What is Interim Ministry?
Supporting church leaders with the skills, tools and confidence to lead change
CHURCHES FACING PERIODS OF TRANSITION need confident and well-equipped leadership. Below are details of Interim Ministry (IM) training, including the resources and opportunities available.
What is Interim Ministry
Interim Ministry is about church transformation. It supports parishes through periods of change, helping them adapt to new circumstances and discern positive, realistic and fruitful ways forward.
An Interim Minister is a fixed-term strategic appointment who guides a parish through a collaborative process of review and reflection. This includes exploring its current reality, history, identity and mission, while helping the congregation discern a vision for the future.
Interim Ministry has been developing within the Church of England for around 25 years, with significant growth since 2015. Today, around 50 Interim Ministers are appointed across the Church each year.
As the practice continues to evolve, the Church Support Hub is creating a dedicated space for learning, collaboration and the sharing of best practice in Interim Ministry.
This work forms part of the Centre for IM, based at Cranmer Hall, Durham, and is funded by the Church of England’s RMF Innovations Fund.
Training
What training are we offering?
The Centre for IM, Cranmer Hall, is developing Training for Transition, a modular training programme for Interim Ministry, offering online and in-person training.
Training for Transition will offer about 28-hours of part-time training, including webinars on the theory of IM or ‘Core Skills’; with a three-day programme (online and in-person) of practical skills and tools or ‘Process skills’. Training will be fully subsidised for the first 12-months. IM Participants will be connected for collaborative learning.
To find out more join us for one of the online sessions:
Monday 19 October 2026
Thursday 22 October 2026
The first skills training webinar, Managing Change and Transition in Church, will be on 17 November 2026, 2.30-5.30pm. Booking link to follow soon.
We are exploring in-person training in February 2027. Register your interest at [email protected].
How this might be of interest to church leaders
Training for Transition offers skills, tools and practices to lead change in parishes, which are largely unavailable through other forms of ministry training.
This training will help IM understand change and transition and how to lead in times of uncertainty, when anxiety may be running high. It is an opportunity to explore the theological and biblical basis of IM, and learn how to lead not just practical, but spiritual transition.
Participants will:
- Learn tried and tested processes and tools which have evolved through 50+ years of IM worldwide, and how to adapt these for different contexts.
- Learn how to lead collaboratively and build up lay and community engagement.
- How to manage challenges, conflict and difficult situations.
- How to try to build prayerful stability in their own lives so they can be a ‘non-anxious presence’ for others.
This training will bring IM practitioners into an established community of practice which has been developing in the Church of England for over a decade. This network offers know-how, strength and pastoral support.
IM requires resilience, the right skills and a vocation to bring God’s change – without adequate preparation and training it can be stressful and risk wellbeing.
Training for Transition offers a route map for leading change in uncertain times and a community of fellow travellers to journey with.
Get in touch
Contact the Interim Ministry directly or to find out more information see the IM resources hub.
