Well….maybe…the last guy was an idiot!!
How New Pastors can honor the past AND move things forward
~880 words - three minutes
This is the second part of a two-part series. Here is the first part.
This began as a reflection on my observations of some successor pastors who get caught up in trying to drive change by denigrating past leaders and their practices.
To give it a quick review, this thought was driven by this quote from William Bridges:
Never denigrate the past. Many managers, in their enthusiasm for a future that is going to be better than the past, ridicule or demean the old way of doing things. In doing so they consolidate the resistance against the transition because people identify with the way things used to be and thus feel that their self-worth is at stake whenever the past is attacked.
Change “manager” to “pastor,” and it still applies.
When I work with churches on the Senior Pastor Smart Succession ™ process, we use many of the thoughts and principles from Bridges Transitions' book.
A new pastor-leader can often resort to inferring or implying the last leader was “behind the times,” “past their prime,” or worse, ineffectual.
This becomes their basis and justification for proceeding with appropriate changes: “It’s time we got with the times.”
I will confess that change is often needed. However, how one moves forward on the path is important to the integrity of the church and its people.
photo image from Fotor
Now, here’s the hard part:
Sometimes, the staff team feels the same way the new leader does: “We should have stopped that practice long ago!”
While that could sometimes be true, my observation is that some staff teams tend to want to stop doing things they don’t want to do, but many in the congregation highly value the ministry.
The first example I can think of is staff team members who want to reduce the number of worship service experiences they have on weekends. “We only get 10% of our total attendance from that service and they could surely squeeze into the open seats we have at the other hours.”
The second example comes from those with a “traditional service” option and a desire to remove that option. “That service has been declining in number for years.” Sometimes, that is true when the service time has stayed consistent. But sometimes, it has been moved around to different rooms and times in the hope that it might die off.
This is not to say that either example is the right call. However, how that is done becomes crucial for the successor leader.
In both of those cases, and in many others I have seen, staff tend to desire changes that reduce their time commitments to activities they consider should be dropped anyway. This is not to say they are lazy; they want to spend more time on what they think is their prime work.
In other cases, recent graduates or those who have changed their ministry philosophy paradigms desire to move the church into that mold as quickly as possible, even if they leave other staff and sometimes the congregation behind.
To avoid these pitfalls, church leaders should consider the following strategies:
Respect Tradition
Acknowledge and respect the historical context and contributions of past practices.
This does not say to worship tradition.
Even the simple statement, "I want you to know how much I respect your commitment to the mission of our church through your past practices. They were certainly effective in their day,” helps bridge the gap.
Story continues below….
THERE IS A HIGH COST WHEN YOU HIRE THE WRONG PASTOR!!
A new webinar and booklet just for you.
Clay Smith is the Senior Pastor of ADBC church in Sumter, SC. He will step down later this year after more than 30 years of service to this church and community.
As he began thinking about his next season of life and ministry, he researched and produced a fine booklet: “The High Cost of Hiring the Wrong Pastor.”
Befitting his PhD, he conducted some statistical research and combined it with the stories of four churches.
If you want to see a copy, go here and let me know.
Join us on a webinar on March 26, 2025, at 4 p.m. Eastern as he presents his findings and takes questions. To register for that webinar, go here.
Story continues….
Communicate Change Thoughtfully
Explain the reasons for change in a way that honors the past while embracing the future.
And then do it again.
And again.
You must over-communicate all along the way.
Involve the Congregation
Engage with members to understand their perspectives and involve them in decision-making.
This takes time, but it can also be done in groups. The key is combining some of the reasoned voices who hold various views in a well-facilitated conversation.
Not large groups and not “town halls.” It's more like focus groups.
(This is where I use lots of post-it notes to give everyone a voice and to help everyone see the comments.)
Foster a Sense of Continuity
Highlight how new initiatives build upon past successes rather than replacing them entirely.
Point people back to the congregation's values that led to past practices.
Remind them of the innovation the congregation showed in those past decades and the results that happened when the congregation made a significant change. “We have always been a church changing to meet the needs of our community as they are.
Lead with Empathy
Show understanding and empathy for those who may feel attached to traditional methods.
Praise their hearts for the mission, even if they resist some core changes that will need to happen.
Praise their past commitments to the call of the gospel mission of the church. Try to understand that they feel they have given their life to the mission so far and may disagree with the changes proposed or pronounced to the congregation.
“Help me understand your feelings, or how are you feeling about this change?” are good questions to ask individually to get a sense of where someone is coming from. Then, you can use that language and wording to help craft your own messages in response.