Thriving: The Hit-By-A-Bus Principle

By David Vaughan

It may sound morbid, but what happens if you get hit by a bus? 

If you serve as an elder or staff member, it’s not just a theoretical question, it’s a vital one. Succession planning is one of the most important, but often most neglected, responsibilities of church leadership. Having a plan to build your bench and embracing a ”next man up” mentality must be a top priority in a healthy church. This requires intentionality, though, because most leaders are so busy working in it they don’t take time to work on it.  

It is hard for a senior minister to think and talk about succession, but it can be just as difficult for long-serving elders and staff to imagine the day when younger leaders—with younger ideas—will take their place. Yet succession is essential for long-term health. 

Succession for Elders 

On the elder level, succession can be as simple as establishing and following clear terms of service—rolling some elders off each year while inviting new ones on. This ensures that healthy succession is built into the church’s culture. 

Succession for Staff 

It’s a bit more complicated on the staff level (especially on the senior staff level), but regular succession conversations must happen so transitions are proactive and not reactive. Coordinated planning helps prevent multiple seasoned leaders from retiring or moving on at the same time, which could create a leadership vacuum. This is especially important when a long-term lead pastor is planning to retire.   

Key Succession Principles for Elders and Staff  

• Remember that every leader is an interim leader (Even Jesus had a succession plan!). One CEO said, ”I can get kicked out, carried out, or I can walk out. I choose the latter.”  

• We always said that you want to make policies before issues have faces. That’s especially true with succession and the surrounding questions and issues. The best time to discuss a succession plan is before you need it! 

• Include a transitioning leader’s spouse in the conversation. Remember, their relationships and rhythms are changing, too.  

• After decades of watching church staff transitions, I can confidently say that one of the top reasons people don’t retire when they should is they can’t afford to. If you want your ministry staff to retire someday, make sure you pay them enough to enable that. 

• Remain available after the transition. Former elders and staff can offer needed wisdom, mentoring, and encouragement to new leaders. A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows where the dirt is! 

• Seek ways to publicly honor and celebrate those who have faithfully transitioned off your elder board and staff.  

• Remind those who are retiring or transitioning that there is a difference between their identity (who they are in Christ never changes), their calling (to lead), and their assignment (the place they serve, which will change over time).  

In a church, there is no success without a successor! Leadership transitions are like relay races—victories are won or lost in the handoff zone. 

A Biblical and Modern Example 

In the Old Testament, the Levites were required to stop serving as priests at the age of 50. It wasn’t just because they were older or tired; it was to enable new Levitical priests to start serving. “The Lord said to Moses, ’This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work’” (Numbers 8:23-26a, New International Version). 

A more modern example comes from the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. William Vanderbloemen wrote a fascinating article titled, “What I Learned About the Queen’s Funeral Plans from the Archbishop’s Office.” He said,  

In 2019, before the world fell apart, I was at Lambeth Palace, the headquarters for the Archbishop of Canterbury, doing some work on searches we were conducting. While I was there, I asked some of the staff what they were working on. After they ran through a few things, I said, “Not to sound morbid, but when will you all begin planning for the queen‘s funeral?”   

They responded, “Oh, that’s been done a long time ago. We have it all planned out, even down to how everyone gets back here from wherever they are when the day comes.” I was pretty amazed, but I guess I shouldn’t have been. They went on to say something like, “You see, we know that sooner or later, the day for a funeral will come. So we plan well ahead of time to make that day easier.”  

I had all but forgotten about our meeting until the queen passed away. Now I’m realizing two great insights that I gained from the advanced planning that the Archbishop’s staff has done for this momentous occasion. Because the staff planned ahead, they made decisions about the funeral while their heads were clear. Secondly, because they made decisions ahead of time, they left plenty of room for healthy emotional processing and grief. 

The same is true for church leadership succession. Delay or denial is not a strategy, friend. Sooner or later, there will be a next. The question is whether you’ve prepared for it.  

Don’t wait to get hit by a bus. 

David Vaughan led Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio for 20 years. Today, he is the Program Director for the Healthy Church Initiative with the Christian Church Leadership Network. David and his wife, Donna, live near Charleston, South Carolina and have two children and three grandchildren.