Part-time Pastoring

First of all, I need to say that part-time pastoring is a poor title -- both for a blog post and as a description of a pastor's duties. Good pastors are always pastors. Some of them have other jobs that help to support them, but it doesn't mean that there are times when they are not pastors.

Bi-vocational pastor is the term commonly used today.
In my case, interim pastor is a position that I am being considered for.
After brief phone conversations with about a dozen people whose names were given to a church by our state convention, the church committee has decided to ask four of us to submit resumes for consideration to serve as interim pastor while they search for a full-time permanent pastor.

A year ago, I took the state course in interim pastoring. Unlike most of the men in the class that week, I had never served as a church pastor. (Okay, I was the only one that had never served as a pastor!) The majority were retired pastors, pastors nearing retirement or pastors that had been recently let go from their previous churches.
In spite of this lack of pastoral experience, I feel that I could serve some churches well during a transitional phase from one permanent pastor to another.

If you are a praying person, I would appreciate your prayers for the church committee that will be considering us. The ultimate goal is not for me to have a position, but for the people of God to be served by the person that will help them to grow and flourish, and will guide them in their search for a permanent pastor.

Thanks,
John <><