Successions in Leadership

by Scott Laird

If you have been reading the Christian Chronicle lately you have noticed the preacher shortage in our fellowship. Individual congregations can make a difference in this struggle. Since 2000 the Great Falls church of Christ in Great Falls, Montana, has worked with nine men and their families to prepare them for full-time ministry through a two-year apprenticeship program. We have also worked with one additional summer intern. Maybe I should be writing about the work and beauty of apprenticeships, instead I will explore successions, especially the succession between a retiring minister and an incoming minister. However, let me suggest that if shepherds, ministers, and congregations embraced apprenticeships, full or part-time, we might just find men within our own congregations with the gifts and desire to serve in part-time or full-time ministry. These discoveries will likely make successions better. Food for thought.

I have partnered with the Great Falls church for almost thirty years. Our recent experiences demonstrate successions are challenging yet provide tremendous opportunities for growth! During the past year and a half, we have experienced my handoff to a younger minister, the addition of a new part-time apprentice working with our young adults, the addition of five new elders to our existing three for a total of eight, and five new deacons to our existing three for another total of eight. All this within a church of approximately 200 members.

The following are some insights from our recent minister succession.

• Identify that the congregation is ready for a change. For the past four to five years, I knew I was changing my role within the church after I reached the age of 65. This was shared often so the shepherds and the church were as prepared as possible.
• Plan the succession and expect changes. Make sure the outgoing and incoming minister, along with the shepherds are on the same page before sharing specifics with the church. Our original plan was adjusted by six months due to new shepherds and the incoming minister’s education. Changes in the succession plan will probably happen. Be flexible.
• An unusually high percentage of the transition success rests on the shoulders of the former minister. The former minister has the relationships, controls the narrative.  sets the rules, initiates and knows the congregational politics. Despite retirement, the former minister will always have a lot of influence. Hopefully, the former minister will humbly do the soul work of letting go and resist the need to get back into the center of things.
• Have an official transition season for a fixed period. This is time for the outgoing minister to teach/mentor and the incoming minister to learn. This could vary in length depending on the situation.
• Communicate with the church about the succession often and in various ways. Use some type of congregational meeting or time in a Bible class to get input from the members concerning questions they have about the succession. Respond to these questions/concerns. We developed four teams during our succession; a Communication Team to keep the church aware of what was happening, a Connections Team that developed deliberate connection points with members to one another and to the elders in this time of change, a Celebration Team to celebrate the long-term ministry coming to a close and celebrate new beginnings, and a Prayer Team to keep this succession before God. 
• Have a designated season of absence for the outgoing minister. Six months seems sufficient. Support the former minister during this absence as he and his family will have added expenses as they travel to meet with other congregations during this time. The  six-month absence from Sunday morning assemblies especially should be long enough to break some of the habitual patterns of those who would turn to the outgoing minister for direction and advice. 
• The elders need to make a commitment to the new minister. It is almost like there is a formal allegiance shift away from the outgoing minister (but not in a way that is negative). Communicate that if the outgoing minister and the incoming minister disagree about something, then the shepherds will side with the incoming minister. (We are not talking about doctrine here.) The elders must be sensitive to the situation and consult the incoming minister before reaching out to the outgoing minister for feedback or advice. 
• The retiring/outgoing minister must humbly stay on the sidelines and only interject when asked.
• Encourage the outgoing minister to invest in a new ministry where his passion and gifts fit. This gives him a new passion and something to captivate his heart and creative energy. Possibly provide some financial support to get this new ministry started.
• Don’t’ make people choose. Yes, you can love the outgoing and incoming minister. Both must speak very positively of each other in public. Do the same in private conversations. Encourage the spouses to speak positively of one another as well.  By speaking positively of each other, no one feels like they must pick sides, and no one thinks that loving one is a betrayal of the other. 
• Try to utilize the outgoing minister as a resource. In an ideal world the two would have frequent check-ins. 
• Have ongoing discussions about expectations. Some of these could include funerals, weddings, and hospital visitation. How much should the former minister be available to church members? What is encouraged? What feels like infringing on the other? This is complicated by the web of friendships within the congregation.

I hope that this brief review of our succession is a blessing to those churches working through this wonderful but challenging season in the life of the church. I am thankful for input from a fellow minister in Montana, Craig Ford, as I have adapted some of his thoughts as an incoming minister. May the Lord guide you with wisdom and strength. 

Grace and peace, 

Dr. Scott Laird for HOPE Network Ministries