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What is AIPM?

It is a ministry designed to serve British churches. It was conceived in the Northern Baptist Association when it was realised that smaller churches without pastors could benefit from inviting an experienced American pastor or church leader to come over for from 6 to 12 months to preach and give pastoral leadership. The short-term pastors are mainly retired and seeking to offer their time, energies, and experience to a church that would otherwise not have such ministry. AIPM partners with Gateshead International Ministries (GIM) to deal with the legal and immigration issues.

It was soon realised that the scheme could be extended to supply Youth Workers as well, and 1 church in Spain has had our help with short-term pastors for 3 years.

Does it work?

Short-Term Pastors
With very few exceptions, yes it does! The American short-term pastors will come full of enthusiasm to share their faith in Jesus and make their time count for the Kingdom. They will be carefully briefed about British Baptist church life. The novelty of having an American delivering ministry has often proved to be a great stimulus to new ideas and forms of outreach. At the last count, short-term pastors had baptised some 44 believers.

Youth Workers
With very few exceptions, yes it does! AIPM youth workers typically serve for 3 to 24-months and come full of enthusiasm to share their faith in Jesus.

Thornaby's New Minister after 7 short-term pastors in 4-years

Here’s the testimony from one church chairperson:
“Thornaby Baptist Church was without a minister and unable to support one. We prayed and trusted God. We learned about volunteer short-term pastors from America. Initially, finding accommodation and transport seemed beyond our capabilities. But God met every need. What a wonderful experience we had. We journeyed with couples in love with God who sacrificed time away from family to work among us. They brought love, support, and encouragement and the blessings are still flowing. We discovered our gifts and how to use them for God’s glory. Today, we are strong in the Spirit and faithful to God’s calling and we are growing. God is so good. We will be forever grateful to Him and our American brothers and sisters.”

Maxine Wright, Church Chairperson

Here’s a testimony from one British pastor:
“Our church worked with AIPM for about 10 years. Six AIPM volunteer youth workers helped us grow our youth ministry in several ways such as Bible studies, youth events, mum’s and tot’s/music tots, and coffee shop outreach. They enabled us to grow our youth ministry and we now have a paid youth minister and a nursery school.”

David Barber, Pastor “New Life,” Kings Heath, Birmingham.

How are short-term pastors appointed?

Volunteers learn of AIPM from direct contacts, referrals and/or AIPM’s website. They then contact Chuck McComb for information. For those with an evangelical track record and who would also go down well in a British context, he arranges screening interviews, collects CV’s, character references, police checks and videos of a sermon and an interview. UK churches considering an American short-term pastor receive the available information, make shortlists, and are encouraged to conduct Zoom interviews. AIPM does not appoint short-term pastors to churches – the decision whether to call someone is entirely in the hands of the church.

What about Cost?

Like most, your church may not have huge financial resources! The financial and practical arrangements for hosting an AIPM pastor are not burdensome, but here is a simple checklist that should help you work out how costs are distributed and whether having a short-term pastor is within your reach.

Costs to the Church
  • 1

    The church reimburses transportation costs for the short-term pastor and spouse from home in the USA to the residence in the UK, including airline tickets.

  • 2
    The church will make a car available for work purposes, fully insured, with a current MOT and with repairs and petrol costs covered by the church.
  • 3

    The church will provide the short-term pastor(s) with furnished accommodation and will meet the cost of council tax, utility bills (water, gas, electric, landline telephone, and internet connectivity); the church will also provide a mobile phone for work use and cover its costs.

  • 4
    The church reimburses visa application fees (currently £259 per person for visas up to 2-years).
  • 5

    The church contributes £100 per annum toward the overheads of our partner agency, GIM (these include mandatory Employers Liability Insurance and the Home Office 5-year registration fee). The church will reimburse travel expenses for a visit by a GIM Trustee to check the short-term pastors’ documentation.

  • 6
    The church will reimburse GIM for the cost of any Certificates of Sponsorship required, currently £21.00 per certificate.
Costs to the short-term pastor
  • 1

    American short-term pastors receive no salary or any other form of remuneration and normally serve for six months.

  • 2
    They pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, currently £624 per person per annum.
  • 3
    They pay for all their everyday expenses, including food and other general living expenses.
  • 4
    They pay for all transportation not related to ministry, such as fuel when the church car is used for personal activities.
  • 5
    Any expense claims must be agreed with the church treasurer in advance.

How are Youth Workers appointed?

  1. AIPM conducts screening interviews, collects profiles, reference checks, police record checks, and videotapes of interviews of candidates.
  2. AIPM sends information on several candidates so the church can prepare a shortlist. The church then decides whether to contact any of the prospective youth workers, in which case they would conduct an interview with them (e.g., on Zoom) and then reach a decision about whether this person is the Lord’s choice for them.
  3. AIPM does not appoint youth workers to churches — the decision whether to call someone is entirely in the hands of the church.
  4. All Home Office requirements for visas are met. AIPM collects required details so that GIM is able to issue Certificates of Sponsorship. GIM is a registered sponsoring agency and is authorized to issue Certificates of Sponsorship. Certificates are used for visa applications.

What about Cost?

Like most, your church may not have huge financial resources! The financial and practical arrangements for hosting an AIPM pastor are not burdensome, but here is a simple checklist that should help you work out how costs are distributed and whether having an Interim is within your reach.

Costs to the Church
  • 1
    Accommodation and meals in a church members’ home.
  • 2

    Local transportation for ministry and a nominal living expenses allowance.

