When you say Smart Succession what do you mean?
3 more statements from the new 33 Basic Statements about Succession
My last article covered some of the first basic statements covered in the booklet: 33 Basic Statements on Senior Pastor Succession. The first ones are here. Here are three more quick ones.
To get a free copy of the booklet if you are US based, see below.
~660 words - less than 2 minutes reading time.
Succession is the INTENTIONAL transfer of power, leadership, and authority from one leader to another.
This was my definition long ago that my friends Dr. Warren Bird and William Vanderbloemen used in their excellent book, NEXT. (Don’t worry, they gave me credit.)
First, it is intentional. We develop a plan and work out our plan. Sure, there may be bumps, sidetracks, and slight diversions. But we define where we want to go and the general plan that gets us there.
Second, it transfers power. Power is the ability to direct work to others on the team. The primary leader of a church should have much of that power, or it should flow through their office to appropriate team members.
Third, it transfers leadership. Leadership influences the whole system through relationships, teaching, coaching, and motivation toward our end goals and visions. In a church context, it is the right to cast the vision for the whole system.
Finally, it includes the authority its governing system granted to the lead pastor to make certain decisions to exercise the power it grants. In some cases, that authority is derived from the congregation. In other cases, the board or denomination. It is often also found in the governing documents.
We run into severe complications when we neglect to transfer all of those things to the new leader.
(This is addressed in our Paced Pastoral Plan in our process)
This is the guiding compass point question: What does success look like three years after the handoff?
Most churches focus on finding the next leader. I suggest you know the outcomes you want AFTER three years as a better starting point.
Defining success measures for:
Current leader and family
Next leader and family
Board
Staff
Congregation
It is a process that builds towards alignment.
We define those directions tangibly (what) and intangibly (the feeling we want).
The clearer the outcomes desired, the better the chances of success.
This helps all the parties build toward that end. It allows us to define what type of leader we need next. It helps us give that leader a clear direction of where God would have us go as a congregation.
In this process, I often have to help teams come to a sense of reality around expectations, but defining them lets the whole team know where we feel we will go in the next three years.
A part of this process is deciding how much continuity or discontinuity is desired.
Generally, continuity is desired if things look good in a congregation.
If the last few years have been rocky, some discontinuity in direction is sought.
Whatever is decided must be communicated well to the candidate, board, staff, and congregation.
This is often missed, and the next leader leads in a different direction than the congregation expects. That leads to miscommunication, distractions, and division.
(This is addressed in The Futurestory Brief in our process.)
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
That saying – the attribution disputed among scholars of various philosophies – does describe what I see in pastors.
They must be ready to engage in these serious conversations about their future, their family’s future, and the church’s future.
When they are ready, the process goes smoothly.
Wise pastors call me when they start thinking about how to help the church in this transition. That is an excellent sign of readiness.
I often receive calls from patient staff members of a large church asking about their senior pastor: “How can we encourage them their time is up.”
Or, more kindly from a board member: “We want our pastor to leave with their head held high. How can we start this process.”
I give them a few suggestions but then quote that opening line. I even have a readiness tool for pastors that helps them determine their abilities to lean into the conversations.
(This is a part of The Strength Framework in our process.)
Freebies for the week:
A 20-point short checklist for Senior Pastor Smart Succession. Want one? Just send me an email in reply.
The new booklet, 33 Basic Statements on Senior Pastor Succession: Healthy Endings to New Beginnings.
You can request a free copy if we are shipping to a US-based address. You can read it in less than 40 minutes.
To get your copy - email Linda.Stanley@generis.com with your shipping address.
And when you are ready to talk about your plans, I will do a free, one hour walk through the basic concepts every church should know with you. Every church that walks through them with me tends to say: “You just saved us time and money.” And that’s true for those that hire me or don’t hire me. Either way, it is best to be prepared.