Coaching For Interims

Church Bullies: Taking the Person More Seriously than the Behavior - Rev. Pegi Ridout. Episode 11

Bad (anti-social) behavior by just one or two people in a congregation can neutralize the wonderful behavior of many others. It also has wounded many pastors. Responding with niceness and compassion has its limits. It can even backfire. So, how to deal with these “bullies?” Rev. Pegi Ridout helpfully suggests 3 types of church bullies and strategies for dealing with each.
 

Managing a Declining Congregation’s Level of Anxiety so They Can Change in a Positive Way - Rev. Diane Kenaston. Episode 10

Congregations in decline are naturally anxious about their future. Yet, this anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing if managed skillfully and honestly. In this episode, Rev. Diane Kenaston tells how she and her leadership team simultaneously raised and lowered anxiety in the process of change that enabled a positive outcome.
 
For additional podcasts on this topic, as well as downloading a transcript of this episode, please visit the Coachingforinterims.com website.

How We Built the Trust Needed to Face the Reality of Our Decline and Move Forward -Rev. Diane Kenaston. Episode 9

When a congregation is in decline, accepting the truth of its reality is essential to having a hopeful future. Yet many congregants equate the reality of decline with gloom and doom and so avoid facing it. In this episode, Rev. Diane Kenaston tells how she and her leadership team built the trust needed to face the reality of their decline and move forward.

What to Think About When a Staff Member Is Also a Member of the Congregation - Holly Millershank. Episode 8

What options do we have as the interim minister when a staff member who is also a member of the congregation, is no longer performing their staff duties as we need them to? And how do we navigate the tension between the need for job performance by staff and the need for compassionate pastoral care to them?

How I Helped Initiate a Shared Ministry Project - Rev. Gail Irwin. Episode 7

Helping a cong. accept the reality that they can no longer afford a full-time pastor and leading them into new territory in creative and hopeful ways is vital work. This episode relates the creation of a shared culture when two congregations decided to share a pastor, including the key things that made it successful.

My 4 or 5 Key Questions to Help a Congregation Discern Their Future - Rev. Chris Mereschuk. Episode 5

Getting a declining congregation to think more deeply about their future can be very challenging. Magical thinking abounds. And yet, we know that realistic and creative thinking often turns up paths for new life that otherwise wouldn’t have been seen.
Rev. Chris Mereschuk, a thoughtful and savvy transition minister, shares a few of the key questions he uses with a congregation to keep an anxious conversation about its future going in a fruitful direction.

Assessing the Capacity of a Congregation to Be a New Church - Rev. Dr. Jonathan New. Episode 4

Many churches declining in vitality say they want to renew – want to be a “new church.” Listen to how seasoned interim minister, Rev. Dr. Jonathan New, thinks about the church’s capacity to be and to do church, as well as his 5 things that bear directly on a congregation’s capacity to be / do church in, “Assessing the capacity of a congregation to be a new church”

After 40 Years, Here’s Why I Still Believe in the Parish - Rev. Dr. Rochelle (Shelly) Stackhouse. Episode 3

Amid all the talk about pastor burnout due to frustration with the church, it’s refreshing to hear a new perspective. In this honest and plain-spoken testimony, Rev. Dr. Shelly Stackhouse, shares her reasons as to why she continues to serve in ministry in, “After 40 years, here’s why I still believe in the parish.”

Navigating the Nonsense in Transition - Rev. Doug Bixby. Episode 2

The interim transition time between settled pastors holds great potential for congregations to do needed work around identity, governance, purpose and healing. Unfortunately, interim ministers often encounter resistance – in many forms. In his several books, Rev. Doug Bixby has written eloquently about the “nonsense” as he calls it. Listen as he speaks specifically to the interim time in – “Navigating the Nonsense in Transition.” 

How A Small Church In A Small Town On The Verge Of Closure Gained New Life - Rev. Dawn Adams. Episode 1

Most small churches in decline want new life. It won’t happen for all of them. But it can happen for some. It isn’t fast. It isn’t magic. But it can happen. Savvy small church pastor, Rev. Dawn Adams, shares the practical step-by-step story that began with a 20-hour-a-week Designated Pastorate with sagging energy, to the current 30-hour-a-week settled pastorate with new energy.