Frequently Asked Questions

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For all pastors, time and energy become the elusive currencies that become depleted. When this is the case, his or her focus shifts from being with God to merely doing for God. 

Engaging in heartfelt conversations with pastors from churches of varying sizes, we've been deeply moved by the prevalent narratives that unfold. For pastors steering smaller congregations, the struggle is an emotional tug-of-war. "I'm doing everything I can to sustain my church, but the relentless pursuit of progress remains elusive."  

Pastors overseeing churches with one to six other staff members carry a different emotional weight. Their needs, though substantial, don't necessarily warrant the employment of another full-time staff member. "We are maintaining but need to increase our systems and processes." 

Shift Happens in the pastor and church when we partner with them, serving their vision and supporting it in whatever way they need. Then, a pastor can shift their focus from "some things" back to someone (God, others). 

We partner with you to help navigate transformative shifts in life and ministry. Throwing a template at you is not in your best interest. You want to work your way through whatever season you are in and whatever need you have. Let us get to know you so we can help determine what will not only work now, but also help you keep moving forward! 

More than consulting...we leverage our 22 years of experience working in churches to help you and your church. Our strength is understanding a pastor and church's vision and mission and connecting ministries and people to it. We focus on four areas:

• Speaking/Preaching - We are not evangelists - while we can come in and do a stand-alone Sunday, we love to support the pastor by taking a week of a series, tying in their heart for the church. Many pastors need a Sunday off and an experienced, trusted speaker!
• Discipleship - While discipleship has many forms, and we can certainly help with many of them, we focus on two elements: Small Groups and a four-week discipleship class. We work with churches to establish small group elements such as training leaders or content writing. Our customizable four-week new convert/attendee onboarding process is a fantastic element to help people understand the basics of faith and their church.  This includes group facilitator scripts and a participant packet. We can train people to run this or even run the four classes for you! 
• Operations - What if pastors had more time to focus on their relationship with God and others? A novel concept, right? Paying bills, creating, implementing, and staying on top of systems takes a lot of time. We can help with that! A church does not need a full-time staff member for all of this ;-) 
• A-La-Cart - What do you need, and how can we help? Let us know, and we'll work with you to figure it out!

Click here to learn about some things we have done in the past to offer this kind of support to ministries like yours through the above focus areas!

A fractional pastor is needed whether or not a church can afford our services. And what is needed should be done with heart and great intention! Shift Happens Partners either support through monthly giving or sponsorship (covering the cost for an element such as speaking one Sunday or the price for the four-week discipleship element for one church). 

Are you interested but have questions? 

We’d love to discuss further assisting pastors with their maxed-out capacity and demand. Contact us here.

Are you onboard and ready to partner with us? 

Click here to become a partner!

*Please know that we are an LLC now, and support is not tax-deductible. We are pursuing non-profit status.

Hi! We are Nick and Jill. We said "I Do" in 2000 (makes it easier for Nick to remember how long ;-) and have two kids, Kylah (young adult) and Tyler (middle teens). Since 2001, we have been able to serve pastors, leaders, and people through various positions in the church. We have also been involved with state and national ministries for over a decade. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 is our life and leadership verse: "We love you so much that we gave you not only God's Word but our very lives too." 

Working with people and ministries should include intentional relational and administrative excellence. We look forward to working hard and having fun partnering with you! See below for examples of how we can support you.