Coaching For Interims

Somewhere along the way, the church (church culture) began telling pastors that if they're not tired, overcommitted, and running late, they must not be doing ministry correctly. Rev. Anna Tew would like to file a gentle objection. Burnout isn't a spiritual gift, and exhaustion isn't listed among the fruits of the Spirit. In this candid and practical conversation, Anna shares what she learned after nearly burning out herself: sometimes the holiest thing you can put on your calendar is a blank space. From learning to say "no" (without writing a three-page apology) to recognizing resentment as an early warning light, she offers wise—and refreshingly freeing—advice for building a ministry that's sustainable for the long haul.
Normalizing Burnout in Ministry
The Power of Flexibility in Schedules
Balancing Personal and Professional Time
Dealing with Resentment and Setting Boundaries
Learning from Mistakes and Improving Self-Awareness
Normalizing Exhaustion vs. Embracing Rest
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.

Many smaller congregations these days are struggling to find effective pastoral leadership, or, for that matter, any pastor at all. Interestingly, there is significant evidence that congregations that are less dependent on having a pastor at the center of things all the time are better able to adapt to a changing environment. Put differently: being more congregation-centered than pastor-centered can enable them to be more nimble and responsive. But how do you get there? In this episode titled, “From Pastor-Centered to Congregation-Centered: Finding Joy in the Midst of an Uncertain Future,” Rev. Peter Ilgenfritz shares the highlights of how he and the congregation he serves evolved in just this way, and the new joy  and vitality they are experiencing.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.

You've looked ahead and realized that, before long, there may not be enough people to sustain your church. Is there any reason for hope? Absolutely. Realistic hope doesn't deny hard realities—it faces them with honesty and faith. It's the kind of hope God blesses because it frees us from clinging to the past and releases the energy and joy to become the best church we can be today. And that's all God asks of us. In this episode titled, “When the Numbers Aren’t Enough: Finding Realistic Hope in a Uncertain Future,” Rev. Quentin Chin draws on his firsthand experience with congregations facing exactly these challenges and shows where realistic hope can be found.

When planning your next multi-day mission trip, ever have someone grumble, “Why do we always have to go far away? Why don’t we do something local? Doesn’t our own community have needs too?”
In this episode titled, “What We Learned about how to Run Effective Local Multi-day Mission Trips,” Rev. Joe Motz shares his innovative approach to creating local multi-day mission trips that really do change lives as measured by personal and community transformation, and a sense of relevance and connection within the church and wider community.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.
Reverend Motz discusses his innovative approach to local  multi-day mission trips;
Initial challenges included finding organizations to serve and raising funds;
Key role played by local government and business support;
Success measured by personal and community transformation & fostering a sense of relevance and connection within the church and community;
Trip details – planning, roles, and daily routines.

When the tension goes up, do some people in your congregation speak in hurtful ways? Do others seem resigned to accept this bad behavior and its fallout of damaged relationships and poor quality communication? If so, listen in.
In this episode titled, “What Has Enabled My Congregation to Communicate Better in Moments of Tension,” Rev. Alisa Dickhoff shares her direct experience with bully behavior in meetings, and what she and her leadership have done to foster healthy communication and keep it that way.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.
Reverend Alisa Dickhoff's Approach to Conflict Resolution
Modeling Vulnerability and Encouraging Open Communication
Addressing Bad Behavior and Bullying in Church Committees
The Role of Leadership in Modeling and Training
Follow-Up and Continuous Support

As a Sunday School teacher or youth group leader in a smaller congregation, do you feel stuck juggling 10-year-olds and 18-year-olds all together in the same room and wondering how to reach them all without overlooking anyone?
If so, you're not alone—and you're not without options. In this episode titled, “Fostering Authentic Faith Using a One Room Schoolhouse Context,” Rev. Marissa Rapoza shares why she actually prefers having all the ages together, and how the curriculum she designed develops their critical thinking skills and uses the ages differences to advantage such that they spark each other’s learning and growth.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.

It seems that Settled Ministers and the Interim Ministers who preceded them don’t often have much to say to each other. Such conversations can be tricky, as expectations, turf, and egos all must be negotiated.  And yet, there are many benefits to be had.
In this episode titled, “Crucial Conversations and Interim Ministry,” Rev. Doug Bixby, the settled Senior Minister at First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, MA (UCC) and Rev. Jim Latimer, the Intentional Interim Minister who preceded him, share how they navigated their conversations and the specific benefits reaped by both of the pastors as well as the congregation’s ministry.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.

Is creating content to communicate about lots of different things around your ministry taking up too much energy? Do you wish you had more administrative support? If so, this podcast titled, “Using AI in Church: How It Lightens My Administrative Load,” is for you. Reverend Tom Hathaway, a solo pastor with no administrative staff support, shares his innovative use of ChatGBT to streamline church administrative tasks such as creating sermon teasers, event descriptions and Bible reading plans, thereby helping him to work more efficiently and stay focused on what he uniquely can do and does best.

Creating a clear, simple statement of mission or purpose for a congregation is no easy feat, and the envy of every pastor I know is that their parishioners embrace it so well that they can share it by heart in their own words in a variety of situations.
In this episode titled, “How We Developed a Communication Plan to Clarify Our Congregation’s Mission,” small church pastor Rev. Tom Hathaway shares how they discovered three deeply resonant traits of the congregation and used them to guide ministry messaging both externally and internally in compelling and efficient ways.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.

Multigenerational thriving is the dream of every pastor for their congregation. And yet, it doesn’t happen simply by bringing people together. Rather, it results from having evolved a good strategy through careful listening and negotiating the needs and interests of people in their various stages of life.
In this episode titled, “Building Multigenerational Community: How We Found the Balance,” part 2 of the multigen series with Rev. Allison Palm and Sadie Kahn-Greene, they share specifics about their strategy and programming that is making authentic and joyful multigenerational community a reality for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua.
Coming out of COVID, the challenge we had was, How can we learn how to be in community together again when we haven't been together in a while?
How can we welcome in new folks who are joining us so that they can get to know the community? And how can we help our community get to know our newer members? 
Sadie Kahn-Greene explains the decision to focus on having fun together as a congregation in the spring of 2023.
The congregation organized multi-generational events like game nights, a talent show, and a camping trip to foster interaction across age groups.
The success of these events led to the introduction of more age-specific events to cater to different needs and preferences.
The introduction of circle dinners and kids' movie nights allowed for both multi-generational and age-specific connections.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website. In addition, subscribe to this podcast series if you want to be notified when additional podcasts are available.