Having served in several interim pastoral roles, the Rev. Heidi Bolt is well versed in transition. The Salem, Oregon resident is bringing these skills to her new role as the Presbyterian Foundation’s Ministry Relations Officer for the Northwest Region.

“One of the things we’ve been noticing is that financial sustainability and rethinking stewardship and fundraising has been a big need,” said Bolt, who has also taught classes on transitional ministry as part of a team at Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center. “We’ve been training new transitional pastors in how to help churches in that financial space.”

Fundraising and beyond

Bolt, whose undergraduate major at the University of Puget Sound was in business, worked in fundraising for a few years after college.

Then, serving with the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan from 1999 to 2001 gave her a chance to reflect on what mattered most. Spending time with Scripture, thinking theologically, seeing students make connections and being with people at key moments in their lives brought great fulfillment.

Bolt returned to fundraising after her Peace Corps stint, but something had shifted.

“I just felt this continued calling to service. A calling specifically to service in the church got ignited in the Peace Corps. I thought: I can keep doing these fundraising jobs and volunteering my time at church, or maybe there’s another calling here,” she said.

“I have found that being a Teaching Elder within the PC(USA) has allowed me to live out the calling I first felt when I was in the Peace Corps.”

Bolt earned her Master of Divinity degree at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to the interim work, she has previously served with husband Greg as co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Red Wing, Minn.

Helping churches discern

At the same time, she was Committee on Ministry coordinator for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area.

“I was helping churches in transition a lot,” she said. “I really enjoyed that work and being a resource for congregations that were asking: Our pastor left; what’s next? How do we find the next person? How do we do this work?”

The couple moved from Minnesota back to Oregon for her husband’s call in Salem. “It was a return home for me and a place we both loved,” said Bolt, a native of Philomath, Oregon.

Each interim position, in addition to insights on transition, provided a close-up look at the financial realities faced by PCUSA churches.

“I think coming out of COVID and in the current church landscape, churches are having to re-evaluate their use of space and their fundraising strategies in terms of relying on pledges, how they think about legacy giving and all of that. As an interim, I’ve had the chance to walk with several congregations intimately through how they begin to discern and answer those questions,” she said. “I’ve been able to help churches think about use of space, such as inviting rental opportunities. Or thinking about yearlong stewardship versus one campaign in the fall.”

If churches are going to continue and thrive, Bolt said, it’s important to tackle those issues.

“I’m excited to be able to, with the Foundation, help more churches have some of those hard conversations and tackle some of those difficult decisions,” she said.

A partner in ministry

Bolt especially wants people engaged in busy ministries to know that the Foundation is here to help. She’s looking forward to visiting churches and presbyteries in the Northwest Region: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

“There are a lot of folks who have forgotten that the Foundation is here as their partner, and we have some great tools that are responsive to where the church finds itself,” Bolt said. “We’re walking this journey with you.”

Bolt’s journey also includes two teenagers, daughter Sophia and son Thaddeus; as well as a cat and a dog. She’s also close to finishing her D.Min at Claremont School of Theology.

“Life is full,” she said. “I’m excited to take on this new opportunity to work with churches and ministries, and looking forward making lots of new connections.”