Pastors

Handing Off a Pastorate

One church’s intentional transition from one pastor to the next.

Leadership Journal February 23, 2015

I had the privilege of planting Discovery Christian Church (originally Moreno Valley Christian Church) in 1984 in a small but rapidly growing distant suburb of Los Angeles. I was 33 at the time and our family moved from the greater Philadelphia area. The new church was supported by an evangelizing association of greater Southern California until it became self-supporting a few years later. On our 30th anniversary in 2014, I stepped down as senior pastor.

Looking back I now realize the transition begin in 2011 when one of our associate pastors left our church to become campus minister at his alma mater. He had served in many pastoral roles. I was fully supportive of the move, but his departure revealed a weakness in our leadership. After almost 27 years, I was worn down and looking forward to eight weeks away reading, resting, and reflecting. I had scheduled a two-month sabbatical for that fall, but with our associate’s leaving, that had to be canceled.

Rather than simply postponing my sabbatical, I began to seriously think about stepping down from ministry. As we began the work of finding a new associate pastor, I suggested to our elders that we look for someone who would eventually succeed me. None of them were as interested as I was in beginning to think about transition, but everyone agreed we would make it a part of our search criteria.

After almost a year of reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates, we had not found the desired match. In the summer of 2012 we brought a candidate and his wife to California for a face-to-face interview with our elders and staff and their spouses. The elders and I had not shared our thoughts with the rest of the staff about this new associate being my eventual replacement.

In the interview someone asked the candidate what about the position interested him and he replied that he liked the idea of eventually becoming senior pastor. His answer forced us to share our thinking about transition with everyone present, but we assured them it was not imminent and the matter was dropped. We eventually called Dan Clemens to join our staff, and his family moved to Moreno Valley in August, 2012.

Integrating Dan

One of the first things I did to begin paving the way for our eventual transition was to insist that our new associate pastor and our executive pastor attend a three-day meeting in Phoenix for pastors and staff of churches in our size range. I saw it as an opportunity for the two of them to begin to connect on a level that wouldn’t have happened if I had gone. I was convinced that it would be important when I left for Joe, our executive pastor, and Dan to have a strong relationship apart from me.

At the same time I began to talk with a few pastor friends who had recently transitioned out of senior pastorates. I also began to read books and articles about the process. A plan began to form in my mind. I raised the issue with our elders and began a discussion about timing. In our meetings from March through June, I presented a variety of options for the transition. Gradually we came to the decision to announce the transition on our church’s 29th anniversary in October, 2013, and for my last Sunday to be one year later on our 30th anniversary in October, 2014.

Prior to the announcement, we also began to discuss increasing my retirement benefits as it was clear I was in no position financially to completely retire. We sought expert outside advice with regard to financial matters, and our executive pastor took the lead in presenting a package to the elders that was unanimously approved. In connection with the announcement of my stepping down in a year, we also announced that Dan would become our lead pastor at that time.

As we approached the Sunday of the announcement, I felt the rest of our staff and some key volunteers and longtime members should hear about it in smaller gatherings and a more personal way. I set up a Friday afternoon pizza lunch for our staff and a Saturday evening dessert for key volunteers and longtime members. At both meetings I read a brief statement then entertained questions. Both meetings went well as most people were surprised but generally supportive of the plan. One thing that troubled me (and still does) was a couple who was not invited to the Saturday dessert meeting but learned about it later, who stopped attending and would not accept my apology for leaving them out.

I made the Sunday announcement as part of our Lord’s Supper preparation and had to keep my emotions in check. The response of the church body was similar to the response the previous evening. After the Lord’s Supper, I preached as usual and we concluded the worship celebration without belaboring the point. After all we had an entire year!

Taking a step back

After the announcement, we stepped up efforts to build a platform for Dan with the entire congregation in anticipation of his new role. He preached about once every other month as well as led our Thanksgiving Eve Celebration and our Good Friday Service. Two other times we shared the pulpit and interacted in messages.

While I was not present every time he preached, I thought it important that I be there as much as possible. I felt my attendance when he preached or led special services visually demonstrated my support of him as our next lead pastor.

Halfway through the year, we had a congregational approval vote of ”our elders’ recommendation that Pastor Dan become Discovery’s lead pastor after Pastor Bob steps down October 6.” This vote in April was a reminder to people of what was coming as well as a call and opportunity for them to participate in the process. The vote was overwhelmingly positive with over 99 percent affirming Dan.

I invited both Dan and Joe to join our June elder meeting. I suggested that for our July meeting Dan and Joe meet with the elders without me. By doing this Dan could share some of his ideas and plans for the future with the elders without any concern for what I might think. I also thought it would be an opportunity for these key leaders to begin to develop camaraderie for the future without me.

Finishing the transition

The last three Sundays, we made the transition the focus of the teaching time. Two weeks before my last Sunday we had “A Conversation between Pastors Bob and Dan.” The two of us sat in comfortable chairs on the stage and asked each other questions. We talked about our feelings as the big day approached and let people see we genuinely liked and respected one another.

