100% of Pastors Will Stop Pastoring at Some Point

by: VRcurator

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On April 21-22, Auxano will be leading a Pastoral Succession Boot Camp in Phoenix, AZ. Churches can bring up to five team members for this groundbreaking, full two-day learning experience that will be ministry shaping and a tool-rich environment.

Pastoral Succession Boot Camp

Mountain Park Church

Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day

$1,995 per church (up to 5 team members)

The Succession Boot Camp equips ministry leaders to implement a healthy, wholistic, and effective succession planning strategy. During the two-day workshop, your team will evaluate:

– Four Continuity Factors – In total, your team will assess 23 key organizational areas. The goal of the initial assessment process is to predict the areas that will most likely cause disruption during the transition process. Naming these areas in advance minimizes the likelihood they will cause significant harm.

– Three Process Pathways – There are three primary pathways leaders and churches will use to navigate transition. We will assess key reasons why each is selected and traps to avoid in their implementation. The goal is to follow the pathway that best fits your unique situation.

– Five Essential Signposts – There are five key areas that need to be accounted for as you manage transition. Churches that fail to account for one or more of these areas tend to struggle with the implementation of their transition plan. Knowing these five areas will help ensure a more effective process.

The Boot Camp includes:

• Two full days of training with your team (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
• Pastoral Succession Workbook for each team member
• Customized Pastoral Succession Implementation Plan for your church
• Training tools for your team
• Lunches and breaks throughout the Boot Camp
• One virtual coaching follow-up session for your church

Transportation, lodging, breakfast, and evening meals are NOT included

100% of Boot Camp fee is refundable through March 31, 2020. 25% is non-refundable after April 1, 2020.

Facilitators

Mike Gammill has created a collaborative learning environment that will introduce practical tools designed to help your team effectively steward a season of Pastoral Succession.

And remember, succession planning isn’t the last great thing a leader does. It is the gateway to a leader’s greatest season of influence!

To register, visit this page.

Tags: Boot Camp, Pastoral Succession Boot Camp, pastoral succession

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Are You Looking for Tools to Help Design Your Succession Planning Process?

by: VRcurator

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“Succession planning” is actually a catchphrase for five distinct conversations. 

You are somewhere in one of those conversations right now – do you want to know the difference?

You can lean the differences in two days of training and preparation at Auxano’s Pastoral Succession Boot Camp in Phoenix, AZ.

Introducing Auxano’s Pastoral Succession Boot Camp:

One hundred percent of all pastors stop pastoring at some point.

You can avoid the succession crisis in your church, and learn to use tools to help design your own succession.

The Pastoral Succession Boot Camp will help you learn how to transition with wisdom and power. The Boot Camp will include:

• Two full days of training with your team (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
• Pastoral Succession Workbook for each team member
• Customized Pastoral Succession Implementation Plan for your church
• Training tools for your team
• Lunches and breaks throughout the Boot Camp
• One 90-minute virtual coaching follow-up session for your church

Transportation, lodging, breakfast, and evening meals are NOT included.

The Pastoral Succession Boot Camp will be held at Mountain Park Church in Phoenix, AZ, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 21-22.

Register for the Pastoral Succession Boot Camp

The $1,995 investment includes registration for up to five members of your church team. Transportation to the host church, local lodging, breakfast, and evening meals are NOT included.

Join us at the Pastoral Succession Boot Camp for a collaborative learning environment that will help you design a succession plan centered on your vision and focused on the overall health and effectiveness of a leadership transition.

Register for the Auxano Pastoral Succession Boot Camp here.

Tags: Auxano Boot Camp, Auxano Boot Camp Series, pastoral succession

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8 Succession Success Markers

by: Eric Geiger

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We are only ten months in to the transition at Mariners Church between Kenton Beshore (long-time senior pastor) and me (the new guy). But we are frequently receiving phone calls from churches that see succession from a long-time senior to a new leader in their not-so-distant future. The healthy relationship Kenton and I share is truly God’s grace to me, to our church, and I believe to Kenton as well. While ultimately the transition is the Lord’s work, there are practical lessons along the way. Here are eight things Kenton has done, and is doing, for me to make this transition as smooth as possible—eight ways to treat your successor:

1. With support

Countless times I have been in conversations with people in the church and heard, “I ran into Kenton and he was bragging on you.” Kenton’s humility to support me, both publicly and in conversations with others, has helped immensely.

