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Rick Foster

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Leading During a Leadership Transition

Don't Even Think of DIY

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Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

In a 2022 examination of 30 million data base profiles by Zippia, it was found that the tenure of 48% of lead pastors in the United States was 4 years or less.

As much as you may not want it or like it, every church will go through an interim season. It’s not a matter of “if”, only “when”.

Typically, those on a church’s leadership team (elders, session, council, deacons, staff, etc) desperately hope that this kind of change doesn’t happen on their watch. For giving leadership to a church during the leadership transition of the lead or senior pastor is an incredibly challenging enterprise.

There are numerous experts and workshops that will help you build an orderly succession plan. But those plans depend on both sides being willing to engage openly with each other in the process. But when, for example, there is a moral implosion or a battle over control/direction of the church, you can toss your carefully scripted succession plan in the trash.

Count on it, the more abrupt the departure, the more disruptive the pastor’s departure will be on the church. How prepared are you to handle the disruptive issues?

The more abrupt the departure of your senior pastor, the more disruptive it will be on your church.

Before the American West was opened by the transcontinental railroad in 1869, individuals and families made the slow risky trip grouped in wagon trains. And they followed the leadership of a wagon-master.

This was a seasoned individual who had been over the route before. He knows the way…he knows the challenges …he has a good idea of when and by who they are likely to be attacked…he knows when they need to load up on extra water for a coming dry stretch. His job is to get the wagon train through.

When churches experience an abrupt departure by their lead pastor, they need a wagon-master. They need someone who has been over this route before, who knows the challenges, who knows when to circle the wagons, and who can keep everyone together and get everyone through.

The church’s journey through an interim season is not the time for DIY. Why? If you’re on a church’s leadership team, and tasked with guiding the church after the abrupt departure of your pastor, how are you going to handle the rapid-fire disruptive issues you will face? For example:

  1. Grief/Trauma

When a pastor abruptly leaves there is a profound sense of loss. How will you assess the grief level in your church? How deep is the trauma? What does the church need in order to heal? How will you avoid the attitude of FIDO: “Forget it and drive on”?

  1. The Leadership vacuum

Because of the abrupt departure, what aspects of a leadership vacuum are emerging? Often a leadership vacuum started long before the senior pastor left. What residual effects are still apparent? How will you cover the responsibilities of the former pastor? If you change the org chart, even temporarily, what long-term effect will that have on your staff?

  1. Broken trust

How has the role and position of lead pastor been damaged because of the issues surrounding their abrupt departure? How has the remaining leadership team lost the trust of the church? How can trust be rebuilt?

  1. Season of change

Just as the literal seasons of a year have their own characteristics, the interim season has its own uniqueness. Things are going to change in your church. How will you determine what needs to change? What do people want preserved, avoided, and achieved during this season?

  1. Conflict resolution

How will you handle the diverse and often passionate opinions of members who see past decisions or coming future decisions differently? How can you preserve the unity of the body when the hurt is deep and personal preferences are at odds?

These are not the only challenges a church will face as it journeys through a leadership transition. Yet does the current team have the time and expertise to prioritize the issues, and then deal effectively and in a timely manner with each?

There isn’t a You Tube video you can watch that will provide guidance for how to lead your church at this time as a DIY project.

There isn’t a You Tube video to tell you how to lead your church during a leadership transition.

Wagon-masters, for churches going through a leadership transition, are called intentional interim pastors. Because of their expertise, training, and experience they are not a luxury but an essential to get you through!

If your church is in a pastoral leadership transition, or about to enter it, consider taking one of these next steps.

  1. Contact Vital Church Ministry to learn the assessment and interim pastor support they can offer to your church (www.vitalchurchministry.org).
  2. Contact me (rick@interimpastor.org) to purchase the digital version of my workbook “The First 90 Days”. This will give everyone on your leadership team a game plan for shepherding the church during this unique season.
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What to do When You’re No Longer Trusted

The Ripple You Can't Afford to Ignore

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When a pastor has a moral implosion, the collapse of his character sends shock waves in every direction. Like ripples on the surface of a pond, the resulting consequences from his choices rock the church deeply.

