The terrain and the climate:
The process we will experience together

Task one: Coming to terms with the past

• This means taking the time to mine the successes and failures of the past and from them build a foundation for new maturity. The congregation must come to a place where it is able to look at its past, lay to rest its ghosts, value its heroes and heroines, honor its special story, forgive itself for its faults and gain energy for a new stage of its journey.
• It is important to share stories and jokes, talk about the people everyone remembers, converse about the physical plant and share memories of great and not so great moments. Doing so helps set our compass for the story ahead and keeps us from being locked into the past.

Task two: Discovering a new identity

• Congregations, like people, tend to get a fix on who they are at particular times, then stick with that identity until something comes along that shakes them out of their ruts.
• Transition is a rich time for a congregation to update its perception of itself. It is a time for counting things and comparing to old counts. It is also a time to get a new fix on what is going on in the community in which the church is geographically located.
• A study of the similarities and differences between the congregation and the geographic community of the church may lead to new insights into what God is calling the church to pay attention to and what the church needs in leadership.

Task three: Allowing for needed leadership changes

• During the interim time, congregation leaders need to look for opportunities to facilitate staff and lay leadership changes to enhance the congregation’s effectiveness and well-being.

Task four: Rediscovering the denomination

• The interim period provides the opportunity for the congregation to get a first-hand experience of how the denomination works, to have access to resources, ideas and savvy people who can be helpful and to build a more effective collegial linkage.

Task five: Commitment to new directions in ministry
Quoting from A Change of Pastors by Loren B. Mead

• "From the moment you discover your pastor is leaving until well after the new pastor is in place, you are journeying toward that common commitment to new life and new mission. You are not in a 'hiring process.' You are in a transformation process. You will be transformed and your new pastor will be transformed."
• "This business of finding new commitment to a new ministry is not what you do at the end of the process. It is how you approach every step of the way. It is behind how you deal with each other and your former pastor as you grieve and celebrate your losses and accomplishments. It is part of your discovering how to do what you have to do. It is at the heart of your studying your past and your future needs and looking at your community’s needs. It is in how you make your decisions, and it is the basis for your negotiations with your new pastor."