Pastoral Succession in a Solo Pastor Church
Pastoral transition is the most critical moment in the life of a congregation.
When a pastor initiates a transition and signals to the board that they should prepare to hand leadership to another, this is intentional succession. The goals include modelling a healthy transition and preparing the church for the next era of ministry.
Pastoral Succession Phases
Every church is unique. There is no one-size-fits-all for a succession plan. Working with a church coach will help craft your plan.
Every succession scenario has its own complexities, but typical succession processes include four phases: Preparation, Selection, Transition, and Continuation.
I. Preparation Phase
Proactive Approach: When the outgoing Lead Pastor initiates succession, this phase can be more strategic and less reactive. The outgoing pastor works with the board to create a succession plan, ensuring alignment with the church's Purpose, Priorities, and essential Practices. The process can be more orderly and less hurried, allowing for thorough preparation and widespread involvement of the congregation.
II. Selection Phase
Existing Staff Member: Hiring a staff member hired for the purpose of succession or an existing staff member who is qualified and willing to serve as the next lead pastor is an effective way to maintain momentum and champion a church's mission, vision, and culture.
III. Transition Phase
Mentorship: The outgoing Lead Pastor continues in their role while serving as a mentor to the incoming leader, providing guidance, sharing insights, and navigating the handover. This collaborative approach, with the outgoing pastor championing the new leader to the congregation, is a way to welcome and prepare for the final succession phase.
IV. Continuation Phase
Legacy and Stability: The outgoing Lead Pastor steps aside, and a new Lead Pastor assumes the role while respecting the church's legacy and maintaining a degree of continuity.
Enhanced Confidence: The congregation knows the outgoing pastor has been honoured and cared for and is confident and secure in the church's future, knowing that succession was thoughtfully planned and executed.
Responsibility of The Church Board / Pastor's Council
Boards should begin planning for succession in a new pastor's first month.
Without a leader, churches lose focus. Momentum slows. Outbound work dissipates as energy refocuses internally. Morale drops. Giving falls and seats open up in services. Anxiety rises. Rarely will a church's income rise during a lack of leadership. Giving can take up to six months to return to the previous level even in a well planned succession. More than any other single factor, a change in the lead pastor will affect the giving level of a church.
Budget a savings account for succession. Invest the savings in a GIC. Prioritize using a portion of excess funds at the end of a budget year for succession. If your pastor is retiring and has been in place for 20+ years, plan for six months of salary as severance (one month/year of employment).
Pastors in place for 20+ years may have declined raises over their final years which leaves the church with a salary below market rates. A board should research salaries in comparative churches. Candidates will have done this work already so be prepared to make a reasonable salary and benefits offer.
Good Paper Makes Good Friends
Write down agreements about financial provisions for the current pastor's transition. Board members change over time. Provide clarity and alignment between the pastor, successor, and board so there is no confusion about what was or was not said.
Set intended dates for a transition process: Start Date. Opt-Out date. Transition Date.
Opt-out is a time period, 9-12 months into the process, and agreed upon by the board and the successor when a final decision to go forward with the process is made. Either party can opt-out with no offence intended. This allows for any uncertainty at the beginning to be clarified during that time period. During this time period, the board and lead pastor may see that the successor is not the right fit, or the successor may discover in the process the church is not the right fit. Regular check-ins and evaluations through the process ensure no one is taken by surprise on the opt-out date.
The Intentional Overlap Plan
There are two options for the successor to be in place with the outgoing lead pastor:
An existing staff member who has the capabilities to lead and has the trust of the congregation to become the next lead pastor.
Hiring a staff member with the intent of positioning them as the successor.
Key Decisions For the Pastor
What is the best timeline for preparation?
The longer you have, the better. Start thinking now.
Trust one Board member and have a conversation about your thoughts on succession. Start by forming an "if-you-get-hit-by-a-bus" plan. A plan in case of emergency can get a pastor and a board thinking in the direction of succession.
Preparation of a Candidate
Determine what the candidate needs to succeed as the next lead pastor.
