Some thoughts on transitional ministry

Transitional Ministry

I recently read an article titled something like “Smile! You’re in a transition”. The basic thesis of the article was that change is something we are all in the middle of, and therefore transition is part of life. While I agree with the basic idea that change is all around us and that we cannot avoid it, the word ‘transition’ has a weight to its meaning that signifies something outside ‘normal’ change.

All ministry changes carry some sense of grief and pain of separation. Parishes and ministers are at their most vulnerable at these times. Equally the potential for good change and development is also high – for both presbyter and parish, who may want to change direction or focus.

However, some ministry changes are abnormal. They may come at the end of an unusually long ministry – or unusually short one. They may come after a particularly devastating period in a parish’s life – and have nothing (or everything) to do with a previous minister.

And it is in that ‘abnormal’ sense that we use the word and ministry, ‘Transition’. These are times when change requires specialist care.

Our church has used “Transitional ministry” in two senses. The first (a ‘lower-case t’ transitional ministry) is sometimes carried out by the placement of a specifically appointed supply minister. This may be a supernumerary with experience in working with conflicted or distressed parishes, or it could be a presbyter or lay person who is able to focus the energy of a parish around a couple of key goals for a short period of time before moving on. Sometimes this is called ‘Intentional transitional ministry’.

The second way we have used the term is when we use a specially trained Transitional minister (note the capital-T!). These are people who have been trained in a high level of change management skills and theory, understanding systems and congregational dynamics, the developmental tasks and processes of transition, and mission and strategic development.

The tasks of a transitional ministry are dependent on the situation, but most often include
a. Pastoral care – healing and grief processes leading to new hope and energy
b. Self-understanding – getting to grips with who we are as a parish; our faults and failings, wisdom and strengths
c. Missional and strategic development – assisting the parish to set a new and clear direction, stemming from the above.

The Methodist Church considers this type of ministry to be a pastoral response to a specific situation. Just because a Transitional ministry is identified does not mean that a parish or presbyter have failed. Often situations arise beyond anyone’s control and need to be addressed with special care and attention.

Transitional ministries are normally placed after considerable consultation involving the Parish, Synod, Mission Resourcing and the President. Dialogue can be initiated by any one of these, but normally the process starts with the synod identifying a parish situation.

[The plug] The church is always in need of people who have skills in these situations. I would love to hear from anyone who wants to know more about education or development in this type of ministry.

nigelh(at)methodist.org.nz