Clergy considering a new call, and congregations calling a new pastor, often grapple with strong emotions as they seek to clarify role expectations and foster spiritual growth. Learn how to recognize and manage your pressure points and grace-filled possibilities.

LEADERSHIP : Clergy  : New Pastorate 

A Change of Pastors . . . And How It Affects Change in the Congregation (Book)
Loren B. Mead, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2005.
Loren Mead explains ways that clergy can work with the church during their exit from old ministry settings and entrance into new settings. Revising an earlier work (A Critical Moment in Ministry), Mead addresses current issues.

A New Beginning for Pastors and Congregations: Building an Excellent Match Upon Your Shared Strengths (Book)
Kennon L. Callahan, Author.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1999.
Author and consultant Kennon Callahan targets the first three months of a new pastorate. This book is directive and specific, with detailed, supportive suggestions.

New Beginnings: A Pastorate Start-Up Workbook (Book)
Roy M. Oswald, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 1989.
Urging pastors to examine the emotions that they and their families bring to the moving experience, this workbook offers helpful materials for pastors who are preparing to move and determined to make their move a faithful and healthy one.

Open Secrets: A Memoir of Faith and Discovery (Book)
Richard Lischer, Author.  New York, NY: Broadway Books, 2002.
Richard Lischer paints a touching and grace-filled portrait of his beginning years in small town parish ministry. Through each of his experiences (which he relays with insight and wit), he learns about himself, the people he serves, and God.

Ten Commandments for Pastors New to a Congregation (Book)
Lawrence W. Farris, Author.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2003.
Though written primarily for pastors entering a new church, this text provides useful advice for all pastors in the areas of professional focus, role identity, pastoral care, and self-care.

Beginning Ministry Together: The Alban Handbook for Clergy Transitions (Book)
Roy M. Oswald, James M. Heath, Ann W. Heath, Authors.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2003.
Beginning Ministry Together looks in detail at how to effectively navigate the transition that begins after a pastor announces he or she is leaving and continues through the hiring and adjustment of the new pastor.

The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions (Book)
Carolyn Weese, J. Russell Crabtree, Authors.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004.
This book is full of practical advice on the roles and responsibilities of key players as a church concentrates on finding a new pastor. It emphasizes strategic planning, church culture, and developing a transition strategy that honors the congregation.

Ending Well, Starting Strong (Media)
Produced by Roy M. Oswald.  Distributed by Alban Institute. 
This audiocassette presentation of a two-day workshop explores the issues pastors face when leaving one pastorate and going to another.

Faithful to the Call: Reflections on Excellence in Ministry (Web Resource)
This report from the Fund for Theological Education addresses "what excellent ministry looks like and what gets in the way." It will especially benefit those considering a call to ordained ministry and those who mentor others.

How to Get Along with Your Church: Creating Cultural Capital for Doing Ministry (Book)
George B. Thompson, Author.  Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2001.
George Thompson argues that the success of a pastor’s ministry in and with a local congregation may largely be determined by how sensitive (and sensible) he or she is to that church’s culture.

Letters to Lee: Mentoring the New Minister (Book)
Paul C. Clayton, Author.  Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 1999.
Constructed as a series of advisory letters to a novice in his first congregation, Letters to Lee addresses many practical concerns encountered during the early months of professional ministry.