2. With strategic hand-off moments

Kenton cares about moments, moments that mark the transition. For example, my first elder retreat was Kenton’s last as senior pastor. He led the first session and I led the last. It was a marked moment that Kenton designed.

3. With presence

When I teach, Kenton is often there on the front row taking notes. He has been in my corner, not just verbally but with his presence. Often in leadership presence speaks louder than words.

4. With absence

There are times when Kenton is not around, which has helped me express my leadership, without wondering if this is a moment where I should pause and honor him. For example, the first time I spoke to our “shepherding elders” and their wives, Kenton did not come. We did not highlight that fact, but it helped communicate that it is now my turn to provide direction. How do we decide when presence or absence is best? We talk about it.

5. With history

Kenton has served Mariners for nearly as long as I have been alive. So I am an idiot if I don’t listen to him, if I don’t ask questions about the history of our church. Leaders who don’t listen to those who went before them are foolish. Because church ministry offers its fair share of painful moments, not all the history is pleasant to recount. Thus sharing history and the lessons learned from it is a sacrifice.

6. With care for the family

Kenton and Laurie (his wife) have cared deeply for Kaye and our daughters. One of the best encouragements they gave early was to do everything we could to help our kids love being at the church – which included swimming in the lake at the church.

7. With encouragement to make changes

Several times I have called Kenton about a change I want to make, to get his perspective. They are not big changes, but changes nonetheless – things like a change in scheduling devotionals on a retreat. Kenton has said, “You should make that change” multiple times and has reminded me that if he were still leading “he would make changes too.” Many outgoing leaders like the idea of succession as long as everything stays the same, which is a clear indication the leader is not really ready for succession.

8. With private coaching

I have a TON of growing to do. Kenton has a ton of wisdom to offer. How can a predecessor provide wisdom without diminishing the successor’s credibility? This is likely one of the biggest challenges facing the predecessor. In regularly scheduled private meetings, Kenton uses that time well. He is there to give coaching, as I need it. And I do. He wants to help, sees ways he can help, but simultaneously wants to affirm. Conversations in private are the place for that.

For leaders considering a transition, a succession, I encourage you to evaluate if you are ready to offer these. My gut feeling is that some of the leaders who are telling Kenton they are ready to transition are not yet in the place where they can offer their successor what Kenton is offering me.

> Read more from Eric.

To learn more about a healthy succession and transition process, connect with an Auxano navigator.

Tags: Eric Geiger, Mariners Church, Transition, pastoral succession, succession

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How to Achieve Break-Thru with Your Team

by: VRcurator

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What if two days with your team could change the trajectory of your church? 

You are invited to an exclusive gathering limited to 25 church teams at three different cities around an important break-thru topic. Each topic is a critical factor in reaching and discipling people for real church growth. Keep in mind this is not a conference! It is a workshop + coaching process to bring permanent change to the performance of your ministry. That’s what Auxano is all about: deep and lasting culture change based on your vision. It’s Auxano’s Boot Camp Series.

Boot Camp Topics and Locations

• Pastoral Succession – TBD
• Guest Experience – Newport Beach, CA – January 29-30, 2019
• Capital Campaign – TBD

The Story Behind the Boot Camp

For the last 16 years Auxano has developed an amazing toolbox in key areas for every church that goes through our vision process such as a guest perspective evaluation, a leadership pipeline build-out, and a pastoral succession roadmap. Now, we are bringing those insights, tools and how-to’s to church leaders whether you are going through a vision process or not. Each topic is built on a history of team facilitation and best practices from leading churches of every faith tribe and every size.

Each Boot Camp Features

• 2-days of training with two master trainers
• Transferable tools for immediate application in the Fall
• Follow-up coaching for feedback and implementation support
• A notebook with how-to templates and examples from model churches
• A memory-making team experience that makes growing your church fun

For more information, and to register, click on the links above.

