The first days and months of a new pastor can require a major adjustment for all involved. Brett Hoover, an associate professor of practical/pastoral theology at Loyola Marymount University, told America that pastors should keep several things in mind when taking on a role at a new parish. He pointed especially to the need to take into account the differing viewpoints of church leadership and parishioners. He said that the leadership has a “much bigger kind of chessboard,” to deal with—for example, they must take a broader view of dioceses, particularly how the scarce resource of priests is distributed—while parishioners are, understandably, focused on their smaller communities.
Source: America
A Year in the Life of a Parish in Transition