Fastbreak: Managing Succession and Leadership Transition

This Fastbreak episode is all about pastoral succession and a simple checklist for church boards, leaders, and pastors. Every church will have to deal with leadership transition at some point—Dave makes the case for developing a timeline for challenging conversations to begin ahead of the event. The ongoing effectiveness of a church beyond a single generation is something all leaders must pay attention to…and address.

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Transcript

Welcome to the Elemental Leaders Fast Break Podcast, a quick download to jumpstart your leadership. Visit us at ElementalGroup.org for more resources and free downloads. 

Hey everyone, this is Dave Workman with the Elemental Group. If you're a leader and especially a pastor, are you future thinking? There's been a lot written about senior pastors' transition and succession, particularly as baby boomers are in the throes of figuring out what's next. I've been on both sides of transition, following a catalytic lead pastor, church planter, as well as turning over my senior pastor leadership to the next generation leader. The reality is, it's rarely easy because all of us carbon-based bipeds are complicated and easily blur the lines between what we do and who we are, no matter how integrated we think our psyches are. 

What's more, while boards and lead pastors either avoid or gingerly approach severances and finances, it's undeniably at the forefront of the outgoing pastor's concerns, no matter how much he or she may downplay it. Face it. Leadership change and how we process it can be complex. But as many of us have said for years, it's not about me. And as leaders we should add, it's about the kingdom and the effectiveness of this local expression. 

A few years back, the Hartford Institute did a study on senior pastors ten years. Their findings showed a diminishing spiritual vitality in churches as pastors grew older. The corollary was simple, the older the pastor, the more likely that worship has ceased to be creative or open to change and improvement. Or, as the report expressed it, "The older the senior pastor is and the longer at the church, the greater likelihood that the church will routinize and become less flexible within an ever-changing cultural context." 

Of course there are outliers, but that's just it. Outliers are not the norm for healthy effective churches. Any senior pastor worth their salt will want the best for the people they lead, no matter how difficult the decision. And the simple truth is that every church will have changes in leadership. It's unavoidable. But while there is no "one size fits all" approach, I think it's smart to take a step back first and think about some succession stages by decades. 

First things first, as a general rule of thumb, I think it's wise for pastors in their forties to make sure the church has a clear process on how the next pastor is selected. Is there a need for improvement or clarity in the bylaws or church constitution? What parts do the elders or board play? Is the pastor involved and to what extent? Is there a search team and how are they selected? Does the congregation or staff have a role? Is there a clear job description and profile? There may be dozens of different methods and approaches, but the point here is to make sure that everyone understands what the process is. 

In their fifties, it's ideal if a pastor has someone potentially identified. At some point during this time, it's wise to begin the conversation. We worked with one church that had been without a senior pastor for nearly a year after they they lost their senior pastor to a sudden retirement. They had a very strong contender in an associate pastor and the elders recognized him as the next senior pastor. Only one problem. They had never shared that with him. Their lack of conversation caused the potential leader to assume that they were not in line, and with his pastoral leadership clock ticking, he moved on to another church. 

The sixties are generally a good time to release leadership. It doesn't mean the senior pastor is quitting ministry per se, but rather is recognizing the need to create space for younger, empowered leaders. They see the organizational power of letting go of personal power, of releasing fresh energy into the organization they love. When succession is done well, the church looks forward to new challenges while honoring the past in a way that doesn't handicap the new leader. So how is your church handling succession? Have these earlier conversations taken place yet? 

Thanks for listening to this Fast Break podcast. Visit us at ElementalGroup.org for more resources and free downloads.