Two years is too long for a congregation to be without stable leadership. Interim pastors help fill this gap, but there must be a better way.
As a trained, experienced, and successful interim pastor I have helped congregations discern where God might lead them and pastoral leadership characteristics to support that future. But have come to doubt many assumptions for mandating this process for every congregation.
By applying systems engineering principles to pastoral transitions I have discerned a different process. You can get a free electronic version of my article, Healthy Pastoral Transitions: A process for congregational leadership, at: http://smashwords.com/b/156850