Resources
Congregations in Transition Manual:
Other resources:
ELCA.org’s Compensation & Benefits form: Definition of Compensation, Benefits, And Responsibilities for Ministers of Word and Sacrament Under Call (PDF)
Questions? Contact Deacon Katie Kline, Director of Congregation Transition for Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain Synods, kkline@rmselca.org.
On this page you’ll find resources for congregations in transition, featuring a manual (PDF, Word) created by a joint effort of the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain Synods.
Below we share excerpts of the manual, including a letter from Bishop Hutterer and Bishop Gonia, as well as a summary of the transition and call process.
Four Phases
In the full manual, you will find information on four phases of the transition and call process:
We Are Experiencing a Rostered Minister Transition. What Do We Do?
Intentional Interim and Self-Study
The Call Process
Now You Have a New Rostered Minister
Appendices
The manual’s appendices include:
Frequently Asked Questions about the Transition Process
Exit Interview
Letter of Agreement between a Rostered Minister and the Congregation
Sample Newsletter Article for the Congregation
Certification of Congregation Records
Certification and Completion of Financial Records
Thanksgiving and Farewell of the Rostered Minister
Intentional Interim Interview Questions
Intentional Interim Form A and B
Litany of Beginning for Intentional Interim Minister
Litany of Installation for the Transition Team
Review of History, Mission & Values & Vision, Constitution & Policies
Stewardship during Transitions
Call Committee Member Form
Installation of Call Committee
How to Complete the Ministry Site Profile
Call Committee Sample Agenda
Sample Questions for Candidate Interviews
Sample Questions Candidates Might Ask
Sample Questions for Checking References
Sample Outline of Candidate Recommendation to Council
Sample Outline of Candidate Introduction to the Congregation
Thanksgiving and Farewell of the Intentional Interim or Contract Pastor
Letter from the Bishops of the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain Synods
Grace and peace to you from the Triune God!
Transitions are a part of life, filled with both challenge and opportunity. For communities of faith, transitions are fertile ground for God’s transformational work.
As your congregation begins this journey of transformation, we want to assure you that the Rocky Mountain Synod Office of the Bishop and the Grand Canyon Synod Office of the Bishop are here to accompany you along the way. Congregation transitions are incredibly significant in the life of the whole church. They offer a rare opportunity for renewal and a time to reflect on the ministry and future of your congregation in unique ways. Entering the transition process intentionally and thoughtfully allows the Holy Spirit to move and breathe new life into the ministry of your congregation.
Your community of faith may have been through a pastoral leadership change before; perhaps you have served on a “call committee.” Our current transition process represents a two-fold approach that includes intentional transition work guided by a trained interim pastor (as available) before moving into the call process and a trained Transition Coach. This intentional transition process, already used extensively in other parts of the ELCA, provides time and space for the whole congregation to come together to remember and celebrate the past, assess the needs and gifts of the congregation, and explore opportunities for the future. A successful interim process not only prepares the way for the next chapter of your congregation’s history, but also allows individuals and the whole community to practice healthy leave-taking, heal old wounds, and imagine creative ministry that can bless the wider community for future generations.
This “Moving into the Future” manual (PDF, Word) will help you move into God’s future for you and will provide you with the necessary steps and resources for both the intentional transition work as well as the call process. In the midst your transition, the Office of the Bishop and the congregation will work closely together toward the goal of finding the next right pastor or deacon who can participate with you in the mission to which the Spirit is calling you.
May God bless you and guide you—and the Holy Spirit surround you—during this journey of transformation.
Yours in Faith,
Bishop Deborah Hutterer, Grand Canyon Synod
Bishop James Gonia, Rocky Mountain Synod
Introduction to the Transition and Call Process
This manual (PDF, Word) walks through the four phases of the transition process, gives forms and procedures for how to navigate the process well, and strives to challenge congregations to continue engaging in the process with spirituality at the forefront. This is a manual – not a hard and fast rule of how everything will progress. Use this guide as a model, and consult with your Transition Coach whenever you have questions.
“Without transition, the change changes nothing.”
Periods of transition are holy times. They are moments when deep work can be done, inspiration can appear, and renewal can be leveraged to propel us into the future. Transitions are not wasted time. “Without transition, the change changes nothing,” William Bridges notes in his book Managing Transitions. During a transition, congregations take time to feel (grief, joy, anticipation), to think (reflect on the past, dream of the future) and connect spiritually (through prayer and study). These are whole-self moments, when the Holy Spirit breathes new life into a congregation and grows something new for the sake of humanity. After transitions, congregations and individuals are never the same, but God is constantly with us, re-creating us into the body of Christ that the world needs today.
During the process, congregations in transition are in partnership with the Office of the Bishop, supporting one another and holding one another accountable to be who God is creating each to be: the Body of Christ.
Our ministry is a three-part circle. Rostered ministers, congregations, and the Office of the Bishop all support each other so that the Good News about Jesus can reach more people. When a pastor or deacon (rostered minister) leaves a congregation, the congregation and Office of the Bishop work closely together with the goal of finding the right rostered minister for the next phase of the congregation’s life.
Everyday ministry continues during the transition process, usually led by the intentional interim pastor and the Congregation Council. During this in-between time, a transition team of the congregation will find engaging ways to guide the faith community through a self-study that will embrace the past, name the present, and prayerfully discern God’s call into the future. To do this, the whole community will need to communicate well and often so that everyone stays committed to moving forward in this process.
What is a “Call”?
The Lutheran call process empowers congregations and rostered ministers (pastors and deacons) to discern what God wants for the local church and for the whole church, in order that the Gospel may be proclaimed and the sacraments administered in accordance with the Gospel.
The call process is not the same as the hiring process in other parts of society. A pastor is called — not hired — to serve a congregation. Any process that seems to focus on headhunting, resume shuffling, or high anxiety interviews is missing the point in the calling of a pastor. The call process is not a pageant, in which contestants present themselves to their best advantage so they will be the winners. A call is one element in the church’s seeking and following God’s movement into the future. A call is about discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit in the work of ministry.
In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel was called by God when he was a young boy. It was not a time for God to say, “Samuel, if you want to sometime in the future, serve me a bit, that’d be great!” It was a call to a lifetime of putting God first, of listening to God’s Word and then proclaiming it (even when it was difficult and scary) to the people, one that could not be avoided.
In Luke 1, Mary was called by God through the angel named Gabriel to be the bearer of God on Earth. She was chosen so that God could show up in a most real and tangible way for humanity. She carried out the will of God to the best of her abilities, always with God’s help.
“The call process is not the same as the hiring process…A call is about discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit in the work of ministry. ”
All Christians are called to the ministry of serving God and neighbor, but for the sake of good order in the church, certain Christians are specially called to the ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament or Word and Service. A core Lutheran document is the Augsburg Confession. Written in 1530, it outlines much of our Lutheran understanding of theology and ministry.
Calling a pastor or deacon offers a remarkable opportunity for reflection and prayer in the life of a congregation. This time of transition is an opportunity for the congregation’s leadership to place trust in God, to model unity, and to provide encouragement and opportunities for spiritual growth.
Calling a pastor or deacon is not a time to say “well, let’s hire the best candidate” – in a called position, we discern who God thinks is the right candidate. Calling a rostered minister is not just a pro-con list, and whoever ekes further on the former side of the scale gets the nod. It is a time of prayerful conversation with God – talking, questioning, pondering. And since conversations are much less interesting when only one side is talking, remember that the conversations with God need times for listening, as well.
Discernment is not just for the congregation, but for the rostered minister, too. This continual discernment is not about what we want, but about what God sees we each need.
“Lord God,
you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ”