Last year I transitioned from associate pastor to senior pastor of Grace Community Church (GCC), a church of around 500 people in a small community west of Salem, Oregon.
The change came after a year-long transition, so the church was able to adjust slowly to the change in leadership. The transition year was essential, as most of the people in the church began attending under the leadership of our previous senior pastor, Guy Basso.
Our church had a relatively smooth pastoral transition. Yes, there are those who liked it better before. Yes, we heard grumblings from people. Yes, a few families decided that this is a good time for their family to transition somewhere else. However, we are experiencing slow and steady growth. We have seen consistent giving that has enabled us to accomplish the ministry for which we are called. In spite of some minor grumblings, we have experienced a season of peace and unity.
Many leadership transitions involve stories of infighting and division. Not this one. In fact, I was surprised by how smoothly it all went. Yet, there were still some things for which I was unprepared. What follows are six surprises about my pastoral transition.
1. A Predecessor With Foresight
One thing that smoothed the process was the actions of my predecessor. I didn't know it at the time, but seven years ago, when I was hired to be the youth pastor, he began eyeing me as a potential successor. Around five years before the transition, he began to encourage me to think about going to seminary. Knowing that a potential transition would take place when I was in my early 30s, he knew that I would need education to fill in some gaps. During my time in seminary, my role at the church began to gradually change. I transitioned out of youth into overseeing the adult ministry in the church, which included overseeing church staff. Our pastor also began training new elders that would be in place during the pastoral transition. Each of them knew and supported the proposed plan to have me succeed him.
One year before I graduated from seminary, Pastor Guy announced his retirement. He outlined a transition plan for the next year. The church voted me as his successor eight months before his retirement date, and I was ordained five months later. For his last sermon series, he preached on what it took for a church to be healthy. In that series, he addressed potential concerns and problems we might face and how to counteract them as a church. By the time he retired, the change was almost anti-climactic because of his proactive attitude and careful planning.
Pastor Guy didn't just prepare the church; he trained me. He constantly brought me into meetings and ministry situations to expose me to what the new role would entail. He publicly affirmed my leadership and strategically relinquished responsibilities to me. His public support and praise gave the congregation and leadership confidence in me and gave me confidence stepping into the new position.
2. I Could Never Communicate Enough
The most difficult aspect of the transition was communicating with the church. At times it seemed that no matter how hard we tried to communicate well, our efforts fell short. Our church attendees were informed consistently and well in advance about the upcoming transition. What was shocking was the number of people who were still out of the loop. Months after announcing his retirement, Pastor Guy still had people coming up to him wondering why he was stepping down and asking who was going to be the next pastor. I learned that even when you think you're over-communicating, you are probably doing it just enough to be effective.
Communication within our leadership was challenging, too. As roles were changing and responsibility was shifting, there was ambiguity regarding who was in charge of what. There were undefined expectations, especially between the senior pastor and myself. I would begin to take initiative on projects I thought had been turned over to me, only to find out it was not yet my place to do so. Other times, there were projects that fell through the cracks because each of us assumed the other was taking care of it. When you think you have communicated well, communicate more.
3. Ministry Disagreements Get Personal
Whenever God is working and good things are happening, the enemy takes notice. I knew that theoretically, but it was eye-opening to watch it firsthand. During the time leading up to the transition, we experienced both ministry and personal attacks. Looking back, I feel there was a direct link between what God was accomplishing and the attacks we faced.
We had long-time church members suddenly leave in dramatic and destructive ways. Lies were spread about our leadership. Gossip reared its ugly head and caused great damage. Having a strong and godly leadership allowed our church to weather these storms and made us stronger in the process.
While all of that was going on, my family came under fire. Suddenly rifts appeared among extended family, taking away what had been our most trusted support system. Meanwhile my wife and I had some of the most painful "disagreements" of our marriage. I learned to prepare myself for spiritual attacks, specifically in areas that seem the least vulnerable.
