The alarm would wake me from a fitful night of sleep on the couch. I slept there frequently on Saturday nights so I wouldn't wake my family in the early morning when I left. In a few hours they would be worshiping at another church while I took my post in the pulpit of a church searching for a permanent pastor. I was serving as “the interim.” The interim pastor plays a pivotal role in the life of a congregation. As the word suggests, interim pastors are called to provide leadership during the time of transition, the interval, the gap, the in-between, the time that extends from the departure of one leader until the arrival of another. By definition an interim’s calling is short-term and intentionally temporary. While there are exceptions, most interims enter their role fully aware that their time of influence will be short-lived. While some sense a call to spend their entire ministry as an interim, I was not one of them. My offer to assist a church as an interim, ...