If ministry is about people, then we must be about people. When a church looses a pastor there is a great deal of pain involved. Each member of that church had some opinion about the loss of the pastor. Whether the departure of the pastor was amicable, beneficial, or catastrophic, the people of the church no longer have their pastor.
In much the same way that you as a leader in your church needed time to rest in Him, your people will also need that time. They, on the other hand, will be less likely to see this for themselves. One of our jobs as we attempt to minister to our congregation in the absence of a pastor is to help them identify and address their own spiritual unrest.
Our ability to create opportunities that help the church address their issues with the former pastor and create a new, scriptural desire for their next pastor are critical. Additionally, if an Interim Pastor is appointed and helps to create these opportunities, one of our jobs when helping to minister to our people is to be an active participant in the process while maintaining the openness of the group to speak their mind on all issues.
Let’s face it, most people are not ready to bear their hearts in a group, even their church family, but our active participation may help to coax their involvement. We will hear a lot of anger and disappointment during these discussions, some resentment is clouded in a façade of laughter and joking, but we must begin to see our congregation as people and not positions. Each member, from the least to the most well respected, will be affected by this loss, and each must be given the time to heal. That time will begin by you seeing them as a person, and giving them a chance to be honest with you as well as themselves.
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