Be not afraid:
Change Happens!
I can help your church navigate change. I’m Rev. Dr. Ruth Shaver, an Intentional Interim/Transitional Ministry Specialist and ordained United Church of Christ minister with a heart for churches in the midst of transition, whether from pastor to pastor or full-time to part-time or independent to partnered or any other kind of change.
Loving Churches Through Transition
My operating theology is that love conquers all. I believe that every church—every congregation—has both a universal purpose and a specific mission. All churches are called to extend God’s love into our world to all people. Each church has a particular way that God is calling it to demonstrate that love. We’re in a time of uncertainty and change that leaves many churches wondering if what they have “always done” is what God is still calling them to do. The answer may be “yes, and in a new way” or “no, and here’s your new mission” or even “yes and no”!
- Your Beloved Pastor is leaving after decades of fruitful ministry together.
- Your Pastor is leaving after a difficult season of ministry together.
- Your church is reckoning with lower income and higher costs.
- The neighborhood has changed around your church.
- The congregation is aging and there are no young families.
- It seems hopeless. But it isn’t!
Maybe it’s a combination of those things and more, or your church is looking for a way to gain fresh insight to reinvigorate and reengage volunteers. As an Intentional Interim Minister and Transitional Consultant, I can bring an outsider’s perspective along with an entire toolbox of interactive exercises for teams, committees, and congregations that can guide the entire community to and through change.
Services
I can provide assistance in a number of ways:
Interim Pastoral Ministry
An Intentional Interim Pastor has the skills and knowledge to assist your congregation with the tasks of preparing for a Pastoral Search as well as for serving as the Pastor of the church during an interim time. Intentional Interim Pastors have training and participate in continuing education to bring best practices and collective wisdom to their work.
I work through the United Church of Christ pastoral placement process. If your congregation is within 40 miles of Pawtucket, RI, and you would like to inquire about my availability and profile, please contact The Rev. Dr. Patricia Kogut, Southeast Area Conference Minister, kogutp@sneucc.org.
Interim Consulting
An Intentional Interim Consultant may be called upon to work with a congregation on the tasks of preparing for a Pastoral Search while the departing Settled Pastor, an Interim Pastor, or a leadership team is responsible for the pastoral ministries during an interim time. This may include guidance for selecting the team(s) for the Pastoral Search as well as coordination with the leadership for congregational input.
Interim Consulting work can be done on-site, online, or in combination, depending on specific needs and geography. For an excellent Local Church Profile (or denominational equivalent), the process is often 8-12 months with a 6-10 person team along with opportunities for congregational engagement.
Transitional Consulting
A Transitional Consultant may be helpful to your church when the pastor is not leaving but there are changes afoot and opportunities to work in new ways. An example is a discerned willingness to reimagine a pastoral call from full-time to part-time to alleviate budget pressures while also empowering members to use their gifts and skills in new ways.
The best format for Transitional Consulting may vary depending on the needs of the congregation, but could be on-site, online, or a combination. Generally, a team will work with the consultant on the specific opportunity and the congregation will be invited to participate in conversation and activities as ideas are conceived and clarified.
“Ruth is highly organized and her followthrough is impeccable. She is able to transform parishioners’ growing edges into strengths.”
Anne P.