  • 3
    Certificate of Sponsorship fee, currently £21.
Costs to the AIPM Youth Worker
  • 1
    They receive no salary or any other form of remuneration and normally serve for 6-24 months.
  • 2
    They pay for airline tickets.
  • 3
    They pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, currently £624 per person per year.
  • 4

    They pay for visa application fees, currently $344.00.

About

AIPM’s Board of Directors

Our ministry began in April 2000 when Middlesbrough Baptist Church in Cambridge Road, Middlesbrough invited us to serve while they searched for a British pastor. The ministry was seen to be of value, and we were invited to serve at Thornaby Baptist Church in 2001. We sensed that God was calling us to continue the ministry and American Interim Pastors Ministries, Inc, incorporated as a 501c3 organization in 2003. Our initial Board of Directors were all members of Sagemont Baptist Church in Houston, TX.

From our Board, we have had 3 directors go to their rewards in heaven already. They are Dr. Labib Habashy, George Miller and Cecil Williams. Also, the full-time ministry workload of one director, Rev. John Wills, increased to the point that he had to resign. That has left us with 3 directors, Sharon Briley, Ken Bugh and Chuck McComb. Our small number notwithstanding, we feel that we are taking good care of God’s ministry and pray that it is so.

Chuck McComb

President

Chuck served Middlesbrough Baptist Church in 2000 where the idea of AIPM was conceived. He and Ken Bugh co-founded AIPM, Inc. in 2003. Chuck also served 2 assignments of 6-months each at Thornaby Baptist Church. Currently, he is caregiver for his wife, Pat, and actively working on AIPM issues.

Ken Bugh

Vice President

Ken served Thornaby Baptist Church in a 6-months assignment in 2002. He worked with Chuck doing the paperwork to get AIPM recognized as a 501c3 non-profit/tax exempt corporation. Ken has been pastor of Carriage Inn Church (non-denominational) at an assisted living facility in Huntsville, TX for 17-years.

Sharon Briley

Secretary/Treasurer

Sharon initially began helping AIPM as Assistant Treasurer. This led to her becoming Treasurer when Cecil Williams passed away. With the passing of George Miller, Sharon has undertaken the additional work of Corporate Secretary.

Real-life results

We generate results for U.K. Churches

“Thornaby Baptist Church was without a minister and unable to support one. We prayed and trusted God. We learned about volunteer short-term pastors from America. Initially, finding accommodation and transport seemed beyond our capabilities. But God met every need. What a wonderful experience we had. We journeyed with couples in love with God who sacrificed time away from family to work among us. They brought love, support, and encouragement and the blessings are still flowing. We discovered our gifts and how to use them for God’s glory. Today, we are strong in the Spirit and faithful to God’s calling and we are growing. God is so good. We will be forever grateful to Him and our American brothers and sisters.”

Maxine Wright, Church Chairperson

“I would like to write a brief word of commendation for the work of AIPM. I know that a number of churches in the East Midlands Association have benefited hugely from partnership with AIPM in the past, and I am really pleased that following the Corona pandemic and new regulations following Brexit, this exciting ministry is once again up and running. I very much hope to see more of our churches taking advantage of this opportunity in the future.”

Rev. Mark Clay, East Midlands Baptist Assoc.

“Short-term pastors and youth workers have been such a blessing to our churches. They have adjusted to different contexts, and under God, they have been the right people in the right places at the right time. In different places, they have brought new vision, encouragement, renewed commitment to mission, healing of hurts, and spiritual renewal. They have proved to be adaptable and hardworking, always leaving a deep impression of warm fellowship where they have served.”

Rev. Dr. John Claydon, NBA Regional Minister 2002 to 2021

A Layman’s View of the Imminent Baby Boomer Retirement Era

Baby Boomers are both an opportunity and a challenge for churches. I’ll let others address the challenge. I want to speak about the opportunity. The opportunity is that baby boomers potentially make up a very large resource pool for church work. My wife, Jan, and I were born at the leading edge of the baby boomer period, and we are keenly interested in seeing the church thrive. We would like to tell our story.

I had a 31-year career in the chemical industry and served my church as deacon, children’s Sunday school teacher, minister to widows, and director of our boys’ missions organization. After early retirement, I went back to work for several years as a contractor, engineering capital improvements in chemical plants. It occurred to me that I could keep working and putting money in the bank, or I could be more actively involved in the Lord’s work. I chose the latter. I left the best-paying job I ever had to volunteer for the Lord, and we have not looked back.

A few years after retirement, Jan and I learned about American Interim Pastor Ministries’ volunteer work in small British Baptist churches. We learned that AIPM were looking for both retired pastors and God-called lay people. I felt that the church work that I had done during my industrial career might prepare me to serve as a volunteer short-term pastor.

John & Jan Ward, Lake Jackson, TX

Jan’s work over those same years as a teacher of children and later as a paid church Children’s Minister also prepared her for our new venture.

As I served as short-term pastor in 4 UK churches for 6-months each and served 1 of those churches twice for a total of 5 assignments, Jan and I got to stretch ourselves in ways we could never have imagined. I went from the engineer’s world of numbers, chemicals and machinery to the responsibility and joy of being a pastor. A highpoint of our ministry was a baptismal service in St. Paul’s Baptist church in Skegness. Jan got to use her experience with children in our assignments. We were pleased to learn that forty years of teaching and serving had prepared us well.

Jan and I were very well received and blessed by our British church families! We made life-long friends and we stay in touch with a good number of those dear people. This has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding periods in our lives.