Tags: Boot Camp, Break-thru, Guest Experience, MultiSite Launch, pastoral succession

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Healthy Pastoral Succession Establishes Vision Apart from Identity

by: VRcurator

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Every organization, like the people who comprise them, goes through changes and transitions. The organization called “the church” is no different; in fact, it probably goes through more seasons of change and more types of change than almost any other type of organization.

Growth always requires change. It’s true of any living thing, and it’s true of the church. And while change for the church is necessary, many churches often change reluctantly.

In particular, one type of change in churches seems to be more daunting than most: when a senior leader – especially one with a long tenure of service – steps down.

This act of leadership transition – succession – is intricate and complex, and requires the cooperation, coordination, and communication of dozens of individuals and groups, often extending over many months.

It is not to be entered into lightly, yet many churches – even those who know succession is in the very near future – do not know when or how to start the succession conversation.

Healthy pastoral succession establishes vision apart from identity.

THE QUICK SUMMARY – Leading Change, by John Kotter

Millions worldwide have read and embraced John Kotter’s ideas on change management and leadership.

From the ill-fated dot-com bubble to unprecedented M&A activity to scandal, greed, and ultimately, recession—we’ve learned that widespread and difficult change is no longer the exception. It’s the rule. Now with a new preface, this refreshed edition of the global bestseller Leading Change is more relevant than ever.

John Kotter’s now-legendary eight-step process for managing change with positive results has become the foundation for leaders and organizations across the globe. By outlining the process every organization must go through to achieve its goals, and by identifying where and how even top performers derail during the change process, Kotter provides a practical resource for leaders and managers charged with making change initiatives work. Leading Change is widely recognized as his seminal work and is an important precursor to his newer ideas on acceleration published in Harvard Business Review.

Needed more today than at any time in the past, this bestselling business book serves as both visionary guide and practical toolkit on how to approach the difficult yet crucial work of leading change in any type of organization. Reading this highly personal book is like spending a day with the world’s foremost expert on business leadership. You’re sure to walk away inspired—and armed with the tools you need to inspire others.

A SIMPLE SOLUTION

Vision clarity is a key factor in the healthy implementation of a leadership transition strategy.

Ministries, and the contexts in which they serve, change over time. Communities change. What was once the new development that brought young families and their children to the facility’s front door is now home to empty nesters. The neighborhood that was once Caucasian is now predominately minority. Church ministry facilities built in a rural context are now in the middle of the urban sprawl. Ministries once located in vibrant areas now watch as the neighboring buildings put vacancy signs in the front widow. Conversely, ministries that committed to stay in downtown settings are seeing resurgence as more and more people flock to city centers. As communities change over time, so do the people that make up those congregations.

Ministries with long tenured leadership are wise to invest in a process that helps them recapture their sense of what makes their church unique.

Vision refers to a picture of the future with some implicit or explicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future.

In a change process, a good vision serves three important purposes.

Clarifying the general direction for change

Vision simplifies hundreds or thousands of more detailed decisions. Second, it motivates people to take action in the right direction, even if the initial steps are personally painful. Third, it helps coordinate the actions of different people, even thousands and thousands of individuals, in a remarkably fast and efficient way.

Clarifying the direction of change is important because, more often than not, people disagree on direction, are confused, or wonder whether significant change is really necessary. An effective vision and back-up strategies help resolve these issues.

With clarity of direction, the inability to make decisions can disappear.

With clarity of direction, inappropriate projects can be identified and terminated, even if they have political support.

Facilitating major changes by motivating action

Many times, change is not necessarily in people’s short-term self-interests. The alterations called for in a sensible vision almost always involve some pain.

A good vision helps overcome this natural reluctance to do what is (often painfully) necessary by being hopeful and therefore motivating.

Aligning individuals

Aligning individuals coordinates the actions of motivated people in a remarkably efficient way.

Without a shared sense of direction, interdependent people can end up in constant conflict and nonstop meetings. With a shared vision, they can work with some degree of autonomy and yet not trip over each other.

John P. Kotter, Leading Change

A NEXT STEP

The process of pastoral transition demands vision clarity. If your church does not have this clarity as you prepare for the upcoming succession, it’s time to take a journey on the Vision Trailhead.