The most obvious shockwaves are physical: what ears hear, and eyes see. Church members hear the news of what he did (possibly struggling to believe it’s true), and his abruptly exit from the ministry is clearly seen (his physical absence is disturbing).

Yet woven amid the physical shockwaves of a moral implosion are powerful heart shockwaves that are too often ignored. One of the most significant is the repercussion of broken trust.

  • Trust is broken because the pastor said one thing but was living another.
  • Trust is broken as it’s now evident how he used his position for himself.
  • Trust is broken as people wonder when he spoke what was a lie and what was the truth.
  • Trust is broken as people feel foolish and angry for being deceived.

The significant and respected role that pastors have in the personal life of church members means that when trust is broken it may be a long time before people are willing to trust someone else in a similar role.

“Trust is like blood pressure. It’s silent, vital to good health, and if abused it can be deadly.”  -Frank Sonnenberg, author of Follow Your Conscience

Church leaders, who are left to pick-up the pieces after an abrupt pastoral departure, need to be aware that the most damaging nature of the broken trust shockwave is not physical but relational.

In addition, there is one other confusing and perplexing aspect of the broken trust shockwave. The damage is not restricted to the relationship between church member and the former pastor. Rightly or wrongly, it often splashes over on the rest of the leadership team. Broken trust with the pastor often results in broken trust with everyone else on the leadership team. Why? Here is what some are thinking:

  • If our pastor was doing this, were some of the rest of our leaders also doing it too?
  • How could our leaders not have known what he was doing? Were they covering it up?
  • If the moral failure was sexual, then often the women of the church wonder if the leadership team has objectified women? They don’t know if they are safe at church.

This scenario presents very real relational challenges to the leadership team. You can’t demand others trust you! Trust is broken quickly but rebuilt slowly. It’s much like a brick wall that collapses to rubble. Rebuilding takes time as one brick after another is put in place.

“When mistrust comes in, loves goes out.” –Irish proverb

Is it possible for the leadership team to design a strategy to rebuild trust? Absolutely. The strategy will need to incorporate at least two elements:

  1. Acknowledge the elephant in the room.

Publicly acknowledge that many in the church may not know if they can trust their leaders. It doesn’t matter if there is any truth to their doubts and skepticism. It’s the impression they have. Simply recognize that is the current tone in the church.

  1. Commit to the process of rebuilding trust.

Since rebuilding trust takes time, promise to work on earning the church’s trust again. Openly admit that this will not be a quick process but it’s important to the leadership team that the church trust them once again.

So once the broken trust is acknowledged, and there is a public commitment to rebuilding it, how do you move forward?

Ken Blanchard in his book Trust Works gives a great model of the key elements of trust. It’s called the ABCD model of trust. Leadership teams can use this model to identify which aspects of trust need attention.

Able
Does the church believe the leadership team has the competence to lead the church? This is more than having an educational degree or the experience of having served in that role for many years. It involves having Spirit-led wisdom, training, and skill.

Believable
Believability is all about a leader’s godly character as revealed in their behavior. Godly leaders have hearts of biblical integrity: what they are in public is what they are in private. They are not motivated by hidden or worldly agendas.

Connected
Trust is built, or rebuilt, when leaders demonstrate a sincere care for those they lead. They are open and available to those they lead. They listen well, they give their full attention in conversations, and they are quick to pray. In short, they are Christ-like shepherds caring for the hearts of others.

Dependable
We trust leaders we can count on. When they give their word, they do it. We can rely on them because we believe they are following the Lord. Dependable leaders stand in the gap and are willing to sacrifice. As Aslan told the first King and Queen of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew, lead the charge and be the last one in retreat.

All it takes is one of the above elements to be damaged for trust to be broken. And, the more elements in question, the deeper the broken trust, and the more time it will take to rebuild.

When trust is broken, the first step towards rebuilding is to ask and identify which of the four elements of trust has been damaged. As I’ve already mentioned, it doesn’t matter if the accusation is real or only the impression others have. Start right where people are and commit yourself to showing over time how as one of the church leaders you are a person of competence, integrity, who cares, and is reliable.

These four elements of trust can give you a template for building an action plan to rebuild trust with the church. Ask others to give you the time and opportunity to repair what’s been damaged.

