Do you need help

​with guest speaking,

short-term fill-in ministry,
​​
or long-term interim ministry?

I am a pastor with 20+ years’ experience,

with excellent speaking

and administrative skills,

who loves to disciple others

and lead them in prayer,

​able to meet your short-,

​mid-, and long-term needs.

Is your church facing any of these situations? If so, you could be at risk of losing members, having difficulty hiring a new pastor, or facing new challenges when you do hire a new pastor.

• You are in between pastors and would like some week-to-week continuity in the pulpit.

 

• Your current pastor is on sabbatical and you’d like pastoral consistency while he or she is gone.

 

• You are without a pastor and need to do some visioning before hiring a new pastor to help the church know what kind of church it is.

 

• You have been through some trauma or difficulty as a church and are in no rush to hire a new pastor but would like a “steady hand” to help guide the church on an interim basis.

 

• You are a small church who cannot afford a full-time pastor but would like a familiar face to be with the church.

I’m Jeremy Hoover.

​My family and I live in Sarnia, Ontario.

​I’d love to help you.

I’ve been a pastor for more than twenty years.

In that time, I’ve worked with four different churches in Michigan and Ontario.

• I began as a youth minister, developing a youth group from scratch. I created an innovative, rotational-style kids’ program for the Wednesday night youth program, had the teen group over to our house for boardgames, and taught the youth how to read the Bible and pray for spiritual growth.

• I worked as an associate minister and developed a brand-new small groups ministry. I wrote the curriculum, recruited and trained group leaders, and cast vision for the program with the church. 

• I worked with another church as the senior minister, helping them heal after some painful trauma by focusing on God’s peace and building relationships and community through small groups.

• In my two most recent churches, I preached and taught weekly, led men’s ministry and mentoring groups, focused on discipleship, and mentored others in prayer. These became my primary ministry foci.  

In 2019, we moved to Sarnia to begin an incarnational church plant in our neighbourhood. Our goal is to be a blessing in our neighbourhood. 

Probably like you, our momentum was slowed down by Covid-19 and the various restrictions we had to work through while that virus ran through the population. As a result, our church plant has taken on a more relaxed vibe. 

While we are busy with that ministry, it doesn’t currently take up my time on Sundays, and I’m free and available to help out other churches in need. 

And the good news is–when you hire me to help you, your payment goes to help spread the gospel here in Sarnia!

Here’s what I offer

• I can preach and teach for you. Preaching samples are here, so you can listen and see if my style would be a good fit for your church. I can preach only, or I can preach and teach a Bible class the same Sunday morning.

• I can lead a prayer meeting for your church. When I do this, I prefer to come in on Saturday and lead the prayer meeting on Saturday night. That way, I’m also available on Sunday morning for preaching and teaching.

• I can provide pastoral care for your church members. This can be done during the week, if we can arrange it, or on the weekend when I am with your church. I am also open to pastoral care by distance via the phone or video (i.e., Zoom).

• I can lead a retreat for staff, church leaders, or the church. Often, a weekend away is just what a church staff or leadership group needs to refresh and refocus on the right things.

• I can teach staff or church leaders how to more effectively lead the church in prayer. Prayer has become a vital part of my ministry and it is one of my true joys to lead others in prayer and to lead prayer meetings for churches. 

• I can help staff or church leaders learn how to better communicate with their church. I have spent many years thinking about digital communication and theories behind what we share with our churches and how. I would love to share that with you and help you avoid the accusations of “lack of transparency” and “unapproachability” that many church leaders face.

• I can consult with church leaders, using my coaching training to help the church leaders learn their values and align their activities with their values. I’ve been certified in coaching. This kind of coaching does not diagnose for the client, but supportively helps the client (you) assess their own needs and develop their own plans. The coach remains present to help the client walk through any challenges that come from or during implementation.

• I can consult with churches to help them strategize for their next phase of church life or their next pastor. I’d love to have a conversation with you over a weekend, or over a longer period, that helps you think through the kind of church you want to be and are, where you want to go, and how you can get there. 

We can agree to work together in a number of different ways

• Month-to-month. While I’m available to work with you on a one-shot, per-week basis, I’d much rather partner together with you and work with you for at least a month. This can include any of my above offerings, ranging from me coming in just to preach every week, to preaching plus some pastoral care, to pastoral care only, to the whole package–whatever you’d like or need. 

• Six month term. I can provide pastoral services to you for the short-term. We can negotiate this however you’d like–it can be as little as a weekly lesson to me being present in the church office through the week and providing pastoral care, leadership training, and consulting.

• Twelve month term. This option is the same as the six month term, although here we can make allowances for either side to exit the agreement with a reasonable notice. I envision that you might retain me and my services for twelve months but within time be ready to move on to a new, full-time pastor. We will provide for that eventuality.

• Special packages. In each of these agreements, we can also negotiate for a special package–some combination of consulting, a retreat, leadership or discipleship training, or prayer mentoring and leadership. We can work together to best discover your church’s needs and create the most helpful package for your church.

What will this cost?

We can negotiate all of this based on your needs and what services you would like me to serve your church with. Once our negotiation is complete, we will sign a letter of intent (or a contract) together, just so both sides are clear about expectations. I want you to be as happy and fulfilled with this arrangement as I will be!

In addition to payment for services, I would also expect reimbursement for necessary travel and reasonable meals and accommodations while I am working with you. If I am coming in for a weekend or less, I am more than happy to stay with church members. Any longer, and my stay would include a hotel room, a private room at a church member’s house, or the use of a church parsonage, if it’s available. 

Why should we consider this?

Being without a pastor can be difficult for a church. No matter whether we like it or agree with it, church members look to their pastor as a central figure that brings them comfort. The pastor becomes a “known person,” and their presence helps church members.

Because of this, and because many churches struggle and even lose some members while they are in between pastors, some churches will rush their hiring process to close this gap. Sometimes it works out well for the church, but just as often, it doesn’t. When a pastor has a short tenure, the church is left to scramble, often going through the same church disarray and hiring challenges over and over again.

Since you can negotiate with me on the actual services you need, you do not need to rush into hiring a pastor. 

• If your church has gifted shepherds but needs help with preaching, I can provide that. 

• If your church has someone on staff who can handle the teaching but you’d like to re-vision who you are as a church, I can help with that piece.

• If you need a full slate of pastoral services but are reluctant to hire a full-time pastor (for whatever reason), I can help with that in the short- to mid-term as well.

Interim ministry provides you with the time, space, and conversation partner (me) you need to think long and deep about your church’s future, without rushing to a quick decision.

How can we start?

If  you’re interested in talking further, please fill out this form and I will be in touch with you. As a gift for taking interest in my ministry, I will send you a free PDF of my workbook for churches, Church-Building: 14 Moves to a Healthier Church. This workbook will give you further insight into how I think and how I can help your church.