NEW ORLEANS (BP)–New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Institute for Church Health has completed its first Purposeful Interims pilot program, awarding certificates to 16 men trained to help churches “approach interim periods with purpose rather than tying a knot and holding on,” said director Randy Millwood.
A multi-phase training seminar, the Purposeful Interims program equips qualified candidates to be interim leaders and consultants “for churches that have had forced terminations of the minister or other serious problems,” said Millwood, assistant professor of Christian education at New Orleans Seminary. During the seminary’s March trustee meeting, Millwood was named to the seminary’s new Thomas Gurney Chair of Church Health.
The Institute for Church Health was established by seminary President Chuck Kelley in March 1997 to help “grow healthy churches,” a focal point of the seminary’s mission.
After a pastor has left a church, for whatever reason, “a church that has been healthy can continue to be healthy, and a church that has had health problems can become healthy even during an interim,” Millwood said.
“With approximately 70 percent of Southern Baptist churches plateaued or declining and a comparatively small number of long-tenured pastors, the number of churches in interim periods at any one time is substantial.
“By viewing an interim with a sense of purpose, we may take great steps forward in reversing all of these statistics,” he said.
If a church takes its time after a pastor leaves, Millwood said, “evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, its community, its leadership needs, its stewardship status, and mission,” it is more likely to “call the right pastor and be geared up to make an impact in the community when he comes.”
A purposeful interim generally will last four to 12 months, Millwood said, and an interim specialist will begin the interim “like a doctor with a checklist,” studying demographics, “snapshots” of the community and congregation and spiritual gifts as examples of tools which may be used for assessing the health of a church.
An interim specialist also will lead a church to develop and implement an outreach strategy during the interim time, a unique aspect of the purposeful interim, Millwood said.
“Interim leaders will stress God’s kingdom view of outreach as a church prepares and plans for future ministry,” he said.
Conflict management and resolution, analysis of current trends and celebrating a church’s past also are components of a purposeful interim.
Having completed its first year, the Institute for Church Health has established a new Internet site — churchhealth.com. — designed to keep a pulse on the current needs, concerns and status of Southern Baptist churches, Millwood said.
Using an interactive approach, the institute will provide immediate responses to concerns expressed through surveys and e-mail received from guests at the website.
Main features of the site include:
— a “Question of the Month,” a frequently asked question to which website guests can provide a brief response.
— a “Quarterly Survey” page from which responses will be used as part of the ongoing research work of the Institute for Church Health.
— “Healthlink” articles on church health, leadership and other topics of concern expressed through the site or by e-mail.
— Purposeful Interims resource information, including how to contact a specialist certified through the institute, as well as current program details.
— general information about New Orleans Seminary’s Institute for Church Health.
In addition to those awarded certificates, nearly 20 more individuals, including directors of missions (DOMs), denominational leaders “and other people a church might call on for advice after a pastor has left” are completing the final steps toward obtaining certificates, Millwood said.
The Institute for Church Health soon will offer the Purposeful Interim equipping program in sites other than the New Orleans Seminary campus, including Alexandria, La.; Jackson, Miss.; and Atlanta.
Anyone who feels called to assist churches through an interim period may participate in the equipping process. There are no academic prerequisites.
Participants in the complete training cycle (a three-day workshop, two months of field work, and a second two-day workshop) receive a certificate and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the NOBTS continuing education department.
A general workshop (nine hours) may be taken initially for those who wish to preview the program before enrolling.
Churches seeking the help of an interim specialist may contact the church-minister relations offices of state conventions or their associational DOMs.
For more information or to be placed on the Institute for Church Health mailing list, call the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Growth at 1-800-NOBTS-01, ext. 3320; or contact Millwood’s office by phone at (504) 282-4455, ext. 8420; by e-mail at [email protected]. Information also is available at the Institute for Church Health’s website at churchhealth.com.
