by Lim Soon Hock (15 Aug 2026)
The interim pastor or minister is a very much studied and well-developed practice in Western churches. Not so in Malaysia, and I suspect, in Asia. In my 40 odd years of church ministry I have not heard it being mentioned. When I started to research on the topic I was, however, surprised to find a dissertation on the internet by a Malaysian pastor on the interim ministry.1
By its simplest definition, an interim pastor is a minister who is engaged by a church after the departure of its previous pastor and before a new pastor arrives.2 By definition, the period of engagement of an interim is short—usually a year to two. His (or her) role is also defined by the place he stands in the timeline between two tenured pastors—to transit the church from the ministry and leadership of one pastor to the next.
Why Malaysian Churches Don’t Engage Interims
With the above understanding about the interim minister, let’s go back to the question, why isn’t it practised among Malaysian churches? The first and most obvious reason is because they don’t know that there is such a thing as an interim pastor. Engaging an interim would not have crossed their minds. They don’t know they need one and they don’t know what to look for.
Secondly, many evangelical churches in Malaysia, more so among the non-denominational type, are not heavily dependent on a full-time pastor or a Senior Pastor to lead the church. The group of lay-leaders can capably (albeit with the constraints of time) minister and lead the church.3
Thirdly, churches don’t perceive the transition period between tenured pastors as an opportunity to work on critical issues facing the church. The sad truth, from my personal experience and observation, is that most churches don’t believe they have any serious issues. If they do, they don’t want to deal with them. Much less, to engage someone from the outside to guide it through the process.
When Malaysian Churches Should Engage Interims
It would be right to say that not all churches going through a transition between two tenured pastors need to engage an interim for the intervening period. For example, when the succeeding pastor has already been identified, lay-leaders are able to carry out pastoral functions, there aren’t any issues that the church cannot effectively resolve itself, and the church is generally quite healthy and united.
However, many churches are far from that ideal condition. When such a church is without a pastor for a long or indefinite period it usually leads to a worsening of its condition. One answer is to engage an interim pastor to help the church through at least two basic issues.
One, to address any effects from the departure of the former pastor. The former pastor could very well be a beloved pastor whose departure is not due to any negative reason, but simply because he is retiring from full-time pastoral ministry. Nonetheless, the church might be experiencing grief as a result of the pastor’s retirement and/or anxiety about the future of the church.
If the departure of the former pastor is due to some issue like sin, conflict, or poor performance, there will be an even greater need for an interim. In such cases, the latter is needed to help the church deal with the residual effects of the former pastor’s departure, including the reason for and the way his tenure had been terminated. The goal of the interim is to bring healing and closure for the church.
Secondly, if a church has had a difficult experience arising from the departure of its former pastor, it may be ill-prepared to look for the next pastor. And I add, who is a right fit for the church. In another instance, a church might have been searching for a pastor for a long time, but without success. An interim can fill the ministry and leadership gap while guiding the church to search for and prepare it to receive its new pastor.
In an era when there is a short supply of full-time pastors, an interim might also be instrumental to raise up a full-time or bi-vocational pastor from within the church.
The above points are just two of the most basic reasons why and when a church needs to engage an interim pastor. We will look at other critical reasons in subsequent articles as we discuss the unique role of an intentional interim. I believe many churches in Malaysia could do with the services of a trained intentional interim and greatly benefit from his (or her) ministry.
Thank you, Soon Hock, for this thoughtful and timely article on the ministry of interim pastors.
I strongly agree that the period between the departure of one pastor and the arrival of another can be a significant season for a church—not merely a “waiting period”, but an important opportunity for pastoral care, healing, reflection, preparation and renewal.
From my own experience of ministry within the Sydney Anglican Diocese, I have seen the value of having a locum or interim minister serve a congregation when a minister leaves.
The locum provides continuity of worship and pastoral ministry while the church takes the necessary time to discern, through its appropriate pastoral search process, the person who will be called to serve as the next minister.
