Goals/Purposes for 2008:
To support Franconia Conference’s mission by:
1. Serving congregations working through the process of intentional transition.
2. Supporting and resourcing intentional interim pastors.
3. Growing in my understanding of Franconia Mennonite Conference and Intentional Interim Ministry.
2008 Updates/Activities:
This has been a year of transition for me. In this first year serving Franconia Conference, I spent a fair amount of time orienting myself to conference life and structure by meeting with staff and pastors, visiting congregations, reading a bit about Franconia Conference’s history, and going through the licensing process.
Intentional Interim Ministry – Nine churches have engaged in intensive transition work this year. Six congregations completed terms with Intentional Interim Ministers. Four of these congregations have called new pastors, and two are in the midst of a search process.
Intentional Interim Pastor Learning Community – I facilitate monthly meetings of intentional interim ministers from Franconia, Eastern District and Atlantic Coast conferences. In these meetings, Intentional Interim Pastors gather together for worship and prayer support. They have the opportunity to share the joys and challenges of ministry, ask and offer counsel, and exchange ideas, suggestions, and best practice tips with their peer group. In addition, quarterly, full day meetings are held to offer further equipping, training and support.
LEAD (Leading, Equipping and Discipling leaders in Kingdom Mission) – Bob Petersheim, Walter Sawatzky, and I are offering leadership to the LEAD learning community. LEAD seeks to provide missional oversight to church leaders. Currently this is a four-month pilot in which seven leaders convene for worship, prayer, equipping, accountability, and to discern together the question, “What does oversight in a missional church look like?”
Congregational Work – It is a privilege to have ongoing and active engagement with two congregations, Bally and Garden Chapel, who are in the midst of transition. I am serving as a part time interim minister at Garden Chapel and as a support coach to Bally’s Transitional Leadership Team through which I have undertaken a variety of roles in the congregation.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.