When a senior pastor abruptly leaves the church, it typically leaves a painful aftermath for the leadership team to clean-up. But who feels adequately trained or prepared to confidently step into the mess?

It feels very similar when someone has died, and there will be a funeral. Who really enjoys being in those situations? We know we should be there, but we feel so awkward because we’re not sure what to do or what to say (and we’re nervous we’ll say or do the wrong thing).

That’s exactly the depth of uncertainty the leadership team faces when their senior pastor abruptly leaves. They need to be right where they don’t easily know what to say or what to do!

So how do we engage when we have the strong urge to escape? What does it look like to invest in others when our inclination is to withdraw? (more…)