4. Preaching Isn’t Most of the Job
I love preaching. In fact, preaching every week may have been what I was most excited about when taking the new role. When I think about pastors, I think about preaching. I love studying, preparing, and delivering. I was looking forward to preaching a series, rather than preaching stand-alone messages here and there.
I was surprised when I discovered what a small percentage of the job preaching actually is. It's not that our church doesn't value preaching; it does. Yet, I wasn't prepared for how ministry realities would "intrude" on my designated sermon prep time. When you find out a church member was diagnosed with stage four cancer, another was admitted to the hospital with the second of back-to-back strokes, or you get the call that a husband just admitted to his wife that he was having an affair—somehow breaking down the grammar of such and such Greek clause seems far less important. Life happens. Tragedy does not check with your schedule before striking. As the shepherd of your flock, preaching is an essential. However, while the sheep need to be fed on Sunday, sometimes you are called to rescue one from a pit on Thursday. I guarantee it never happens when you have time to deal with it. But that is the beauty of pastoral ministry—it is far more than simply preaching.
5. The Weight of Responsibility
About a year ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop with a buddy of mine who had planted a church. I was asking him what he wished he knew before leading a church. He said, "I wish I'd known that an unseen weight would fall on my shoulders—and that I'd never be rid of it." It struck me as insightful, yet I didn't grasp the reality of what he said until I stepped into the office for the first time as the senior pastor. All of a sudden I realized I didn't have someone to fall back on if I made a bad decision.
Also, as lead pastor, you bear the weight of your people's heartaches, struggles, and tragedies. There are things that you know about in the church, in people's lives, and in the community that few others know. You bear the burdens of countless people who are dealing with sin, sickness, and broken relationships. When you step into that lead role, it is like a veil is lifted and your heart breaks for people's struggles. And you are called to stand right there in the darkness, in the pain, taking it with them. That is what it means to shepherd your flock.
6. Changes Are Fine, Until You Affect Someone’s Comfort Level
Conventional wisdom tells you not to make many changes for a certain amount of time following a transition. Yet our senior pastor encouraged me to make some changes. So we did change some small things right away and introduced other changes slowly over the first few months.
I was not surprised that we faced some opposition to our changes. I was, however, taken aback by the changes over which we received complaints. Here are some examples of the changes we made: We changed how and how often we celebrated communion. We changed the look of the stage. We changed how we do lighting during services. We changed the entire order of service. We started brewing coffee in the sanctuary. Not a grumble. In fact, most people love the changes.
Then we started praying in our services. Yes, we always prayed in our services. But this time we asked people to pray—with each other. I was preaching on prayer and it seemed like an appropriate response to what we were hearing from God's Word. I received comment cards, letters, e-mails, Facebook messages, plus people talked to me in person about how much they did not appreciate being forced to pray in the worship service.
What I learned: we can make changes as long as comfort is sustained. Intrude on someone's level of comfort, and watch out! For us, praying in groups, in a worship service, was too much too fast. There were many steps we could have taken before making that jump.
Right where God wants me
I have been in the church my entire life. Since my dad was a pastor, I probably have more memories of Sunday school, children's church, and AWANA than almost any other aspect of my young life. I was on youth group leadership teams and high school mission teams. I interned in a youth group though Bible College and was hired as a youth pastor the week I graduated. Even my Master of Divinity degree is focused on Pastoral Ministry. Other than gardening jobs and making pizzas when I was in high school, my life has revolved around the church.
Yet, with all of that, I was still in some ways unprepared for what I would experience as a senior pastor. Looking at the senior pastor position from the outside or in a classroom can only give you part of the picture. The role is more challenging, more demanding, more discouraging, but also more rewarding, than one can ever imagine before stepping into it. The good news is that I know I am right where God wants me. And that is both humbling and exhilarating.
Dave Bertolini is the senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Dallas, Oregon.
