CREATIVE INTERIM PASTORATE

 

The Bible often speaks of a local church as a flock and its pastor as a shepherd. When a pastor resigns or retires, that flock needs a new shepherd, but the candidating process can take months or sometimes even years.

Gospel Fellowship Association in Greenville, South Carolina, provides a solution. They have a team of retired pastors who serve as interim shepherds in various states. Altogether this team of men represents nearly 1,000 years of experience.

Pastor Paul Stevenson writes, “What an amazing privilege to serve with these dedicated servants.” He has completed four assignments as an interim, with the fourth church recently calling a pastor on January 4, 2026.

Churches, and the pastors who serve with Gospel Fellowship Association, agree to a document called “Expectations in the Interim Ministry.” These include ministering the Word of God, being a person of integrity, providing spiritual leadership in helping to find a pastor, leading the church staff, and evangelizing the lost.

The churches agree to demonstrate a loving and gracious spirit, pray for the interim pastor, support him with active participation, and provide resources needed for the work, among other promises.

Paul retired in 2018 from a position as senior pastor. Since then, he has been serving in these creative interim pastoral positions. He and his wife are looking forward to their next assignment in a fifth church temporarily without a shepherd.