“Who are you?”

A curious and somewhat suspicious man asked me that question during the meet-and-greet. It was my first Sunday at the church, and I was about to be introduced as their new interim pastor.

His suspicion was understandable.

About a month earlier, the church and its pastor had experienced a disagreement significant enough that they decided to go their separate ways. Now I had arrived, largely unknown, preparing to step into the pulpit and into a season of uncertainty.

So, who exactly was I?

There has never been a harder time to find a pastor in my lifetime. Churches that once received dozens—or even hundreds—of applications may now struggle to find a few qualified candidates. Pastors are leaving ministry, churches are changing, and expectations on both sides have become increasingly complicated.

I was not looking for another job. I already had plenty to do. But a friend described this church’s situation to me, and before I had completely thought it through, I blurted out, “I might be able to help.”

That may be the coach’s mantra.

Not, “I know exactly what you should do.”

Not, “Move aside and let me fix this.”

Just: “I might be able to help.”

When I introduced myself to the suspicious man—and later to the hundred or so faithful people gathered for Sunday worship—I described myself as basically a church consultant.

I know. I know.

I am not a consultant. I do not work for Consult Approach Ministries. But it is difficult to explain coaching to people who have never experienced it. Sometimes it helps to begin with an adjacent profession they already understand.

I explained that I am someone churches call when they face a significant leadership issue, including the sudden loss of a senior pastor.

The three major helping professions are consulting, coaching, and counseling. You may find it helpful to describe coaching alongside those other two services. All three are intended to help people reach a healthier outcome. The person, team, or organization should be better when they reach the other side.

The primary difference is how each profession approaches the problem.

A counselor often helps people understand and heal from what has happened in the past. A consultant brings expertise and recommends what should happen next. A coach helps people think, discern, decide, and take responsibility for moving forward.

These distinctions are not absolute. A counselor may ask excellent coaching questions. A consultant may help a team reach its own conclusions. A coach may occasionally offer information or advice.

And it is true that I will consult with this church—at least a little.

I am ceaselessly amazed at how inexperienced most churches are at finding their next pastor. That is not a criticism. Most healthy churches do not search for a senior pastor very often. The leaders may be competent business owners, teachers, farmers, healthcare professionals, or community leaders, but few of them have extensive experience leading a pastoral search.

Unfortunately, churches often behave as though they must find a pastor immediately. They fear that if they do not hire someone within a few weeks, attendance will collapse, giving will disappear, and the church may as well close its doors.

This usually works about as well as marrying your true love with little or no courtship.

Once in a while, it works.

Twice in a while, it burns up in horrible flames.

Perhaps a better title for my interim role would be matchmaker. Finding a pastor is not completely different from finding a lifelong mate. The church needs someone who complements who they already are, shares their most important values, and can work through difficult issues without locking horns at every turn.

They also need someone who is not secretly more in need of the church than the church is of them.

I will bring some expertise to that process.

I have a framework I have used multiple times to help churches find their next pastor. I know how to navigate difficult situations and difficult people. I know how to help leaders clarify what they need rather than simply choosing the most impressive candidate. I also know how to run a meeting that is ten times more effective and three times shorter than the typical church council meeting.

That last skill alone may qualify me for sainthood.

But within the framework I provide, we will maximize the congregation’s expertise.

They know their history. They know their community. They know where they have experienced life and where they have become stuck. They know the informal relationships that will never appear on an organizational chart. They know what they value, even if they have not yet found the words to articulate it.

They will do the work.

Every time I serve as an interim, it becomes easier for me to allow the congregation to do the work. I will establish a process, ask questions, clarify what I hear, and occasionally swat away a particularly bad idea. But, for the most part, the church’s leaders will make the decisions.

This is a coach approach.

A coach approach does not mean the leader has no expertise. It means the leader knows when to use that expertise and when to make room for the wisdom, responsibility, and agency of others.

My goal is not to make this church dependent on me. In fact, a successful interim pastor should work himself out of a job.

We are trying to accomplish four things during this transition.

First, we want to keep the church focused on Jesus. A pastoral transition can easily turn everyone’s attention toward personalities, preferences, fears, and institutional survival. Those concerns may be real, but they cannot become the church’s center.

Second, we want to deepen the congregation’s relationships with one another. Conflict and transition can produce suspicion. People begin having conversations about each other instead of with each other. A healthy process should build trust rather than further fracture it.

Third, we want to develop the church’s existing leaders. I am not there to replace their leadership. I want to help them recognize their strengths, lead with greater confidence, and take responsibility for the church God has entrusted to them.

Fourth, we want to work a careful process that helps them find a pastor who can serve them well for the next ten years.

This is not the time for me to introduce my favorite ministry model or reveal my secret plan for growing the church. Interestingly, every church I have served as an interim has grown during the process. But growth was never the primary assignment.

My assignment is to help them reflect, dream, discern, and think.

That requires more than consulting. They do not simply need an expert to hand them the right answer. They need someone who can help them have the right conversations.

So, who am I?

I am an interim pastor. I am occasionally a consultant. I may even be something of a matchmaker.

But most of all, I am a coach.

I might be able to help.