Bridging the Leadership Gap: Essential Steps for Church Succession

By Kent E. Fillinger

Developing a solid succession plan is like exercising. Everyone knows it’s a smart idea and that they should do it, but it’s easier to make excuses than to create a workable plan. Thus, only 

a small percentage of churches and Christian nonprofits have succession plans. 

A 2019 ECFA survey of pastors and church board members found that 37 percent of church boards say they have had zero conversations about a pastoral succession plan. Churches are not alone in being ill-prepared for succession. A 2018 ECFA survey found that 63 percent of Christian nonprofits did not have a succession plan. 

Succession Planning Can Be Scary 

Succession planning can be scary because many pastors are not financially prepared to retire. A 2015 study by Grey Matter Research & Consulting for the National Association of Evangelicals found that 20 percent of pastors had nothing at all saved for retirement. A 2020 Leadership Network study found that only about half (48%) of the pastors studied reported a high or very high level of confidence in their plans for retirement. 

William Vanderbloemen, in his book, Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, shared that the main reason many pastors don’t begin a succession process is because they don’t have the financial resources to do so. It is the responsibility of church boards and elder teams to ensure finances are not the reason succession talks are stalled or never begin. 

Succession Planning Is Good Stewardship  

Succession planning is an act of spiritual stewardship. When a church approaches succession planning with a perspective of faith and trust in God, it transforms the process from a daunting challenge into a sacred privilege.  

Succession planning isn’t just about ensuring ministry continuity; it’s also about advancing the kingdom of God and positioning your church for long-term health and growth.  

Successions Require Assessing Your Church’s Leadership Structure and Situation  

Your church culture, leadership structure, and lead pastor’s tenure will impact your succession planning process. The larger the church and the longer the pastor’s tenure, the more time the succession process will take. 

“Elder led and Elder controlled” churches tend to view the pastor as disposable and see hiring a new pastor as more of a “plug-and-play” process. Often a “warm body mentality” rules the day and the leadership and church are happy if they have a pastor to fill the pulpit. In this model, the staff often feel like “hired hands” who are over-managed and under-trusted.  

“Staff led and Elder protected” churches tend to be larger and faster growing with a multitude of church staff to consider. These churches are often structured so that the staff are hired to lead ministries, while the elders oversee, protect, and shepherd the congregation. In this structure, the elders are responsible for hiring the lead pastor and the lead pastor is often responsible for hiring other staff members.  

Regardless of your church’s leadership structure, it’s always wise for the elders to lead the succession planning and hiring process for a new lead pastor. No departing pastor should select his successor. And staff members should  not hire their new “boss.” 

Succession Requires Advanced Planning  

A 2017 Barna study identified three types of transitions. The first is the planned transition, which is planned prior to the change (17%). The second is the pastor-initiated transition, set into motion by a decision from the outgoing pastor (62%). The third is the forced transition, commenced by unexpected circumstances such as illness, death, or crisis (13%).  

The report also revealed that when a transition is planned, more than half of the outgoing pastors stick around, whether they step back to continue serving on staff or withdraw to a lay role. 

Planned departures produce more positive outcomes for everyone involved. As emotions often run hot during a season of change, the more decisions made beforehand or outside the heat of the moment, the better. 

The Barna study found that congregants have the best overall experience with planned transitions and/or those where the outgoing pastor chooses to retire. Thirty-six percent of churchgoers in these circumstances ultimately report a positive outcome within a year of the transition. 

Succession Requires Honest Conversations and Good Communication  

People are down on what they’re not up on. Keeping the staff and congregation informed during a succession-planning and search process is critical. It builds trust and unity. Dave Travis said, “Silence breeds speculation and that divides faster than clarity ever will. Silence is also a grapevine fertilizer.”  

During the succession process, the elders and search team should communicate with transparency, emphasizing the prayerful and deliberate nature of the decision-making process while highlighting the desired qualifications of the next pastor.  

Succession Requires a Celebration  

Recognizing and showing appreciation to the departing or retiring lead pastor and his family will help a congregation to accept and embrace the next leader. 

Succession Requires a Successor  

There is no success without a successor, and everyone is an interim leader. A September 2022 Barna report found that 38 percent of pastors surveyed personally made it a top priority to equip, nurture, and identify leaders to take over their role upon retirement. However, nearly an equal number of pastors (40%) indicated they had “thought about the need but have too many other ministry concerns.” 

The ministry leadership pipeline is virtually empty, and churches can no longer expect that a suitable successor will be available when needed. Therefore, elders and pastors need to intentionally work to identify and develop future pastors and leaders, viewing this as both a calling and a priority.