~850 words - 3 minutes
In developing and deploying the Senior Pastor Smart Succession ™ process, I have found ways for churches to multiply their momentum.
Many churches expect “stall and decline.” And when you expect it, you will often get it.
Part 1 examined some of the first four momentum killers.
Sometimes, it seems like we are playing whack-a-mole during this process with a church, with new issues arriving to be whacked every week. But that is not much different from regular church life, especially in large churches.
Remember also, my clients to be larger, long-term leader-led, and stable situations. These are not crises. Some of the tools and frameworks would also work in those situations, but my experience is more with healthier churches.
Momentum Killer 5 – Too Short a Timeline
Too many leaders and churches desire to rush to decisions and favor shorter timelines.
“Can’t we get this done in three months?”
Many churches are used to making decisions in short time windows. I do not believe in belaboring a process.
But this is a huge decision.
It is costly if you mess it up.
A failure often brings damage across a wide blast area, not just one person. Collateral damage happens.
My typical timeline starts 60 months from the handoff. That’s five years. There are certain things you need to do in that season.
I get involved around 18-20 months before a planned transition in a contracted coaching process.
The place where pastors tend to rush is the sequence AFTER announcing that the current leader will step down and when that will occur.
Depending on the situation, founders need to give 10-15 months advance notice. This allows adequate time to build a strong profile with strong input from relevant parties and conduct a thorough search.
Those with strong internal candidates who are seen as heir apparent can shorten this a bit, but even those need to be fully weighed against other factors.
And often, I have seen a pastor who feels they have their next leader already resident on the team, surprised by their board, and their view is much different. We can develop and resolve some of those paths in those cases, but only if we have time to work ahead on those issues.
Momentum Killer 6 – An ill-defined profile closely held
We spend much time and effort with the church to define a great profile that fits this church like a glove. This profile could only be for this particular church during this season.
True, there may be some common elements that fit other churches. But a good profile will have the majority of the congregation see it and say: Yes, that is us and where we are going. If a leader fits this profile, we should do well.
We spend time with various groups to help a team assemble a good draft, seek feedback, and refine their draft before sharing it with the wider world to seek good prospects for the role.
This is also true in some internal candidate, heir apparent situations. This helps the whole church envision a new future with a new leader.
More after the ad…
Alice Drive Church Seeks New Leader
One of my Senior Pastor Smart Succession ™ clients is Alice Drive Church in Sumter, SC. The current pastor, Clay Smith, will step down in 2025. This church has diligently planned for this next season, and Alice Drive Church is an excellent opportunity for a leader in a great area of the country.
(P.S. This advert is a part of the process offered to Senior Pastor Smart Succession ™ only and not for sale as an individual service.)
Congratulations to two clients who have recently named or elected new lead pastors who have worked with our services.
Christ Fellowship McKinney, Texas (featured earlier this year with an ad) and Christ Church Oakbrook, IL.
Christ Church Oakbrook had Greg Ligon as its primary consultant, and the team there did a great job navigating the process. Steve Carter will be the third pastor of this great church. After stepping down, Dan Mayer will have a limited role in the future at Christ Church but will also serve a congregation in Florida.
Christ Fellowship McKinney had me as the primary consultant, and Greg Ligon assisted. Aaron Armstrong is the new Senior Lead Pastor. Bruce Miller, the founding pastor, will take on a new role there after a one-year sabbatical break.
These joined Ingleside Church of Macon, Georgia, and Venture Church in South Mississippi as clients with new pastors in the past few months.
I am currently serving 7 clients in this process, with a few ending this year, allowing me to onboard new clients in the coming months. Greg is serving multiple clients with Senior Pastor Smart Succession ™ as well but has some space for the coming months.
Is it time to discuss your situation and needs? If so, reach out directly at dave.travis@generis.com
Story continues….
Momentum Killer 7 – Lacking Appropriate Engagement in the Process
Most of the churches I serve are staff-led. Almost all the day today ministry is led by paid staff.
That is not to say that the staff does all the ministry.
Staff help coordinate the church's work, whether it is a staff member or member. (I hate to say volunteer, but you get the drift.)
Staff needs to be appropriately engaged with the process, but they cannot be its primary drivers. Leaving it to the staff creates a very passive congregation with less momentum.
Often, the governance documents outline the key decision-makers in the process.
We find ways during the process to allow others to contribute, but decision-makers have to be clearly defined and understood.
Further, we often engage and involve critical lay leaders to give structured input through a focus group process designed to be fun, exciting, and hopeful.
Every church we have worked with has come out of that process phase with renewed momentum.
Momentum Killer 8 – Poor Onboarding Onramps
This critical phase will be remembered by those who have seen my 25-minute slide presentation on the Senior Pastor Smart Succession ™ visual model.
(and if your church desires to see that presentation, let me know. Many churches never hire me but tell me it saved them a lot of time and money)
The onramp tools help the next leader start strong with the staff and board, avoid potholes in their first seasons, and know the ministry context well.
Some folks often tell me after a pastor hits a pothole, “They should have seen that.”
I ask: “Did you tell them about that pothole.”
Typical response: “No, we all knew it was there and were so used to avoiding it that we forgot to tell them.”
Some potholes in ministry are unavoidable, but many are not. We can fill them before the new leader drives into them!
I could name many more Momentum Killers, and I am sure you will have some you have seen. Could you send them to me?
Let’s create a long list so we can help churches avoid them!
Send them directly to dave.travis@generis.com