interim ministry as well. The next blog will share those plans that God has orchestrated.

Election Recommendations Approved

The annual meeting of the Local Church Conference met Sunday evening, April 20th. At the conference the following three recommendations from the Transition Team were approved with strong votes from the conference. These recommendations will take effective with next year's church elections.

a) Individuals will serve a maximum of three successive one year terms on the LBA. After a one year sabbatical individuals will be eligible to again be elected to the LBA. - 97% favorable vote.

b) The Sunday School Superintendent no longer be an ex-officio member of the LBA. - 86% favorable vote.

c) The LBA appoint a Business Manager that reports to the LBA and supervised by the Finance Committee rather the conference elect a Treasurer that serves on the board. - 81% favorable vote.

These votes show, in my opinion, the confidence the congregation has in the leadership of our Transition Team. Another indication of the this congregational confidence was expressed through our recent LBA elections. The congregation elected five new members to our nine member LBA. Of these five new LBA members, four of them are Transition Team members.

The current LBA selected the Transition Team and has been very supportive of the process. They have recently served as the Pastoral Search Committee and have brought a strong pastoral candidate to the congregation. The congregation will be voting this Sunday on this candidate. They are to be commended for an excellent year of leadership. Many pastors dread church board meetings. But I have looked forward to our meetings this year.

As the church has worked through our recent elections and are working through the pastoral selection process they have shown increasing spiritual maturity and church health. With each passing day my confidence grows that our intentional interim ministry has been a good thing for the congregation and that great days of Kingdom building lie ahead for them.

To God be the glory! Great things He has done (and is doing)!

Do You Really Want To?

Yesterday I started reading a book by William McConnell entitled: Renew Your Congregation (Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead). In the Introduction, McConnell says, "One of the most difficult church myths to deal with is the myth that churches want to grow." His premise is, and I think it is correct, that if churches really wanted to grow they would be making the necessary changes to grow. Most congregations are all talk and little action. The church growth that is wanted is limited and born from the selfish desire to have more money to pay the bills and to produce enough programming for the church to meet the perceived needs of those already attending.

This truth has bearing on intentional interim ministry. Congregations have to reach a point of desperation before they will acknowledge their need for intentional interim ministry and be willing to make the necessary changes that the process reveals are needed. In our denomination the District Superintendent has great influence in the connection of local congregations with potential pastors. It can almost become an "arranged marriage" on occasion. Church - here is your pastor. Pastor - here is your church. I have told our district superintendents that until a congregation realizes their need for intentional interim ministry we will see little fruit for our efforts. BTW - I still haven't had any contacts from any local churches about being their intentional interim pastor. But, with God's help, I am totally at peace and am trusting that He will open the right door at the right time.

The second chapter of the book is entitled: Start from Where You Are. McConnell says, "To get where you want to go, you must first know where you are." This is what the first task on intentional interim ministry, Coming to Terms with History, is all about. Along with the myth of wanting to grow, another problem in most churches is self deception. Those inside the congregation think they are one thing and everyone outside the congregation knows that are something entirely different. It takes courage to hold the mirror up so that you can see yourself for who you really are. It is my duty as an intentional interim to help congregations to muster the courage to hold the mirror up so that they can see who they really are. But it is also my delight to see the freedom that this act gives to congregations. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and truth shall set you free."

This book promises to be a good read. I will keep you updated as I proceed through it.

Leadership and Decision Making Concerns

The Transition Team’s current task is to review leadership and decision-making concerns. The goal is to help the church to develop a structure and system that will enable more people to get involved in leadership and that the church can operate more effectively as it attempts to transition from the present operational model toward one that enables the church structure to function better as the congregation grows.

Therefore, the team is making the following three recommendations to the church conference on April 20^th. All three of the following recommendations, if approved, will take effect with the elections of the LBA for the 2009-2010 conference year. Each recommendation will be voted on individually. The recommendations are:

a) Individuals will serve a maximum of three successive one year terms on the LBA. After a one year sabbatical individuals will be eligible to again be elected to the LBA.

Rationale: Term limits insure that there will be greater opportunity for more individuals to serve on the LBA without having the concern that once someone is elected they are “elected for life”.

b) The Sunday School Superintendent no longer be an ex-officio member of the LBA.

Rationale: This position is no more important than many other ministry director positions of the church that are not on the board. In the past some qualified candidates for the position have declined to serve because of the requirement to also serve on the LBA. The Sunday School Superintendent will continue to report and be accountable to the LBA.

c) The LBA appoint a Business Manager that reports to the LBA and supervised by the Finance Committee rather the conference elect a Treasurer that serves on the board.

Rationale: It is often difficult to find multiple qualified candidates to place on the annual election ballot. Having a Business Manager rather than a Treasurer would provide for continuity in the financial administration if recommendation A is approved.

These 3 recommendations are only part of the work the Transition Team is doing on the current task. They have also been divided into 3 committees to work on writing or reviewing various job descriptions for positions of leadership in the church. These positions include paid staff as well as volunteers. Some of our church committees have job descriptions from the denominational Discipline but there are several that function within the local church that are not referenced in the Discipline. These job descriptions will probably be a significant project for the team but very much needed to help clarify expectations and communication within the local congregation.

The Last 100 Days or So

One of the chapter titles from my unwritten book, Lessons from the Farm, is entitled "Save the Short Rows till Last". Without going into great explanation, the point of the proverb is that you should do the hardest part of the job first. In many ways, this is how intentional interim ministry goes. The first congregational task, Coming to Terms with History, is difficult and lays the foundation for all the rest of the work. I have found this to be true in Bessemer City.