The Vision Trailhead is a two-hour trek designed to safely start the “where are we going” conversation with your leadership. This engaging tool will calibrate your visionary communication using challenging assessment questions and memorable church-personality profiles.

The Vision Trailhead will help your team:

• Unpack your communication baggage in order to properly prepare for the vision journey ahead
• Plot your “Trailhead Type” using key waypoints of missional language and church age
• Step onto the clarity pathway with experienced trail guides cheering you onward

Download the Vision Trailhead here and provide a copy for each member of your team. Set aside 2 hours in an upcoming leadership team meeting to walk through this TeamUP tool.

Excerpted from SUMS Remix 53-1, issued November 2016

Tags: John Kotter, Leading Change, pastoral succession

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The Eight Costs of the Pastoral Succession Crisis: Part 1 – Personal Costs

by: Will Mancini

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The challenge of pastoral succession is a topic of increasing interest for good reason. In the next decade we will see an unprecedented number of pastors hitting retirement age. In a recent study by Barna Research, we learn that the average age of pastors has increased by 10 years over the last 25 years and is currently age 54. In 2017, only 1 of 7 pastors are under age 40. In some denominations, the age is even higher. For example, one denomination, using Auxano’s new pastoral succession toolbox, has a much higher average age than the national norm–40% of it’s pastors are over age 60! 

But rather than focusing on the stats of pastoral succession and the coming wave of aging pastors, let’s take a closer look at what happens if we don’t “get succession right.” As a reader you are most likely aware that pastoral succession is a challenging and emotional topic to address for many church leaders. The purpose of this article is to wave a red flag with a spirit that says, “We must have this conversation.” For many church leaders that conversation needs to happen sooner than later. What really is at stake if a senior pastor fails to pass the baton to the next senior pastor? What kind of loss will a church experience if it doesn’t lovingly address this crucial topic at the right time? 

To capture the weight of the crisis, I will cover eight costs: four through the personal lens of the pastor himself and four through the lens of the congregation and the resulting broader impact. 

The Four Costs to Pastor

Failure to Thrive, Personally

The first cost to the pastor is the overall inability to thrive at a special season in ministry where transition is normative physically, logically and biblically for a leader.  As Will Heath, Auxano’s lead navigator for pastoral succession, shares often: “Every leader must move through the natural ministry seasons from “preparing” to  “doing” and then to “mentoring.” For example, a Levite priest in the Old Testament shifted the kind of work they performed at age 50.  Heath uses this biblical pattern as a guideline for helping pastors shift their “ministry season” to one of increased mentoring. I like the metaphor used by Bob Buford that leaders should navigate a journey from “warrior” to “king” to “sage.” The failure of succession planning keeps leaders working like warriors–laboring heavily like younger men do– when they should be transitioning to a “sage” stage where their experience and wisdom does the “heavy lifting” of work. 

Collapse of Trust, Relationally

Usually, people around the leader see clearly the “emotional block” and unwillingness to think through the succession planning question. Over time some of the best and most trusted relationships for the leader, start loosing the bond of solidarity. Ranging from mildly awkward to downright toxic, the entire dynamic of the leadership will shift. If the people in pastor’s sphere of influence are a leadership constellation, the stars will soon begin falling. 

Lack of Equipping, Strategically

The irony for the senior pastor who is not preparing to transition is that they rob themselves of the beauty of ministry in the final chapter– one that can and should be defined by equipping others. Robert Clinton in his classic work, The Making of Leader, emphasizes that the greatest fruitfulness in ministry comes in the later years as leaders lead from depth of character and a lifelong of learning. Pastors in their fifties, sixties and seventies have a bank vault of wealth to give away from their personal experiences, but often do so incidentally rather than intentionally. This is most evidenced in how they do the same thing the same way year after year in ministry. That is, they don’t change the mix of “doing ministry” and “developing others.” To use one of my favorite metaphors from Jim Collins they refuse to transition from “time telling” to “clock making.” They simply don’t invest into other leaders who will make the church stronger when their season of leading is finished. 

