Discerning a Call to an Interim Position – Transcript

Jim Latimer
Welcome to Coaching for Interims. We are about empowerment for interim ministers: best practices and quick help from interims for interims – wisdom from the field. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Reverend Philomena Hare. I asked her to speak about discerning a call for or to an interim position. So Philomena, what’s your secret sauce for that?

Philomena
Well, I have to say that, for me, it begins with an understanding that what we’re acknowledging within myself and with the search committee, is that being an intentional interim is not a back door to the settled position. We need to be upfront. We need to be clear. We need to discern if this is the kind of work, the kind of ministry, that the Spirit has in mind – is calling me to. Because if you’re not clear and you’re fuzzy, you do a disservice, first of all to your own ministry, and to the congregation as they won’t be served well. If you’re not clear that this intentional interim ministry is how you see yourself living out and serving, when the time comes for you to leave, you may have difficulty.

So there are certain – I don’t know if you’d call them personality traits – but as part of your discernment you should be asking yourself certain questions, such as, “How comfortable am I in new settings?” And walking in and out: “How comfortable am I saying goodbye, a healthy goodbye?” If that’s an issue for you, perhaps interim ministry is not your call, because you’re saying hello and goodbye all the time. And you need to be able to convey that to the congregation. Because again, the work that we do is all relational. And people will fall in love with you and you will fall in love with them. And if you’re not, then I would wonder about the work, the nature of the work. And because your congregants will fall in love with you, I would say not a day or perhaps not a week will go by when someone will say, “Can’t you just stay with us?” And if you’re not firm and clear about your own call, when your ego is being massaged that way, you will start perhaps unbeknownst to you, but you will start finding ways and thinking of ways and reasons to stay.

Jim Latimer
So it can sneak up on you.

Philomena
Yes. And that’s why I always say you need a community of practice. Because that’s a place where without any shame or guilt, you can say, “A part of me wants to stay with this people.” And then your friends will set you straight.

Jim Latimer
What I heard you say, Philomena, is that if a part of you doesn’t want to stay with them, then you’re probably in the wrong business of ministry in general, interim or settled, right? Because a part of you would naturally want to stay because you’re falling in love with each other. That’s the nature of it. But as an interim, the falling in love is for a different purpose. It’s not a long-term thing. It’s a “I love you and hopefully you’ll love me so that we can do God’s work in this particular way, time and place.”

Philomena
Absolutely. And then like any discernment process, it’s not done in isolation. Somebody said these words to me a long time ago. I remember them. I repeat them to myself, and I say them to other people. “If you find yourself doing ministry, by yourself, it’s not Christian ministry.” That’s not how Jesus did ministry. I don’t say that against any other religion. That’s not what I’m talking about, but rather, within the Christian context, even the Judeo Christian context, if you are doing ministry in isolation, you’re doing something, but it’s not Christian ministry. It doesn’t happen that way. It is always in relation to someone or some ones. And so if that’s the case, then your discernment has to involve other people. Because, you know, a long time ago there were two psychologists with something called the Johari Window. It has four panes, and there’s always a self that’s unknown to me. There’s a part of me that you see, but I don’t see, when we are in that circle. And again, the circle would be, obviously, comprised of people who know you, love you, want the best for you, but will also hold you accountable, and will call you out when they find you going off key.

Jim Latimer
That is so helpful, how authentic discernment cannot be done in isolation, and how ministry is so relational with other physical bodies in this world. Wow! Thank you so much, Philomena, for sharing your wisdom with us about discerning a call to an interim position and speaking to it so eloquently. Thank you.

Philomena
You’re welcome, Jim. It’s my pleasure.

More Bits Of Wisdom from Rev. Philomena Hare
< < < Back to Rev. Philomena Hare’s Biography