Most transitions to part-time ministry are not well-planned in advance. Bishops, conference ministers and their counterparts have told me that most congregations just sort of fell into it. They pivoted, or panicked, when the money got so tight that a new model was urgently needed. That’s not entirely their fault. As noted above, congregations get bombarded with warnings to keep their full-time pastorate at all costs for as long as possible. They pray God will provide somehow for that full-time position to continue. Believing that planning for part-time would essentially mean giving up on the
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