Should I stay or should I go? Not just a Clash song.
A common question from pastors during a succession season
631 words - 2 minutes
This is part 1 of a series on an important question arising over the past 20 years…
Ninety (90%) of my client work is with large churches helping them plan for Senior Pastor Succession and transition seasons.
Now that I have had over 50 clients, counseled several hundred churches, and spoken with over 400 lead pastors that followed a long-term leader, I have arrived at some thoughts, and developed over 150 tools, helps, and process pieces to help leaders make crucial decisions.
(Photo by Jim Romero on Unsplash)
The clients I most frequently serve are led by founders/near founders, have led for a long season, and the church looks completely different from when they arrived on the scene. I call these pathbreaker pastors.
While the prime leader is only part of the equation, they are the starting point. The client is the church, however. The ultimate health of the whole congregational system is the priority for decision-making.
Succession is the intentional transfer of power, leadership, and authority from one primary leader to the next.
But that means it must be transferred FROM one leader TO the next.
But a question often comes from these pathbreaker pastors – Should I stay here at the church in some way, or should I go?
The Way It Used to Be
It wasn’t that long ago that after a person had served a church for many years and was retiring, they were expected to leave the church and community so that the next leader would not have a long shadow cast over them.
In some traditions and tribes, this was the mandatory rule their sending or denominational body placed on them.
If a pastor did stay in the area, perhaps they were given an emeritus title, but even then, they were expected to be noninvolved in the church where they formerly served.
These practices were considered the “best practice” and “state of the art.”
Sure – there were some exceptions one could find, especially in family-led leadership cultures.
Geography also played a part. I observed that 50 years ago, some city pastors retired to the country, and country pastors went to the city.
The past mobility of pastors also had a part in the thinking. Many pastors of larger churches had served in three to five other churches in a region before assuming leadership of an existing larger church. If there were roots anywhere, it was “back home” in their hometowns, not where they were currently serving at retirement age.
Mobility trends and more frequent switching by pastors and congregations of their pastors fed some of the natural thinking that “leave” was the preferred option.
But now
We have a different context in larger churches.
First, many of the larger churches were planted by the current pastor. The identity of the church is closely aligned with that leader.
Second, those that did not plant but led the church to become large stayed and served for many decades in this place of service.
Both trends tended to benefit the church’s growth and stability over time.
With that long service in the same place, deeper roots were put down, regardless of urban/suburban/exurban locations.
Many children of the pastors started their own families and remain in the general region, if not the same church. This is a strong disincentive for a pastor to “leave.”
Relationships with friends, community organizations, health providers, recreational enjoyments and other pastors are solid and enduring, and many families do not want to be untied from these life pleasures.
Exceptions
The denomination insists, and you do not wish to return your ordination papers.
The kids and grands live elsewhere, and you really want to be close to them.
You live in a colder climate, and you are sick of it!
You live in a hot climate and want to get somewhere more comfortable!
More after the advertizing
12, no 13 Questions To Guide Your Succession Thinking
After working with over 400 churches – churches in transition, pastors that led through succession planning, and successor pastors – I have found 13 critical questions that must be asked and answered by every larger church in this process.
On September 7, at noon ET, I will share those with everyone attending a unique, registration-only webinar.
Whether you are five years or five months away from this crucible moment at your church, you need to understand the right questions to develop the answers that fit your church and situation.
Assorted freebies for attenders after the session.
In part 2, I will get into the “GO” reasons and why many leaders choose this option. Look for it soon.
This is a more extended series; stay with it for the complete thinking tools.
Or schedule a FREE, private consultation call to talk about your own situation.
I do several a month with folks just like you.