But that does not mean that everything is "smooth sailing" or "a piece of cake" during the rest of the intentional interim process. Even the current task that the Transition Team is working on has been intense. As the team has examined leadership and decision making concerns they have come to realize that necessary changes are not easy. The team will be presenting four recommendations to the church conference next month that will impact the election process of the local church board of administration. I will post these four recommendations next week after they have been presented to the congregation.

The team will also be developing job descriptions for some committees and volunteer positions in the church that currently have none. In the absence of clearly defined duties and boundaries "turf wars" can develop even in the church. I expect these job descriptions will be a real challenge to the team.

So the last 100 days or so of my time in Bessemer City promises to continue to be intense as I work with the transition team and as we also address at least two other congregational "hot buttons" over the next two months.
1) The purchase of a bus.
2) The plans for the building of future facilities.
Neither of these matters will be brought to conclusion before my departure. But my goal is that the major decisions about the direction of these matters will be settled prior to the arrival of the next pastor. If so, these will be two presents that I can give to him or her.

On a personal note - my wife and I signed all the papers yesterday to close on a house purchase. Our new home will be in Archdale, NC (just east of the High Point city limits). We are taking a step of faith that God will provide the opportunity for us to serve a church within commuting distance of Archdale as their Intentional Interim Pastor. Please join with us in prayer for God's will and way to become clear. Unlike Abraham, I know where I am going. But like Abraham, I am not sure what I will be doing when I get there.

A Snapshot of an Intentional Interim

The following list of traits, qualities, characteristics and skills of an intentional interim minister has been developed from two books: The Interim Pastor’s Manual and Temporary Shepherds, the notes of Les Robinson, Jr., and my personal experience.

Personal Traits:
1) Commitment – devoted to both Jesus Christ and His bride, the church
2) Adaptable – quickly assimilate into and gracefully exit from a church
3) Perceptive – discern systemic problems from observing surface behaviors
4) Self-differentiated – know who you are apart from the people or problems around you
5) Positive attitude – with God’s help, churches and people can change
6) Stability – staying calm in the midst of chaos
7) Teachable – always learning and not afraid to ask for help

Skills:
1) Communication – both public preaching and personal interaction
2) Team Building – bring people together around a common mission/vision
3) Conflict Management – negotiate, compromise and mediate between parties
4) Crisis Intervention – stepping into a difficult place as a non-anxious presence
5) Organizational – establishing plans and procedures for the work
6) Stress Management – helping others and yourself find relief from intense situations
7) Pastoral – caring for people and giving oversight to church affairs

An Intentional Interim Pastor needs to have:

1) A sense of “call” to this work – sensing both the need in the church and the God given giftedness within himself

2) Training for the work – from previous pastoral experience, specialized instruction, and continuous education (reading books and attending conferences)

3) Tolerance for uncertainty in job security, term of service and frequent change

4) Flexibility in styles of worship, polity practices and methods of church operation

5) The ability to use varied leadership styles and approaches to problem solving in differing situations

6) A sense of humor that is capable of not taking self too seriously while maintaining a strong sense of personal worth and self-assurance

7) Emotional maturity that can connect easily with others without becoming dependent or interdependent upon that connection

If you would like to discuss intentional interim ministry in greater detail send an email to: pastord2@aol.com. I would love to dialogue with you!

From There To Here

The faith journey from serving as an installed pastor to being an intentional interim has been an interesting one. Looking back, I can now see how many of my experiences over the 31 years of pastoral ministry have brought me to this moment. But over the last four years the pace of this journey has accelerated. Prior to four years ago I had never even heard of intentional interim ministry.

In April, 2004 the District Superintendent asked me to accept the appointment as pastor of First Wesleyan Church in Bessemer City, NC. Usually our churches call their pastors but this church had been through a time of conflict that resulted in the pastor and the entire lay leadership team resigning. In the absence of any local church lay leadership the District Superintendent informed the church that a pastor would be appointed to serve them for one year and that it would be me.

I spoke with a consultant that had worked with the previous pastor and lay leadership about the situation. He stated that the church needed an "intentional interim pastor". I asked what that meant and got my first exposure to the concept. I had no such training and a desire to be called as the installed pastor after the one year appointment was concluded.

We began to work the church through a "healing process" and to get it "back on track". Our efforts met with enough success that the church did call me to be their installed pastor. But as the months progressed three things became more and more clear:
1) the church really did need to work through the congregational self study part of the intentional interim ministry if it was going to be a strong and vibrant church again
2) my wife, Pam, had some chronic health issues with her lower back which were hindering her from serving as she had always done in the past in the role of the pastor's wife
3) as we researched what intentional interim ministry was all about, it became more and more obvious that my personality and giftedness were well suited to serve in such a role

Pam, my two prayer partners, and I sought God's direction from October, 2006 until February, 2007. At that time we all agreed that intentional interim ministry seemed to be the right thing to do. We presented the idea to the church's administrative board and gave them two weeks to pray over the idea. They were unanimous in agreement that the church and I move in this direction. When the presentation was made to the congregation it was enthusiastically received by the vast majority of the church membership.

So for the last year we have been on the intentional interim journey with this congregation. A journey that will conclude in 4 months. Only time and eternity will reveal the full impact of this experience. But the current evidence would indicate that the congregation is moving from a maintenance to a missional mindset. Four years ago, this was a congregation that was just showing up for "church" on Sundays and Wednesdays. During the last three months, congregation members have been involved in 12 mission or service projects that touched literally thousands of other people. While involved in these projects, our members spent an estimated 461 hours collectively in service to others.

In next week's blog I plan to share those traits and characteristics that seem to be most needed in someone serving as an intentional interim and where this faith journey seems to be going next.