The Interim Pastor as Setup Pitcher Tom Harris IPM Executive Director

In baseball, a setup pitcher is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. Setup pitchers often come into the game in the seventh or eight inning with the team losing or the game tied. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. The setup pitcher comes out of the game to make way for the closing pitcher. In this way, they "set up" the closing pitcher to finish the game In similar fashion, interim pastors come to a church to set up things for the next permanent pastor. They realize that they are not the closer, but the short-term reliever who prepares the church for its future and for its coming pastor. Accolades for setup men are few and far between. Only occasionally are they selected to the All-Start Team. They are selected to the All-Star Team only occasionally. A setup man has never won the Cy Young Award or the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award. Similarly, interim pastors often are not noticed and they dont remain to experience the results of their hard work. Yet the position of set up pitcher is crucial to baseball and to church ministry. Interim Pastors play a pivotal and most important role of setting things up for the church and the coming pastor to have the greatest probability of success. As Executive Director of Interim Pastor Ministries, I have the privilege of leading and managing the ministry of over 100 of Gods setup servants. They move from their homes, serve sacrificially and then in time, they are taken out of the game and

the ball is given to the new pastor. Because of their short term, transitional ministry churches, under their new pastor, are chalking up more and more wins. In my book, they are all All Stars.