Welcome to Episode 5 of The Transitional Specialists Podcast, a conversation about interim ministry when local churches are in a time of transition between pastors.

When most local churches need a pastor, a search is made and a new pastor is called. During that time an Interim minister cares for and maintains the congregation until the new pastor arrives. However, in The United Methodist Church (UMC), a new pastor is not called, but SENT. The bishop of that congregation's Annual Conference makes the appointment through a consultative process that involves the Pastor Parish Relations Committee and their District Superintendent to find the best pastor for that church at that time.

In the 1990s, annual conferences began to realize that a pastoral change often happened when a congregation was in the midst of a crisis, such as the death, illness or moral failure of the former pastor. During this difficult time, a short-term leader was needed with special knowledge, skills and a non-anxious presence, to prepare the congregation for a fresh start with their new pastor! Out of these situations grew a uniquely United Methodist approach with pastors trained as Transitional Intentional Interim Ministry Specialists or TIIMS.

This episode tells the story of how this approach began in the UMC, how it has evolved, and where it is going, in a season that definitely needs "transitional" specialists.

Guiding us through this three-decade journey is one who was there at the beginning: Rev. Dianne Christopher, a Retired Elder in the Iowa Annual Conference and now the Lead Trainer on the TIIMSA Board of Directors. She is responsible for making sure that the TIIMS training curriculum reflects what she calls "the plumbline" of the basic values and skills that were first established. If you are involved in Interim Ministry, you'll want to meet Dianne and experience her always optimistic approach to effectively serving Christ throughout her career as a "transitional specialist." The host is Rev. Bill Kemp and the production coordinator is Rev. Keith Head.