Preaching to help develop trust between congregants and the pastor in a time of pastoral transition

Pastoral transitions in churches sometimes lead to dysfunctional relationships between the people and the pastor caused by a lack of trust between them. Often these trust issues stem from past experiences during transitions in the life of the church and/or the pastor. This thesis documents ways in which preaching can be utilized as a tool to help develop trust between congregants and the preacher during a time of transition. It calls on the preacher to make intentional efforts to develop sermons that contextualize the biblical text to offer pastoral care to congregants and invite trust between the pastor and the people, arising from trust in God.