The two-year interim period between the departure of the previous minister and the calling of your next settled minister gives time for the members and friends of the congregation to have ample time and space to process the change and discharge any accompanying emotions, with the assistance of the interim minister.

In the first several months of the interim ministry, some in the congregation will feel moments of absence and grief as the church year unfolds without the previous minister. Others might be anxious to move on and may try to get the settled search started, even though the congregation as a whole is not yet ready.

By Spring of the first year, most of the congregation will have adjusted to the change, and the governing board can start the process, recommend later in this handbook, of selecting search team team members. Until then, the church leadership can communicate the timeline of the search process with patience and kindness.