The interim time includes a period to prepare for the future. I have selected five
developmental tasks that our church needs to work on during the interim period
between pastors. Some have already been in work during the these last two years.

The New Berean Five
– Counting the Sheep
– Spiritual Growth Checkup
– Rebuilding the Wall
– Communication
– Ministry Vision Forecast – Post COVID 19

From a Pastoral perspective, I will be preparing a list of things, include the status of
our ministry to leave with the new pastor. Some of the results of the New Berean
Five will be included as part of my report to him.
Individual teams may be selected to evaluate some of the tasks items, where other
results may be collected from known information, interviews with ministry leaders
or by observation. The following tasks are part of this effort for the New Berean
Five:

1.Counting the Sheep. We will need to have a good clean list of actual members that the Pastor will be accountable for. Hebrews 13:7
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. We will be working with Deacons, the Clerk, and others in ensuring we have a valid and up to date list of active members, watch care and those who may still be “self-isolating” due to the current COVID-19 levels.

2.Spiritual Growth Checkup – We must reclaim our foundational purpose. Are we spending time and effort in prayer, reflection, and bible study to remind ourselves of our original marching orders in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19? Jesus said, “Go”. We know that when we lose sight of our purpose — our reason for being a church — we face decline, loss of relevancy, and so much more. How are we doing?

3.Rebuilding the Wall – Questions for Trustees

• What is required to ensure the Building and Grounds are working properly
  and list what needs to be repaired, painted, including lawn care equipment,
  roofing, siding, gutters, etc. Now and post “modified services” seating set ups
  for safe worship needed for the immediate and long term?
• List status of the church van and any repairs that may be required.
• Any office related equipment or furniture issues or upgrades needed?
• Any required equipment for classes, the kitchen needed?
• Is the Pastor’s office ready for use?
• Lighting or wiring issues need to listed for possible repairs

4.Communication – In an article by Bud Brown, ”Solve church communication problems in 30 minutes a week”, the President of Turnaround Pastors, Inc. has evaluated one of the local pastor’s most difficult challenges: Communication. He says that Communication is a problem in all churches! “Ask any church consultant. They will tell you that for every 100 churches they have assessed, 100 of them claim that “lack of communication” is one of their top five weaknesses. Eighty percent of them say communication is one of their top
three problems. There are a variety of reasons why this remains such a nettlesome
problem, but the ugly consequences are pretty straightforward:

– People think their leaders are trying to hide things.
– People think their leaders are incompetent.
– People think their leaders are constantly changing directions.
– People think they’re being excluded from important discussions.
– People start getting riled up about what they assume is going on.

New Berean, does any of that sound familiar? He says, “You could sit in on any church’s discussion about how to solve the communications problem, and you’ll hear the same failed ideas being proposed time and again”.
This will be an area where I will be working in once my tenure as Interim Pastor
will be over. But now is a good time to do some evaluations of current
communications efforts. For now, a team of people will be selected to help identify
those areas that are working great and those that may need some further inquiry.
5.Ministry Vision Forecast – Post COVID 19
Set up teams to evaluate the status of each working ministry and how they will
operate Post Covid 19. This will include the Morning Service, Sunday School,
Junior Church, In Person weekly Bible Study and the Nursery, the various Ladies
and Men’s Ministries and any other standing ministries of New Berean where
applicable. Some of the evaluations will include the following:

• What will be the needs to operate safely. Will safety training and checklist be
  required to ensure compliance to safety goals.
• Will new staff be required due to loss of membership during the Covid 19
  time period.
• Will there be new equipment or supplies
• When will they be placed into operation if they are not already.
  Questions for the future – Post Covid 19:
  Ministry pruning.
  What needs to be put to rest in our church work? Which of your current
  ministries need to be celebrated and ended to focus on current, effective
  activity and open your space for the new things that could emerge during
  these challenging times and after COVID 19.
  Community engagement.
  How do we train and empower our members to become ministers unto each
  other, and onto those in the communities that surround us. Where are we
  today?
  Little Flocks and Small Groups
  How can we integrate virtual methodology into your ministry outreach beyond
  this pandemic. Is this the time to create long-term virtual small groups
  alongside face-to-face groups?
  Keep these efforts and those volunteers who will be working them in your prayers,
  so that we can finish well!
  Interim Pastor
  New Berean Baptist Church