I Need Your Help Learning More About Intentional Interim Ministers, by Pr. Rossow

A congregation has just gone vacant. It used to be that a vacancy pastor was assigned. Now I hear of “Intentional Interim Pastors” going into vacancy congregations. I have seen the intentional interim process from a distance and have had some serious questions about it. I have recently had opportunity to view it a little more close-up and have even more reservations about it.

A congregation is in a very fragile state during a vacancy. They may have just lost a fine pastor or just gone through a difficult pastorate. Either way, it is a fragile time. Some of the stories that I have heard is that intentional interims come in and seek to make some changes during the vacancy. Does that seem right? Shouldn’t the congregation wait until its next called shepherd arrives before they think about making changes. In my recent close up look I noticed that the intentional interim led the congregation through the process of writing a new constitution. Wow! That does not seem like an interim project.

I would like the BJS readers/bloggers help in learning the history of the intentional interim program. Where did it start? Who is responsible for bringing it into the LCMS? Who gets an intentional interim? And so forth and so on. Help me out here if you know anything about this program, know of any good stories and horror stories coming out of intentional interim and any other helpful insights or resources you might have.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.