Business as Usual

Currently I'm working with two churches; one a small, mostly Sr. Adult church and the other a First Baptist in a small town. Both are currently without a pastor. I'm serving as Interim pastor for one (the small church) and helping with pastoral ministries for the the other. The thing that I'm finding true in both is that they are striving to continue doing "business as usual" (whatever that means). They are missing a great opportunity to make some changes that have long been needed. I have a friend who often says, "The best time to make changes is when change is happening." The loss of a pastor is change. Obviously things will be done differently because those who remain have different gift sets, strengths and weaknesses. The key to adapting to the current situation is that someone or some group must step up and take responsibility for leading. That doesn't mean there should be a power struggle. Unless someone steps forward, it is very easy for a form of anarchy to arise. Every ministry, every group, and in some cases individuals, begin to "do their own thing" without regard for others.
One step in the right direction is to bring in an Intentional Interim pastor. That is an interim with training and experience in leading a church to make needed changes so that a new pastor will not have to struggle with some of the old entrenched modes of operation. In addition to preaching, teaching, and doing pastoral ministry, the I.I.M. helps the church identify strengths and weaknesses and find better ways of accomplishing their mandate as a church. Rather than rushing to get a warm body into the pulpit ASAP, the church can step back, analyze what they are doing, determine needed changes and put them in motion. That will help them also know the sort of pastor they need.
Business as usual is somewhat like the old adage "insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results".