What leadership experiences?
What qualities and skills do they need?
What skills need to be bettered?
What training would be helpful?
The present leader starts helping the new leader by inviting him or her to places of decision-making and influence.
What will happen to the present pastor?
The present lead pastor needs emotional intelligence and humility to enter a succession process. The board should provide financial support for a counsellor or coach to aid in preparation and post-succession.
Post-succession, the present pastor will hold no authority or decision-making power in the church.
The idea of not being in the middle of the action is different from the feeling of not being in the middle of the action.
A lack of clarity with the present pastor, board, congregation and candidate creates chaos.
There is a grieving process, both for the pastor and the congregation.
When the lead pastor is male, his spouse can pay the highest emotional and relational price. A lead pastor may have another job opportunity to focus on. A spouse may not. Choosing to remain in a small community post-succession may be preferred because of family or property. A pastoral couple can best serve the church by taking a period of time away from attending or deciding to no longer attend, even if the congregation desires their attendance. It is essential that the exiting pastor supports this principle and promotes it before and after succession.
To the Board: Offer strong, heartfelt support to the exiting pastor and family leading up to and post-succession (8 months is not too long to keep checking in.)
To the Pastor: Let the church go. Your gift to the church is the successor.
What will be our communication strategy?
Decide when the congregation will be informed of the succession plan.
Decide who will tell them. Consider having a board member and the exiting pastor communicate together.
For An Existing Staff Member to Become the Successor
Settle on the timeline of transition with the board. One year? Eighteen months? Two years?
The agreement that the present pastor will be no longer on staff and will not attend the church soon after succession.
Consult with the candidate about his or her willingness; have him or her agree or decline.
If agreed, go through the first year with no public announcement. Agree on a mentoring process, responsibilities, timeline markers, new opportunities to lead, and being included in significant decisions. Congregations are astute. They will observe changes that will probably lead to assumptions and questions about the future.
Agree on an opt-out date. Have bi-monthly or quarterly evaluations. Agree to see if there is a fit after a year. If there is a fit for the board and successor, move forward. Moving forward would involve a pay raise of some amount. If an opt-out is chosen, stop the process, and the candidate leaves the church.
Inform the church of the process as year two starts.
A vote should be held in year two to affirm the succeeding pastor.
Agree on a length of time for which that successor wants the lead pastor to assist on staff.
The successor will be a direct report to the board, the lead pastor will report to the successor, and the successor will chair all board and congregational meetings.
NOTE: Timelines are not an exact science. Each church determines a timeline based on its circumstances.
Timeline A – Internal Hire
Phase One – The staff member who is the successor becomes the Associate Pastor
Phase Two – Reverse roles – Successor assumes more lead pastor responsibilities/votes to affirm the successor
Phase Three – The present pastor phases out and is part-time over 6-12 months and then no longer as a staff member or attending the church.
Timeline B - External Hire for the Purpose of Succession
Phase One – hire a staff member to be an assistant pastor
Phase Two – Assistant becomes Associate
Phase Three – Reverse roles / Vote to affirm the successor
Phase Four – Phase out to part-time and then exit
Financial Preparation
The longer the planning timeline, the better.
Depending on a church's financial position, a successor may need to start in a part-time role and be bi-vocational.
A Board should begin laying aside savings each month for two things:
Transition support for the present pastor (a week's salary or more for each year)
Savings for an Associate pastor to be the successor ($45-50,000, including expenses and benefits)
NOTE: Financial arrangements should be documented, especially financial support for the present pastor. Boards change, and verbal agreements can be forgotten.
When should this begin? Now. The pool of available pastors has dramatically shrunk.
RESOURCES:
NEXT: Pastoral Succession That Works, William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird
While there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the puzzle of planning for a seamless pastoral succession, Next offers church leaders and pastors a guide to asking the right questions in order to plan for the future.
Resource: Sherwood Park Alliance Succession page
For more information on successful succession planning, contact Bob Jones at bob@abnwt.com or Corey Randell at corey@abnwt.com.
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.