I believe this model can be particularly valuable because pastoral transitions can bring a mixture of emotions and challenges to a congregation. Even when a minister leaves under positive circumstances, there can be grief, uncertainty and questions about the future.
A wise and experienced interim minister can help the congregation navigate that transition with stability, prayer, pastoral sensitivity and hope.
The interim minister is not simply “keeping the church going” until the next pastor arrives. Rather, this can be a ministry of stewardship and preparation—helping the congregation remain spiritually healthy, caring for people pastorally, strengthening relationships, addressing issues where necessary, and preparing the church to receive its next pastor well.
I therefore appreciate your emphasis on the intentional nature of interim ministry.
Perhaps there is an opportunity for Malaysian and other Asian churches to explore and develop this model within their own cultural and ecclesial contexts. It could become a valuable ministry that strengthens both congregations and pastoral leadership.
Ultimately, every pastoral transition is an opportunity to remember that the Church belongs to Christ. Ministers come and go, but Christ remains the Shepherd and Head of His Church.
An interim season, when approached prayerfully and wisely, can therefore become not a season of uncertainty but a season of God’s preparation for what He has in store for the congregation.
Thank you again for raising this important subject. I hope this conversation will encourage more churches to see pastoral transitions positively and to consider how trained interim ministers can serve the Church with wisdom, humility and pastoral care.
Hi Rev Tay,
Thank you for your thoughtful response.
I hope the topic will gain traction. I’d like to see denominational leaders take it up; to raise and train a team of interims for their respective denominational churches. And for Bible schools to offer courses on it.
The operative words are “intentional” and “trained”. Interims need to be clear and focussed on the purpose of their role and they need to have specialised training to do an effective job.
I had served as interim minister for 2 Anglican churches here in Johor. One for 6 months and another 5 months. This is because both cases the minister had left, one retired and another moved out by the Bishop to another church.
The difficult one was the one during Covid. Attendance dropped drastically due to restrictions in travel. The other was a mature church with lay leaders in place.
I was well received as they saw me as someone there for them for a short time period. I like to think that in the short few months I fulfill a pastoral need, which include home, hospital visitation and even a home cleaning prayer meet.
Hi Rev Tan,
Thank you for your comment.
Is assigning an interim minister to a church without a tenured pastor a common practice in the Anglican Church in Malaysia?
I hope I can connect with you to learn from your experience and to hear your views on the subject.
Blessings,
SH Lim
I am sure it is a common practice in Anglican worldwide community.
If you need to speak to someone in the Anglican Diocese, I can assist you.
Shalom
I cannot say it is quite common. I will say it does happen just to fill in a short term vacancy. Sometimes, it is a senior minister from a nearby church that will be asked to help out. Since, the Anglican church is episcopal, the Bishop has the authority to direct one of the ministers to go and assist, unlike a congregational structure.
As in other denominations, there is a shortage of full time pastors/ministers so there will be gaps.
Unlike the congregational governance, the Lord’s Supper has to be conducted by the licensed minister. There are also stop-gap measure for a duly licensed lay leader to officiate in what we call the reserved communion.
Hi Rev Tan, thank you for the information. I’m seriously looking into helping experienced pastors move into the transition ministry as interim pastors. The role is more than just a fill-in for a church without a pastor or a stop gap measure to provide caretaker ministry for a church in-between tenured or long-term pastors. The interim ministry ought to be seen as a specialised ministry to help a church progress during a period of transition.
I think there is a place for interim pastors. In fact, if there is good chemistry between the church and the interim pastor, the interim pastor can become the next incoming pastor. Meanwhile , there is no pressure from either side to make the temporary measure permanent .
Hi Nehemiah,
Thank you for you comment. I very much appreciate it.
You made an interesting point about an interim becoming the next tenured pastor. Maybe I’ll discuss it in my next article.