Forfeit of Legacy, Permanently

The most heartbreaking cost, short of moral failure, is the loss of a leader’s legacy when pastoring the flock long beyond their season of effectiveness. Again, it’s so easy for a senior pastor to be blind to their decreasing value as a “ ministry doer.” (Again, they might have amazing fruit as a “leader developer” but they don’t make the transition.) No matter how well a pastor leads over their lifetime, how they finish will mark how they are remembered. It’s like an airplane ride: it doesn’t matter how well your flight attendant service was at 30,000 feet if the plane crash lands. 

As you can imagine, the cost is very high for the leader who refuses to build a meaningful succession plan. But that’s not the entire picture, as the costs are even higher for the church. In a follow-up post will walk through the next four costs below. 

The Four Costs to Church

• Loss of Momentum, Organizationally
• Drain of Enthusiasm, Silently
• Death of Humility, Symbolically
• Fumbling of Influence, Culturally

What is a Pastor to Do?

Are you at a point to starting thinking about the succession conversation? Are you on a team to where this conversation is overdue?

Think about it: How will people celebrate your leadership when your day at the helm is done? It’s not too soon to prepare.

Tags: Will Mancini, pastoral succession, succession

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Auxano’s Boot Camps Coming in 2019!

by: VRcurator

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Coming August 7-8, 2019 – more opportunities for Auxano’s groundbreaking Boot Camps designed to help you gain break-thru clarity in these critically important areas of your church:

• Pastoral Succession – Orlando, FL
• Capital Campaign – Detroit, MI
• Guest Experience – Cincinnati, OH

The Boot Camps will be held simultaneously in different locations across the country on August 7-8.

Registration of only $1,995 provides two full days of learning and collaboration for up to five members of your team.

Click on the links above to learn more!

> Read more about experiences at the Boot Camps here.

Tags: Boot Camps, Guest Experience, Leadership Pipeline, pastoral succession

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Succession Planning Is: A Springboard for Planning

by: Will Heath

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Dictionary.com defines the word “Springboard” as “something that supplies the impetus or conditions for a beginning, change, or progress; a point of departure.”

This translates well into the topic of leadership transitions.  Succession Planning is a process that “supplies impetus or conditions for a beginning, change, or progress; a point of departure”

Effective succession plans have four springboards built into the process.  Most leadership teams, however, only take time to build two.  Smart organizations, the ones paying attention and planning well, build all four.

Leadership Springboard 1: PROGRESS

This is the springboard built for the leader that is transitioning out.  Maybe “Progress” isn’t the word you would have chosen to associate with someone’s retirement.  Consider the difference between leaving something and transitioning to something else.  Smart leaders not only understand this principle, they plan for it.  A retirement based transition doesn’t mark the end of a leader’s journey, rather the natural progression of life.  The process of succession planning, for the retiring leader, is the gateway to their next season of influence.  This is also true for leaders trying to navigate a mid-career change.  The healthy implementation of a transition plan actually increases a leader’s level of influence in their next season.

Leadership Springboard 2: BEGINNING

This leadership springboard has to do with the person stepping into the role of successor.  I find it interesting to see how a person’s leadership capacity instantly grows when thrust into new roles.  It’s not that something mystical happens, but stepping into something new allows a person to express their leadership in ways they were not able to in a previous role.  In the same way a springboard launches a gymnast to heights they could not achieve on their own, a well planned transition strategy will increase the leadership capacity of the successor.

It is a reality, however, that not all successors succeed.  There are several reasons for this, but let me offer a word of caution in a specific area.  Don’t assume the successor has developed every skill needed for success in their new role.  No one is perfect.  We all have blind spots.  Not creating capacity day 1 for the successor to grow is an all too common mistake.  Organizations tend to assume (insert joke here!) that the new leader will have everything needed to move them forward.  Not necessarily.  Depending on the size and scope of responsibilities, it is anywhere from 6-9 months when their leadership deficiencies become exposed.  We’ve all seen it.  We even have a cute phrase to describe this phenomenon.  You can fill in the blank. “The _____________________________ period is over!”

There is no need to fall into this trap.  Build the successor a springboard to help them launch well.

Leadership Springboard 3: CHANGE

It’s rare to see a leadership transition that impacts only one person.  It is more common for a key leadership change to spark a series of other staffing changes.  The result is that additional opportunities are created for increased responsibility for other people within the organization.

