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VILLAGE CHURCH, continued from page 31
congregation from their prior pastor to
the new one.”
Inspired by his experience of
balancing two careers, MacDonald also
Rev. Jeffery MacDonald will remain
Nahant Village Church pastor through at
least April 30.
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
published his latest book, “Part Time
is Plenty: Thriving without Full-Time
Clergy,” in 2020.
His book explores the changing face
of traditional worship by recounting
his experience working with nearly two
dozen churches across the United States
that function without a full-time staff.
Approximately 43 percent of mainline
Protestant churches currently have no
full-time clergy, and that number
continues to grow, according to
MacDonald.
“I wanted to learn from churches
that have done really well with clergy
who are not full-time and in the office
all week designing programs. That’s
the type of church that I’ve always
served and I know anecdotally that
some churches have done extremely
well with it,” MacDonald said. “I
wanted to learn more about what’s
happening in the churches that are
growing and thriving, doing impactful
mission, even when they don’t have
full-time staff.”
MacDonald will remain with
Nahant Village Church through at
least April 30. Until then, he looks
forward to continuing his work with a
new congregation.
“I love to see people in
congregations grow together, flourish
together,” he said. “The process (of
looking for a replacement) helps a
church reconnect with its roots and
its mission. Churches evolve, and
you really want to crystalize what
people are passionately perceiving is
their mission and their calling at this
juncture.”
Anthony D.
Speziale EA, MBA
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