Guidelines for Transition Teams - The United Church of Canada

Appendix 4: Developing the Interim Minister’s
Position Description
At the time of the appointment, the Transition Team, the new Interim Minister, the presbytery, and
the Conference fill out the Record of Appointment form (MEPS 433 AP).
Page 5 of that form relates to the special terms of Interim Ministry appointments and requires a
statement of the preliminary goals of the Interim Ministry. These can be two or three broadly stated
reasons for the interim, such as these:
• to lead the congregation in a process of healing and reconciliation after a time of conflict
• to lead the congregation in redeveloping its vision of mission and ministry
• to lead the congregation in revitalizing its mission after a long pastorate
The preliminary goals form the core of the position description, and later, as the Transition Team and
the Interim Minister work together, are developed into specific goals and action plans.
Besides working on these broad goals, the congregation will expect the Interim Minister to do the
“usual work” of a minister. One of the tough realities is sorting out the duties, bearing in mind that
the interim work takes real time and must take priority for the duration of the interim appointment.
The position description needs to reflect this difficult juggling act. It is important to help the
congregation understand that some of the “usual work” will have to be done by someone else, done
to a lesser extent, or deferred. Interim Ministry cannot simply be added to an already full pastoral
schedule. The other distinctive thing about the position description in Interim Ministry is that it will
change during the course of the interim period as the focus shifts from one goal to another. It helps
the congregation (not to mention the Interim Minister) if these changes are handled transparently, so
that people begin to learn that ministry has different needs at different times.
The “Ideal” Week
A useful way of laying out the position description is by describing an “ideal” week. Real weeks are
never ideal, of course, but the ideal gives a good basis for accountability. A minister’s work week is
40 hours. It includes worship, administration, pastoral care, and Christian education. The Interim
Ministry part of the job involves time for working with the Transition Team, research and data
gathering, planning special events, writing reports, and so on.
Guidelines for Transition Teams 43