That's not a light at the end of the tunnel. That's a train!
The other side of the succession track
980 words - 4 minutes of reading time
In my last article, I covered a preview of my succession metaphor outline used to explain to a pastor and board the vital elements of Pastor Smart Succession.
The picture is a railway track with the actual tracks, crossties, roadbed, or ballast. Go back and view it here.
To remind you: The two tracks are the outgoing pastor and the incoming pastor. Multiple crosstie elements help keep those tracks in place. (I cover those in presentations to interested parties.) And there is the hard roadbed which are the activities used to support the emotional process of the journey.
Here is another diagram I use:
The idea comes from the late William Bridges, author of Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change.
The diagram reflects the three emotional states we must journey through to enable change. We need good endings, then productive neutral zones that lead us to new beginnings.
The last article described one side of the track that is the outgoing pastor track. The other side of the track is the incoming pastor track. The congregation is the train running on these tracks. Some trains are heavy and some are lighter, but they all need to keep moving.
Both tracks are needed. This is true even when we think we know who will be selected as the next leader, such as the case of an internal candidate.
The three-track parts for outgoing pastor were Acceptance, Reformulation, and Celebration and Release.
The three-track parts for the incoming pastor are Profile, Search, and Onboarding Process. Each of the segments/parts uses some proprietary tools. Let’s start with Profile.
The PROFILE is developing the specific Profile of the NEXT lead pastor we are seeking. Most often, that looks different than the last time the church sought a lead pastor.
In the Pastor Smart Succession Process, we use multiple tools to help a congregation do this. These tools include running various focus groups with structured input tools to help individuals articulate well the current leadership situation and the desired future leader expectations.
The proprietary pictures and cards tools help participants prioritize specific roles the next leader must play to succeed in the next chapter of ministry.
As people leave that exercise there is often a comment like: “This was the most enjoyable way to give input and hear from fellow church leaders.”
We also help the team develop a congregational and community profile to describe the situation well for any candidate. This process is just as needed for internal candidates as external candidates.
I actually call the tool the PRFile - because it is about Public Relations as well as a profile.
The second track is SEARCH.
Remember – SUCCESSION IS DIFFERENT FROM SEARCH. Succession focuses on the outgoing pastor and congregation. Search is focused more on finding the right candidate to lead in the future.
About half the congregations I serve use a search firm. I have several friends in that business, and I highly value their contribution to the process. The other half develop and deploy internal teams that can do the work themselves.
Looking back over my clients, I see no difference in ultimate outcomes. It is a congregational preference and willingness to dedicate themselves to work either way that makes the difference.
For internal candidates, we use a structured leadership evaluation and development process.
For external searches, we use connection, networking, and other processes to surface viable candidates.
The third phase is the ONBOARDING phase of the track. This phase includes the proper decision process a specific congregation uses. More importantly, though, it contains the tools and sub-processes to orient and plan the first 100 days of leadership with the next pastor.
It is very easy for pastors to start wrong-footed with a new congregation and step into issues without realizing it. That can be avoided with careful planning. The Pastor Smart Succession Process helps leadership teams navigate that season.
More after the ad
When is the right time to lean into the Pastor Smart Succession Process?
Three weeks ago, I had three conversations within a week, all with pastors thinking about their future and their relationship with their church. All were around the same age and stage of life.
Two came to me by referral from an existing client, another due to a long-time relationship.
My answer to each pastor was different because their context and situations were different.
My consulting is not an off-the-shelf, neatly templated process. There are tracks, patterns, and specific conversations that are needed, but each application looks different based on the terrain.
To keep with the train metaphor, each roadbed and track has to cover slightly different ground, ford some rivers, and climb a few mountains along the way.
Is it time for you? Let’s have a call to discuss and see. It’s free. Set it up by emailing me directly, dave.travis@generis.com
That same week this text came:
Dave,
We had a great meeting last night with (former pastor and spouse), the elder board, search team and (new pastor and spouse.) It helped turn the page and bring closure to the transition. Stories were shared by all showing how God was connecting the dots throughout this process and bringing us closer to where we are now as a church family.
Cannot thank you enough for your wisdom. Humbly in Christ service, (Name) Elder Chairman.
I am grateful to serve churches like that one, others, and churches like yours too.
Article continues:
The two tracks sit on “crossties” to help support the weight of the congregational train moving down the tracks.
I use the crosstie sections to describe some of the elements of the process that keep the tracks aligned. These include techniques for the Future Story, Governance checks, More specific search team guidance, Staff calibration, and several others.
Finally, we get to the roadbed issues. These are the issues of managing the congregation’s emotional journey and transition with some bits of help and tools that engage them appropriately.
This phase often also includes some challenging conversations with leaders that can be difficult to navigate. That is the value of an experienced guide and navigator who has been down this road with many other churches.
Senior Pastor Succession for a long-term, Senior Leader of a large church is the third most expensive decision most churches make. Might as well do it right.
If you are a Senior Pastor or board member of a larger church and want a private, discreet briefing on the Pastor Smart Succession Process, drop an email to me directly, and we will get you set up.
You can just reply to this email to get it, or go to https://generis.com/dave-travis/ and complete the form.
Rich Villodas of New Life Fellowship on the podcast this week!
Rich speaks about his life and ministry and also talks about his book, The Deeply Formed Life.
Full disclosure here: I helped New Life Fellowship with their pastoral succession process some years ago now. What a great privilege it was to serve that church.
Listen in to Rich and the other interviews over at https://greatthingsgodhasdone.substack.com/
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