The EPA Transition Workshop for New Pastoral Appointments, to help churches receive new pastors, will be offered twice, May 4, at 7:00 p.m., and May 6, at 9:00 a.m., both via Zoom.
Each participating church should form a transition team to attend the workshop, where they will learn expectations and how they and the transitioning pastors can cooperate to provide a healthy, smooth transition. Each outgoing pastor is responsible for convening the church transition team and registering their team by May 2.
In addition to the outgoing and incoming pastors, the following individuals or someone representing these individuals should be present:
- Church Council Chairperson
- Staff Parish Relations Committee Chairperson
- Lay Leader
- Up to two other persons from the congregation that you believe need to be present for such an important workshop
Each team only needs to attend one of these dates. The full transition team does not need to attend on the same day, but all members of the team should attend one of the workshops offered.
At this workshop, church transition leaders will learn:
- How the church, the outgoing pastor, and the incoming pastor can work together to provide a health and smooth transition.
- What is normal during a season of transition and what is not normal
- The do’s and don’ts of pastoral transitions
- What are the expectations of the church and the outgoing pastor during the months of May and June
- What are the expectations of the church and incoming pastor for the first 18 months
- How can the church and the incoming pastor work together to set goals for six months and one year and clarify expectations.
Once you register, you will receive two emails. The first will be a confirmation email. The second email will be a reminder two days prior to the workshop and will contain the Zoom link information. Please distribute this Zoom information to the members of your team.
In preparation for this workshop, please ensure your transition team reviews the resources available here, specifically the videos.