A number of years ago I was having a conversation with a pastor about his desire to retire soon. So I asked him, “What is your exit strategy?” He looked at me with the deer in the headlights expression. “What do you mean my exit strategy?” We talked about what it might look like to strategically and intentionally prepare the church and himself for the next season of ministry and retirement.
It is vital as a pastor to think and act strategically. Someone once said that clarity isn’t everything but clarity changes everything. We must be clear about the direction and future of the church we are pastoring. Having an exit strategy or succession plan is vital for a church to embrace the next chapter of ministry.
Succession planning is biblical. Consider Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus and His Apostles, Paul and Timothy. God has raised up leaders in our churches who are positioned to step into leadership roles. One can make the case that every ministry leader and ministry role needs a succession plan.
Every ministry role in the local church is an interim role and every leader is not successful until they have developed at least one successor.
Eph. 4:11-16; II Tim. 2:2
All of the people involved in a succession plan must be immersed in prayer and yielding to the Holy Spirit because God often takes this process in unusual ways. Humility and a servant spirit are critical for a healthy succession plan.
All of the people involved in a succession plan must be immersed in prayer and yielding to the Holy Spirit because God often takes this process in unusual ways.
Pastors and church leaders are afraid to talk about this for a variety of reasons because they think:
- “If I talk about the pastoral transition, I might put the idea in someone’s head and make it more likely to happen sooner than I am ready.”
- “I will create a lame-duck situation in which effective ministry becomes impossible.”
- “My peers won’t support me in doing it a different way and I am not sure I want to be a pioneer on the road of better pastoral transition.”
- “A discussion about pastoral transition might have unintended consequences that I do not know how to manage.”
- “The church does not have the resources to deal with transition planning and be successful.”
Jesus modeled this for us. He rarely did the work of the ministry by Himself. When Jesus ministered to people, His disciples were nearby. He was implementing His succession plan by investing in them.
Leadership development is both an art and science when we talk about a succession plan.
It is both poetry and plumbing.
Most leaders are good at casting vision and cultivating conviction to engage people in their church’s mission, but many fail to ensure those they lead are equipped to carry it out.
Succession happens when your people are engaged by the mission, equipped to do it, accept the responsibility, and are empowered to carry it out.
Jesus modeled this for us. He rarely did the work of the ministry by Himself. When Jesus ministered to people, His disciples were nearby. He was implementing His succession plan by investing in them.
Succession is not about replacement but about reproduction. Succession planning focuses on leadership reproduction over leadership replacement and leads with a proactive posture, not a reactive one. Succession Planning is not easy and is often pushed to the back burner.
However, not having a succession plan can result in:
- Lack of clarity about your church’s direction
- Decline of the church’s impact in the community
- Anxiety among key leaders and staff
- Decreased motivation and morale
- Inability to respond to opportunities in a timely manner
- Loss of critical knowledge causing confusion
Understand that every decision has a destination. When you decide to implement a Succession Plan, that has a desired destination. In the same way, when you choose not to implement a Succession Plan that too has a destination.
Benefits of Succession Strategy
- Communicates to the entire church a clear sense of direction
- Shows key leaders where the church is going
- Provides a process to ensure critical knowledge is transferred
- Allows horizontal movement across the church with little disruption
- Identifies leadership opportunities for high potential/capacity leaders
Common Denominators
- The process will be messy
- Your process will be unpredictable in ways that predecessors and successors and leadership teams do not fully anticipate.
- (Both positive and negative)
- It won’t take the amount of time you think. Some take longer and others move more quickly.
- Do not hire the opposite of the predecessor.
- Do not “settle” for the calling of convenience. You must be strategic and intentional. Often the current pastor just wants to get it done so he can move on. Fight against this.
What Does Healthy Succession Involve?
Church Endorsement/Leadership Engaged
The objective would be at minimum to have the discussion of what plan would be implemented in the event of the immediate departure of the senior pastor or an anticipated departure. Emphasis is on presenting a plan in writing to encourage clarity and continuity as a template for future internal changes.
Second, a pastoral succession plan will greatly benefit with the input and support of the senior pastor. The pastor should have an opportunity to engage in conversation, assessment, and selection of a succeeding candidate. This is particularly true if the pastor has served the congregation well and the church is in a relatively healthy position.
Church-wide team participation is critical for the success of a true pastoral succession. Open and honest discussions should be held with key leaders within the congregation and with the church congregation as a whole.
Third, a dynamic pastoral succession plan must be presented as a positive action versus a sad occasion. The emotional baggage associated with change is inevitable. Although change is inevitable, the level of uncertainty that accompanies change may be minimized by effective planning and communication. A good transition plan helps churches see clearly through the process of change.
A deliberate succession pastoral succession plan should be willing to explore new territory that moves beyond the boundaries of tradition, church culture, and ethnic/cultural constructs. There are some traditions that give thought to the belief that a senior pastor should serve until death (Or the church kills him ☺). One must not concentrate on merely what has been done in the past. There must be a casting forth of visionary perspective of what God desires to reveal in the future of both the ministry of the predecessor and the ministry of the church under the successor.
Transition is difficult, heart-wrenching, and carries an element of tension as the process evolves. This should be expected and anticipated. The transparency and openness of the transitioning team provides a model that is replicable and appreciated by those that seek to experience the benefit of healthy planning and pastoral transition.
Do not forget to celebrate the retiring pastor and the new opportunities in the future. We must choose to intentionally celebrate all God is doing especially the future leader and legacy that continues.
Bill Lighty Regional Director for the Pikes Peak Baptist Association
Sources:
Planned Pastoral Transitions Lead to Better Outcomes, Barna Research, March, 2022
Succession, Noel Tichy, Penguin Group, 2014
