PLAINVIEW, Texas—At some point, every church needs to step back and re-evaluate its purpose. Micheal Summers, Wayland Baptist University's director of church services, believes an intentional interim minister can most effectively lead churches through that process, but churches with pastors can benefit, also.
Summers has served as intentional interim throughout his 10-year tenure with Wayland. In his experience, he always has seen churches grow as a result of the process.
“I have seen more progress toward the people of God doing the work of God than I have seen in most pastorates,” Summers said. “Basically, we focus on why we are here. What is our purpose?”
The process transforms members from people who “are here to be entertained,” or those who “are here to just sit and watch,” to people who are actively involved in the work of the church, he said.
Intentional interims lead the church in a process that begins by setting up a leadership team with the purpose of looking at five areas of the church—history, organizational structure, identity and vision, denominational and mission linkages, and preparation for the new pastor.
Churches—not the intentional interim minister—decide for themselves what changes need to be made, he stressed.
“The people themselves do the studies, surveys and evaluations,” Summers said. “It's not a thing of the pastor doing it for them. The intentional interim has no agenda. He is there to help whatever church he is in to find out who they are and to follow what God is leading that church to do.”
Introspection and evaluation are good for every church and every congregation, Summers said, and churches do not have to wait for an interim period to go through the process. Certified intentional interims also are available to consult with churches to help lead them through this process.
While the overall process may take six months to a year, Summers also has developed a church tune-up program that he offers to churches that would like to spend a weekend looking into this process.
“We do the same kinds of things we do in the intentional interim but in a weekend format for churches who have pastors,” Summers said.
“That has been very effective to open their eyes to why they are here and what they are doing. We won't solve everything in a weekend. We won't look at everything in a weekend.
“It is just a tune-up, but hopefully from that, they can springboard and do some further follow-up.”