The life cycle of a church includes a number of memorable milestones. One is pastoral transition. The longer a pastor has provided leadership, the more challenging the transition can be. That’s why it’s important to think carefully about how to navigate such waters.
I became pastor of my former church at the age of 27. Surrounded by a strong group of elders, I served the church for the next 39 years. Although it was difficult to imagine doing anything else, I knew that eventually I would need to step aside and allow the church to prosper under new leadership. But how would I go about that?
Transition Priorities
As I reflect upon the transition process we experienced, there are several key principles that came to the forefront.
Number one, I was committed to “finishing well.” In the strength of God’s grace, I wanted to sprint to the finish line, not just coast in that direction. I wanted my final years to be fruitful, not a self-absorbed “victory lap.”
Number two, I gave the church plenty of time to plan well for the transition. I offered the session (what we Presbyterians call our board of elders) a plan for my final two years which gave them time to form a search committee, develop a church profile, and communicate with potential candidates for the senior pastor position.
A third principle was the gradual transition of leadership from me, as senior pastor, to the session, as ruling elders. In God’s providence, the clerk of the session assumed greater responsibility in leading meetings, making it evident that the session was becoming less dependent upon me.
A final critical priority was the need for open and frequent communication with the congregation. A familiar criticism of elders is the perceived lack of communication between leadership and membership. Pastoral transitions can produce great anxiety in the hearts of the flock. By regularly and carefully keeping the congregation in the loop, we tried to bless them with as much information as we possibly could.
Transition Insights
As I reflect upon the transition period in my church, I naturally ask, “What would I have done differently if I had to do it all over again?” Aspects could have been improved.
One possibility is that I might have “shared the pulpit” a bit more as my ministry approached its conclusion. Would it have prepared the congregation for a new voice if they heard less of mine in my final years? That might have been the case, but it was also important to me to keep the ministry “as normal as possible” in those final two years. Plus, we wanted to avoid giving the appearance of various preachers “auditioning” for the job before the search committee was actively at work.
Another important focus for me was emphasizing God’s presence and faithfulness in the life of the church. My name had been connected to the church for 39 years, but it was not “my” church. It is God’s church and has been built by God’s power (1Cor.3:6–9). There was no need for the congregation to fear the future because God will faithfully build his church. That message had to be proclaimed repeatedly to avoid the natural inclination to look at the future with doubts.
Another important dimension of transition is the congregation’s relationship with its departing pastor and his wife. The membership will wrestle with their emotions. Some feel rejected, others anxious, many are sad. The stages of grief may become visible in the faces of people you dearly love. The pastor and his wife may experience their own emotional challenges!
Admitting that these emotional dynamics exist and speaking into them is important. Pointing each other to the gospel and its promises is a powerful balm for ailing hearts. A transition should move in an orderly and proper fashion, but it should also offer emotional encouragement and biblical counsel to members who feel anxious about the future of the church they love.
The Story Continues
January 2020 was the official date of my “resignation” as senior pastor. The church survived the COVID-19 crisis that made church life difficult for quite a while. The search committee labored diligently and eventually identified a new senior pastor who has moved the church along with noticeable growth and blessing.
At the encouragement of wise advisors, my wife and I relocated for five months to a distant state so the church could process the separation without us being visible in the community. I believe that period of time was beneficial for all concerned.
Upon returning home, I became an interim preacher for another church within our presbytery. My wife and I have enjoyed almost four years serving that congregation. That assignment answered the important question of where we would be worshiping when we returned home.
In God’s providence, our former church family recently extended me a call to return to the church in the role of pastor emeritus. The current senior pastor is enthusiastically supportive of the call, and we have been blessed to return to the congregation we so dearly love. I feel a great responsibility to steward that role humbly and faithfully so as to do nothing to compete with the new senior pastor or impede his ministry.
The life cycle of the church has come full circle. My wife and I had no idea when we arrived in 1981 that we would serve the same flock for 39 years. Nor did we expect to return in our seventies as pastor emeritus and wife! God richly blesses the church that he purchased with the blood of his Son.
