By Gregory S. Waddell
One of the responsibilities of boards of elders is to be deliberate about the future leadership needs of the congregations they serve. Too often, the process of finding a preacher turns into a rush to “fill the pulpit.”
The death or departure of a preacher can leave a church in a crisis of identity; its very survival may be in question. In a crisis, the board doesn”t have time to do the investigative work needed to make informed decisions. A crisis produces an emotional response; rational decision making becomes more difficult.
To avoid this scenario, churches need to have in place a plan for leadership succession that matches the current and future needs of the church with someone who has skills to meet those challenges. However, we must first overcome some common myths that work against the adoption of a succession planning approach.
The Myth of Aimless Spirituality
The first myth encountered in Christian groups is the idea that planning itself is contrary to spirituality. Some Christians separate the spiritual life from the world of business. Since planning and establishing goals are a normal part of the corporate world, these Christians conclude that such practices can have no place in the church. To think logically about potential future actions is believed to be a denial of the Holy Spirit’s place in the church.
At the other extreme are those who remove the Spirit altogether from planning. Books about planning often say nothing about the spiritual dimension. Planning involves forging agreement among participants, setting target dates, estimating future staffing needs, defining milestones, and finding a vision of a desired future. God is not generally viewed as an element in the planning process. Fasting and prayer are not encouraged prior to making staffing decisions as was the case in the early church (Acts 13:2). Perhaps this is why some Christians reject the planning process altogether.
There appears to be scriptural support for both planning and trusting. For example, the writer of Proverbs states: “Many plans are in a man”s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand” (Proverbs 19:21, New American Standard Bible). Paul trusted the guidance of the Holy Spirit; yet he also had a plan to see Rome (Acts 19:21)””though admittedly God”s way of getting him there was different from what he had imagined. Planning and trust are both evident in Paul’s ministry.
Spirituality is not just compatible with planning; it may be enhanced by it. Succession planning, therefore, becomes a valuable aspect of the church”s spiritual program; it links the leadership needs of the church with its strategic plan.
Once a church discovers the kind of leadership that has worked in the past, why do we need to think about the future? To answer that question, we need to talk about a second myth that is sometimes found among well-meaning Christians.
The Myth of the Restored Church
After hearing a powerful sermon on the need for change, a friend of mine said, “I don”t believe the church should have to change.” His view was that though the culture is changing all around us, the church need not change because it is linked to the eternal. Change for him implied a yielding to the relentless forces of cultural corruption.
Christians confuse change with capitulation, as if accepting change means we are yielding to a force antagonistic to our purpose. The reality is that demographic and generational forces create fundamental changes in the way people communicate. A church that was at one time connected with the people of its community may now find itself isolated from that community because the community changed but the church did not. The leadership may long for the restoration of that former vitality.
“Restoration” should not be thought of as an attempt to restore the church of a previous generation. Instead, we must restore the New Testament church in new and creative ways, making an impact on our world that no previous generation has known or imagined.
Succession planning can become a force helping the church move from a retreat posture into an advancement posture that engages the future. By thinking ahead of time about where the church wants to go and about the leadership needs when it gets there, a team of elders can bridge the gap between its present condition and desired future. To do this, the elders need to think about change while the church”s current program is flourishing.
Unfortunately, what often happens is that, instead of flourishing, churches are struggling to survive. In an effort to help them come out of the downward spiral, the elders may seek a preacher who has all the gifts and talents wrapped in a bargain package.
The Myth of the Fully Loaded Pastor
The main problem with the idea that one man can be the key to a successful church is that the Bible does not teach it. The apostle Paul wrote, “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, NASB). The clear message here is that no one person can pull the church out of its downward spiral. It must be a joint effort that requires a long and hard look at why the church is currently failing to respond to its changing environment.
The elders need to study that environment and identify the church”s weaknesses. Succession planning can then be used to match the particular needs of the congregation with a minister whose gifts and talents make an ideal fit for their unique situation. To do this, they need to focus on capabilities rather than personalities.
The Myth of the Personality Priority
In the absence of a succession plan, personality rises to the top of the search committee”s criteria. When a church has experienced division and conflict, it may seek someone who is able to create a sense of unity among its members. However, this approach fails to prepare the church for its inevitable encounter with reality. If the practical skills of the new preacher are not matched to the church”s strategy and place in the community, then no substantive changes will occur. Instead, the symptoms are temporarily alleviated through a high energy personality.
A succession plan can help the elders analyze the church”s current issues and find a minister who is particularly adept at dealing with these issues. If the church is located in a stable and relatively uncomplicated community, then simply building a new sense of energy and unity may fit the church”s current need. However, if the church”s problems lie in the growing complexity of a changing community, then the church may need a different kind of minister, one who has skills to connect with that community.
Planning for the future leadership needs of the church should not merely be an exercise in crisis management. The church must identify where it is, where it wants to go, and what skills it will need to get it there, and then build a team of leaders responsive to the Holy Spirit and skilled to meet the challenges of the future.
Greg Waddell is director of institutional improvement at Mid-South Christian College, Memphis, Tennessee.
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