Transitions create “opt-in” opportunities.

Be prepared for this by building springboards into your transition strategy that propel others within the existing organizational structure.  This is a unique opportunity to reward and promote talent from within.  Even if the springboard isn’t a full promotion, expanding the areas of responsibility for key people can be just as effective in affirming their contribution and building morale.

Leadership Springboard 4: A POINT OF DEPARTURE

Yes, Succession Planning is a springboard for Leadership, but not always within your organization.  The reality is that sometimes leadership transitions at the top levels of an organization lead to voluntary (or non-voluntary) departures at other levels.  Don’t be too quick to assume this is the response of an immature employee that lacks loyalty.  The transition of a key leader could very well be the specific circumstance God uses to spark a desire to transition for others.

Transitions create “opt-out” opportunities.

Don’t be caught off guard by this reality.  Instead, embrace it.  Not doing so comes across as small minded and defensive.  Instead, give yourself enough time to help your staff process where they are.  Have open and honest dialogue.  Invest in their career path and progression.  You are doing everything possible to springboard your retiring leader into their next season.  Carve out room to do the same for others as well.  Be proactive in in building springboards to help serve as healthy points of departure for everyone.

Let me close with this final thought – Nothing exposes leadership like a leadership transition.

Investing the time and energy to build each springboard is an important part of developing a holistic succession planning strategy.  But it goes deeper than that.  Being intentional about building all four springboards into your process is the ultimate litmus test for how effective you are as a leader.  Nothing exposes leadership like a leadership transition.

> Read more from Will.

Want to learn more about pastoral succession? Connect with an Auxano Navigator and start a conversation with our team.

Tags: Will Heath, pastoral succession, succession planning

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5 Critical Conversations in Succession Planning

by: Will Heath

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When the topic of succession planning first landed on my radar (early 2007) there were very few ministry leaders that would entertain the conversation.  This was true at both the denominational and local church level.  There just wasn’t a sense of urgency on the topic.  Fast forward to 2016, and the tone has changed considerably.

As this conversation has come to the forefront of leadership thought and conversation I have noticed a concerning pattern develop.  The term “succession planning” is being used as a catch phrase for what is actually five distinct conversations.  This creates a challenge in implementation as there are multiple agendas attached to the same word.

To bring clarity to this conversation we are launching a series that brings codified language to to help distinguish what people mean when they reference “succession planning.”

Here are the five different conversation of succession planning.

• Succession Planning as Protecting Organizational Continuity
• Succession Planning as Emergency Transition Management
• Succession Planning as Leadership Pipeline Development
• Succession Planning as Proactive Exit Planning
• Succession Planning as New Leader Hiring

Succession Planning as Protecting Organizational Continuity

When navigating a intentional leadership transition careful thought and energy is focused into what I refer to as the “7-Year Window.”  This is the period of time that extends anywhere from 3-5 years before the current leader formally transitions to 2-4 years after.  The time preceding the current leader’s formal transition is spent planning, preparing and implementing a transition strategy.  The time frame after the formal transition date is focussed on settling into life with a new leader.

A brief survey of ministries in the “Succession Planning as Protecting Organizational Continuity” reveals several high level questions that ministry teams wrestle with.  Here are five of the fifteen most commonly asked questions during this time.

• Do we have a clear sense of what makes us unique?
• Do we need to address issues related to our governance structure?
• What impact will the transition have on our giving?
• What is the best way to involve our people in the process?
• How can we ensure the successor starts well?

Succession Planning as Emergency Transition Management

Emergency Transition Management is a formalized process of making key decisions before an unplanned transition presents itself.  I estimate that 80% of the decisions that need to be made in the wake of an unforeseen transition can be decided ahead of time with the right tools in place.

Succession Planning as Leadership Pipeline Development

Most secular organizations use the phrase “succession planning” almost exclusively to reference their process of identifying and developing employees that have potential for increased levels of responsibility.  Leadership development in a nonprofit context is generally weighted towards equipping volunteers to manage various aspects of program implementation.  Increasingly, local churches are focussing on building a leadership culture that equips people to serve both inside and outside their programming structures.

