My research has identified a gap between the need for transitional leaders and our commitment to support their formation for service. I am a researcher who focuses on how to bridge this gap. Not much is known about the preparation, training, and support needs of those who lead churches as interim or transitional pastors. I wonder why this is so?
More should be known about these leaders. What draws them to this unique work? What type of training have they found? What forms of post-training support are most helpful to leaders serving in these seasons of change? I wonder about the impact of mid councils, leadership coaches, mentors, spiritual directors, and peer learning groups in sustaining the wellbeing and longevity of these leaders.
In 2017 I brought my curiosity about these things to Seattle University’s Doctor of Ministry program. My final doctoral project aimed to discover what it takes to bridge the gap between the need for transitional pastors and the commitment to support their formation for ministry. To this end I created a survey for interim and transitional pastors to offer feedback based on their experience, training, and personal ministry practices.
I am so grateful to the nearly one hundred pastors who responded to the survey and host of others who participated in extended interviews that grounded the research project in findings and recommendations about the types of support these leaders find most signifiant and vocation sustaining.
Research findings and chapter summaries may be read as blog posts