Interim Church Pastors Stand in the Gap

   In a relay race, a runner carries a baton for a specific time and distance before passing it on to another runner.  In today’s world, churches often follow a similar pattern; clergy and lay leaders carry the responsibility of leadership for a time, helping members of their congregation in their spiritual journey with the Lord. Eventually, however, each will relinquish their duties and pass church leadership onto a successor.
   One of the challenges facing churches, when a pastor leaves, is the transition from one pastoral leadership to another.  To help in this time of passage, many churches seek the help of ministries like the Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM).  IPM is a network of pastors who “stand in the gap” for churches as they search for a new lead pastor.  Among the 140 mostly retired pastors associated with IPM, 80 are currently standing in the gap for a church.
   What’s it like to be an interim church pastor? After 46 years of pastoring three churches in Illinois and Indiana, Larry Chute and his wife Elaine have spent the past six years as an interim pastoral team   in Highland Illinois, Grand Rapids Michigan, and most recently, a 19 month stay at Immanuel Baptist Church in Wausau Wisconsin.  Before they left Wausau on March 6 for their next  interim destination, I sat down with Larry and Elaine Chute to discuss the life and responsibilities that are unique to a ...