Current Conferences
Registration for this event is now closed. View dates for other sites — View info for next year
“The Art of Transitional Ministry”
This year’s seminar runs three concurrent sessions (Week I, Week II, and Spouse Track). The interim pastor is recognized as a specialized position in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Some interim pastors enter this field straight out of seminary, others at mid-career. Still others are retired ministers who wish to continue in service for a few more years. Presbyteries increasingly encourage sessions to call an interim while the congregation is in transition between installed pastors. The curriculum for these events has been standardized at regional sites across the country. Weeks are not repeatable. However, if it has been more than five years since you attended Week I training, you should take it again.
Week I is designed to:
- introduce interim ministry to ministers considering this ministry;
- provide the basic skills for ministers who have just begun their interim ministry and who have not completed a Week I event (or equivalent).
Week II is designed to:
- broaden the skills of ministers who have completed Week I at any one of the approved regional sites (a list of those sites and scheduled events is available upon request).
- provide a group process of reflection and learning grounded in the participant’s practice of interim ministry.
Requirements for enrollment in week II: completion of week I and current service as an interim or service as an interim within the last two years (since Jan. 1, 2005).
Spouse Track is designed for spouses of pastors either considering or already in interim positions. In addition to attending many of the Week I lectures, spouses will gather to identify and discuss issues of particular concern to them.
Governing Body Representatives and Committee on Ministry members are urged to attend. It is an opportunity to become familiar with the concerns of interim ministers. The requirement for interim experience is waived for persons in this group who have completed Week I and wish to take Week II.
Sponsored by Montreat Conference Center, in cooperation with the Interim Ministry Consortium.
Key Leaders
- Bob Anderson, Indianapolis, IN; interim executive presbyter for Whitewater Valley Presbytery; an interim minister since 1987 and teacher in the interim education program at Montreat, Pittsburgh and Zephyr Point.
- Tim Jones, Delaware, OH; interim executive presbyter in two presbyteries; associate in one presbytery; and interim pastor in one conflicted congregation; teaches Weeks I & II at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
- Joan Marshall, Godfrey, IL; spent 16 years in interim ministry, working in small and midsize congregations. She is now retired and continues to work with congregations in transition. In retirement she enjoys spending time with grandchildren and traveling with her husband, David, in their fifth-wheel, seeing new places.
- Karen Haak, Black Mountain, NC; Interim Pastor of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. Prior to this work she was Interim Executive Presbyter in the Presbytery of Lake Michigan. She has served other interim pastorates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Massachusetts. She has been a member of the Interim Ministry Education Faculty since 2000 and has taught at Princeton Seminary, Union/PSCE, Zephyr Point, and Montreat. Prior to ordination she taught elementary and middle school and then in pre-service and active service teacher education programs.
- Gavin D. Meek, Greensboro, NC; interim pastor, Guilford Park Presbyterian Church. He has completed three interims in Louisville, Bloomington, Indiana, and Morgantown, West Virginia. Gavin’s first call as a Pastor was to the United Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, Kentucky. While there, he did a summer pulpit exchange with a Church of Scotland pastor. After ten years, he felt the call to the challenging and exciting work of interim/transitional ministry. Along the way, he acquired training in all the levels of interim ministry. Also he has extensive training in conflict resolution and prevention as well as in strategic planning, staff development, and conflict resolution all from Alban Institute.
- Cheryl Montgomery, Greenwood, IN has been working in interim ministry for the PCUSA for 23 years in 17 congregations. She has been an interim ministry instructor for six years and serves on the faculty of the Interim Ministry Consortium. She currently serves as designated pastor of Greenwood Presbyterian Church in Whitewater Valley Presbytery, Indiana.
- Harris and Jan Schultz, Nashville, TN; (Spouse Track Leaders); Harris Schultz is a member of the Presbyterian national faculty for interim ministry education; a member of the Association of Presbyterian Interim Ministry Specialists; has served interim positions in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Jan Schultz is member services coordinator of the Association of Presbyterian Interim Ministry Specialists; coordinator for Interim Ministry Consortium; elder in the PC(USA); has served as interim director of Christian education and youth ministries in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Program Fee
- On or before July 10: $385 – clergy only; $425 – clergy and non-clergy spouse
- After July 10: $410 – clergy only; $450 – clergy and non-clergy spouse
Scholarships are available for this conference.
Cost of Housing & Meals
Housing and meal rates are per person and include all charges for room and meals for the entire conference (Sunday supper-Friday boxed lunch. NO WEDNESDAY SUPPER). Additional charges will apply for any extended stay. Children 5-11: $66.50. Children under 5: no charge. No room charge for children under 12 in the same room with parent(s).
Assembly Inn
- Single, Private Bath $575.75
- Single, Connecting Bath $480.75
- Double, Private Bath $380.75 per person
- Double, Connecting Bath $355.75 per person
Reynolds Lodge
- Single, Hall Bath $330.75
- Double, Hall Bath $305.75 per person
Registration Information
Seminars begin Sunday, August 24, with check in, 3:30-5:30 PM, Assembly Inn Lobby (program begins at 7 PM). Seminars end Friday, August 29, with closing worship at 11 AM.
Limited enrollment. Please register early. Registrations for Week I must be postmarked by August 1 to be accepted. Registrations for Week II must be postmarked on or before July 7 to be accepted.
The dates listed above are required because of advance reading and papers which must be prepared before your attendance at the event. If you feel you can accomplish the work after the dates listed and before the event, please call for an exception: 800.572.2257, ext. 331.
Child care is not provided during this seminar.
If you would like conference information mailed to you via U.S. mail, please email carolo[at]montreat.org. Questions about the conference? Email Tracy Taylor at tracyt[at]montreat.org.
Cancellation Policy
Registrations and housing cancellations for Assembly Inn must be received by July 15 to receive a refund. The $100 deposit is completely non-refundable. All requests must be in writing and received via email, fax or US mail. Cancellations received by July 15 will receive a refund of all funds paid, minus the $100 deposit. Cancellations received between July 15 and August 15 will receive a 50% refund of conference fees and all payments made toward room and meals, minus a $40 service charge. No refunds will be issued after August 15.
Making Montreat affordable for church professionals, missionaries, and seminarians:
apply for the J. Randolph Taylor Fellows Program today!