Succession Planning as Proactive Exit Planning

Exit planning conversations in the business world tend to revolve around issues related to asset valuation, ongoing ownership structures, and liquidity events.  In a nonprofit setting, both secular and sacred, exit planning revolves around funding deferred compensation and determining what a key leader’s area of focus will be once they have transitioned out of their current role.  This often involves developing a platform to facilitate ongoing coaching, mentoring, or consulting activities.

Succession Planning as New Leader Hiring

Ministry leaders often use succession planning as a reference to the search process.  Efforts here focus on the developing a profile, identifying and vetting candidates and negotiating offers.  Some churches will engage in a professional search firm while others will manage the process on their own.

Many Elders and 2nd Chair leaders feel uneasy about talking with the Senior Leader about their eventual retirement.  Conversely, many Senior Leaders become very defensive when the topic of “succession planning” is mentioned in reference to them.  This is often tied to the fact people are defining succession in terms of search.  In my experience, having language that allows the succession conversation to shift from “search” to “Intentional Leadership Transition” or one of the other three conversations highlighted is all that is needed for the senior leader to engage the process.

Read more from Will.

Do you have questions about starting the succession planning conversation? Talk with an Auxano Navigator to learn more.

Tags: Leadership Transitions, Will Heath, pastoral succession, succession planning

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Succession Is: A Shift in Stewardship

by: Will Heath

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The farmer’s day-to-day activities look different from season to season.  Sure, some things are the same, but his changing priorities have a significant impact on how he manages his time from season to season.  The activities required to plant a field are very different than the things required to harvest it.  The various activities that demonstrate a farmer’s stewardship in one season are different than the activities that demonstrate his stewardship in the next.

This is easy to understand, right?  Let me ask you a question.  Would you consider the farmer to be a good steward if he plowed his field during a time of harvest?  Of course not.  Why?  Plowing the field is what you do to prepare the soil for seed.  Plowing at harvest would destroy the crop.  This isn’t stewardship, it’s stupidity.

Here’s the point.  A commitment to stewardship implies a willingness to allow the change in season to result in a change in activity.

To illustrate further, let’s take a look at how the Bible exposes us to two distinct aspects of time.  Kronos is measured time.  This is where we derive our modern word “chronology.”  The Bible expresses Kronos with references to hours, days, months, years, etc…  Kairos, on the other hand, is seasonal time.  Unlike Kronos, Kairos is not constrained to specific measurements.  Here is an example.

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers…Acts 13:36, ESV

The “in his own generation” is a reference to the kairos in which God placed David in history.

One of my frustrations with the capital campaign industry in the church space over the past 30 years is that it has fostered a teaching of stewardship that predominately followed the categories of time, talent and treasure.  These are all Kronos expressions.  What has developed is a limited sensitivity and discernment for what stewardship actually is and how stewarding one’s kairosimpacts their life.  To illustrate my point, ask someone at church to illustrate the topic of stewardship with a picture.  I’m willing to bet 80% would draw a dollar sign or some other representation of currency.

What does this have to do with succession planning?

Everything!

The Church in America is experiencing a seismic shift in leadership.  Pastors, by the thousands, are aging into a new season of influence.  They are about to enter their retirement years.  As with the farmer, the leaders that do not adjust their activity (Kronos) to the reality of their changing season (Kairos) will no longer demonstrate good stewardship.  Indeed, succession planning is one of the biggest stewardship challenges the Church in America will face over the next 5-7 years.

In the same way the capital campaign industry helped foster a narrow perspective on stewardship, the search industry is fostering a narrow perspective on leadership transitions.  As I wrote in the first post of this series, succession planning and replacement planning are not the same thing.  Trying to navigate a planned leadership transition through the lens of replacement planning is like using a dollar symbol to define stewardship.  Yes, it is part of the conversation, but there is so much more to discuss and account for.

We are at a time where pastors need to be like the men of Issachar; men who understand of their times and know what they ought to do. (1 Chronicles 12:32)

Or, to say it another way, we need pastors who are willing to allow the reality of their changing kairos to determine their kronos.  We need pastors to shift their stewardship.

> Read more from Will.

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Tags: Will Heath, pastoral succession, succession

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