During this conversation Dan asked me to share again exactly why I was stepping down. My answer from the day I had announced the transition was that “after 30 years it was time for a change.” But many people wanted more. The key phrase I used that morning was “I’m out of gas.” Years earlier I had read a Leadership Journal article by Angie Ward entitled “Leaders Insight: Ministry Gone Stale” in which she observed “some leaders have a shelf life.” Even though lots of things were going well in our church and new people were regularly being added, we were not experiencing a net gain statistically. I felt I was doing the best preaching of my life, but there is more to effective pastoral leadership than just preaching. I had come to the conclusion that I didn’t want “to stay beyond my shelf life.” It was time for a change.

The next week I preached a message entitled “Talking about Transition.” Early in this message I acknowledged that at times the last year had been both unsettling and awkward for many of us because a transition in pastoral leadership was a new thing for our church. My plan was to look at the biblical transitions of Moses to Joshua, Elijah to Elisha, and Paul to Timothy to gain some insight for our transition.

Studying these transitions I noticed a few key elements. Transitions are inevitable. Every leader’s tenure eventually comes to an end. The ending of one leader’s leadership requires the raising up and appointing of a new leader. When that transition is done right, the work of God continues. If one of God’s leaders leaves, God doesn’t leave that ministry or his people. Because no two leaders are alike in terms of personality, style, or gifts, it is in this transition that a ministry can grow in ways that it wouldn’t have been able to under the previous leader.

The last observation I made was, in a good and appropriate transition, both leaders could and should be appreciated, supported, and encouraged. I warned that everyone must be careful not to think they had to be loyal to one or the other. The truth is that it is good, healthy, and appropriate to mourn the conclusion of a leader’s tenure. I also wanted to make it clear it was appropriate to celebrate the new leader. I told our church that Dan and I felt we were both being appreciated, supported, and encouraged through this process. I reminded the congregation that it was God who was really in control of this whole process and he deserved the praise and honor.

My final Sunday was a day filled with emotion, gratitude, and celebration. In the morning message I borrowed from the apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 1 to that church to convey my gratitude, love, and confidence in the future for Discovery and its ministry. In the evening executive pastor Joe took the lead in putting together a “Celebrating the Legacy” gathering to honor my wife Jan and me. Several times during the evening both of us were brought to tears of joy and gratitude by what people said.

One of the most meaningful things they did was put a “treasure box” in the lobby both morning and evening in which people could place cards and notes expressing their appreciation to us for our years of service. There were also many gifts included. While we appreciated every gift, we cherish and have kept the heartfelt notes so many wrote telling us thanks and that they loved us.

Discovery was the third church I have left in my 44 years of pastoral ministry, but it was the first real transition process I went through. If we had it to do all over again (and I’m glad we don’t), I’m sure we would tweak a few things, but overall the path God led us through was one of joy and genuine excitement for what he will do in the future.

—Bob Mink

I was hired with the understanding that I “could be considered” the next pastor to lead Discovery into the next season of her life. Though that thought was intriguing to me, it was far from the main reason my family and I moved 2,400 miles from Ohio to California.

Several months into my role as associate pastor, I felt confident in where I was heading in ministry. Then the day came when Pastor Bob walked into my office, shut my door, and said, “We need to talk.” My first thought was, I better call my wife and ask if we still had our moving boxes … Then he expressed these words, “I am confident you are the one I want to succeed me as the next senior pastor of Discovery.”

I was humbled, even shocked. Few people have encouraged me in such a significant way as Pastor Bob did through his endorsement. For the next 30 minutes I heard Pastor Bob express why he felt I was the right person and what the transition was going to look like. The more I processed our conversation, I was certain it would be a slow 15 months. Boy, was I wrong—it flew by.

Pastor Bob took many opportunities to place articles and several books in my hand to read on not only transition but also materials to deepen my leadership abilities. In fact, I have filed each article, and the books are on my shelf under leadership for the future.

After the big announcement came, I felt very encouraged by the congregation as they were sad to see Pastor Bob leave, but they could see how I was the right fit. Again, I was humbled. As the year continued, Pastor Bob and I would spend time together “checking in.” As the day approached, our emotions surfaced. Certain days things were okay, other days were a little more difficult. I rarely talked about the transition toward the end as I wanted to be sensitive to Bob in all of this.

Was the transition good or bad, effective or ineffective? I’m not sure. Neither of us truly knew what we were doing. What I can say is, I was encouraged, challenged, and loved through it all. We all understood we were following what we believed was God’s plan. We did the best we could, we grew through it all, and I built stronger relationships with Pastor Joe and our elders while establishing trust with the congregation as a whole. I am excited for the future of Discovery and the impact we will continue to have on our community.

The Transition from the Successor’s Perspective

—Dan Clemens

Copyright © 2015 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

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