BaptistLife.Com Forums.

Since there has been some interest expressed in sharing ministry ups and downs and what works, I'm thrilled to soon see some light at the end of the tunnel.

A few months ago I found out I was not getting a new Associate Pastor at the usual time of appointment, which would have been July 1 but that I would be waiting a year to get a very qualified young guy who is finishing up his seminary degree at Duke.

So the plan has been how a congregation that has almost always had two pastors is going to get along with just me for a year. I hired some temp staff to help with visitation, redistributed some duties to other people. But, right after my last Associate left I had eight funerals over about six weeks. It has been wearing.

But, the good news is that, do to some changing circumstances for my new young staff member, he is going to be able to start on January 1 instead of June 30th. So at this point, I only have to get along short staffed for a couple more months!

If I were close, you could hire me on a temp basis. I'd promise not to get all fundy on you.

So, who decided to downsize the staff for that period? Minister shortage?

Well, William, we're looking for an interim here at Fremont if you'd like to submit a résumé...

This is my first experience at being on such a committee, and I have been given virtually no instructions about what is or is not to be said, done, or thought. I thought there would be a briefing on secrecy, ethics, etc. Not so far. But then, we haven't really gotten to work yet.

Just as an aside, in a time of clergy shortage the appointment system doesn't work as well for keeping an Associate Pastor as it used to. After a young person gets two or three years of experience under their belt the cabinet often needs to grab them to fill a small church that doesn't have a pastor and then you have to get another new Associate. So most Associates are people straight out of seminary who will only be with you two or three years.