Why You Should Constantly Consider Succession
In light of my experience of handing off a church I led for 34 years, I’m often approached both by pastors and church boards to share with them what I learned about succession. What worked for us well, where we made some mistakes, and what I would do differently.
I’m always happy to share this. After all, it’s no easy thing to handle the transition of a senior leader successfully.
However, I recently came across an article by Eric Geiger that broadened this idea of succession. His premise is that succession needs to be an ongoing consideration.
Succession needs to be an ongoing consideration.
Not simply as it relates to a senior pastor, but across the spectrum of leadership. And not just because of retirement, but for at least three other reasons.
Opportunities will come.
Development takes time.
Unexpected crises arise.
1. Opportunities will come.
Allow me to unpack each one of these. First of all, when you have a solid staff, word gets out. Quality performance is recognized.
This becomes a two-edged sword. While you value their contribution to your team, for any number of reasons, you may not be able to move them up in your organization.
Opportunities, however, will come for them to do so in other organizations.
An assistant youth pastor may be offered the head role elsewhere.
A connections pastor may be offered the position of executive pastor in another church.
A discipleship pastor may be offered the senior role in a different setting.
Mark it well. Good talent is highly attractive and there is no lack of churches looking for it.
That being the case, I would suggest that you don’t hide this fact from your staff and that you don’t fear it happening. Rather, prepare for the inevitable by creating a culture in which the following is asked: “Who on your team (probably a key volunteer) is showing that he/she could potentially move into your role should you leave?”
Create a culture in which the following is asked: “Who on your team is showing that he/she could potentially move into your role should you leave?”
By having discussions about who can move into an existing role, you can begin to identify leaders who could be given a new opportunity well before the need arises. As such, a pool of potential replacements is already in place whether you choose to tap it or not.
2. Development takes time.
When an existing role is suddenly open, there is no way to immediately prepare someone for it. Development takes time and intentionality. If you wait to prepare someone for a role until the person moves into the role, you have waited too long.
Development takes time and intentionality.
Once you identify potential replacements, pour into them. If they end up moving up in the organization, the development process is already well underway. And even if they don’t move up, your investment in these high capacity leaders can pay big dividends.
3. Unexpected crises arise.
We live in a fallen and broken world. As such, people on our teams can get sick, can face horrible tragedies, and sadly, can even disqualify themselves from leading.
The old question, “Who would be able to step in if you got hit by a truck?” may seem overly dramatic. However, I have seen several occasions when a leader was suddenly unable to continue in ministry.
The need is immediate. And, whether a local replacement becomes the permanent replacement or not, at least there is someone who can step up and put a finger in the hole in the dike.
These are just a few ideas and I’m sure there are more out there. I would be interested in hearing from you about how you are addressing this situation.
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