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man? -Proverbs 20:6

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Embrace Your Church’s Brokenness

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Kintsugi and a Church in Pastoral Transition

“I have become like broken pottery.” -Psalm 31:12 (NIV)

When life is harsh and brutal, how do we respond to the brokenness which occurred?

The Art of Kintsugi

Recently, my wife and I have become fascinated with Kintsugi. This is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the broken areas with an adhesive mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

The effect highlights and draws attention to the breakage and repair, making it part of the history of the object, rather than disguising what was once shattered.

The philosophy behind Kintsugi reflects the reality of life. All of us will experience knocks, breaks and shatterings, just like a piece of pottery. But will we value a repair or restoration that actually illuminates the fractures?

For the follower of Jesus, the Japanese concept of Kintsugi is not teaching us something new, rather it’s a reminder of our biblical values. We are to be those who embrace our weaknesses, or brokenness.

Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10. On the basis of the grace and power of God,

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may result upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

How does all this relate to a church going through pastoral transition because its pastor has abruptly left?

Quick Pastoral Exits Reveal Brokenness

It’s no surprise that churches, like individuals, are susceptible to knocks, breaks, and shatterings. The quick exit of the pastor often reveals a corporate brokenness on a number of levels. Unfortunately, instead of embracing it, the tendency of the leadership team (which is left to pick up the pieces) is to try and hide it.

Sure, the pastor made mistakes or got caught-up in sin. But rarely does the brokenness stop there. Often the leadership team played a part. Yet, when we were wrong, when we failed, when we made a poor decision, when we were oblivious to what was obvious, when we were self-absorbed instead of serving others, -it’s hard to be humble and transparent.

The church is hurting, the church is angry, the church is confused, the church is frustrated. The leadership team usually is very aware of this and typically doesn’t want to add fuel to the fire. There is a fear. The fear that if they address the issue(s) directly it will lead to more people leaving, less people giving, and less people being involved.

The assumed response is to hide the brokenness instead of embracing it.

Yet in my 10 years of experience as an interim pastor, having served 6 different congregations, those churches which embraced their brokenness healed more quickly and entered more easily into a new season of Christ-honoring ministry.

Be Careful of Image Management

If you’re on the leadership team, don’t under-estimate the difficulty and pressure of handling the church’s brokenness. The temptation will be to resort to “image management”. This is the attempt to control the narrative, seeking to enhance how others perceive us, spinning the facts so others will trust us and follow our leadership.

That’s what you will be tempted to do, but don’t go there!

People rarely insist their church have a perfect appearance. What they desperately want is to see authenticity. Most people don’t leave churches because there is, or are, problems. Sure, the spiritually immature or fringe person might bail, out of an unrealistic expectation that the church should be perfect. But most will stay if there is a sincere embracing of brokenness.

This is the time for the leadership team to have courage and humility to “call a spade a spade.” Speaking the unvarnished truth without avoiding unpleasant or embarrassing issues.

Embracing Brokenness

So, how does the leadership team model the embracing of brokenness? There are the 3 essential steps:

1. Identify

The leadership team needs to do the hard work of accurately understanding what happened. They need to know the truth. Be open to hear everyone’s perspective. In the case of an abrupt departure by the senior pastor the truth may be inconvenient but it’s critical to have the facts of what was known ahead of time…what was only suspected ahead of time…and what did others try to warn us about ahead of time. From all this research, write a statement describing the various levels of brokenness in your church.

2. Admit

In an appropriate setting the leadership team needs to describe the brokenness to the members of the church. That doesn’t mean that all the details are shared (that would probably be unloving), but without judgement or justification acknowledge what is broken. When we refuse to keep issues hidden but bring them into the light, they lose their control over us, and we are given a freedom to move forward.

3. Address

There are two aspects of addressing the brokenness in a church. The first is to publicly focus everyone’s attention on the hope we have that God is working in this for our good (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28). Facing brokenness can easily lead to despair that the future holds anything good. The leadership team needs to help the church keep its eyes on the Lord and not current circumstances. The lyrics of David Crowder’s classic song “Come As You Are” powerfully speak to this. Go read them with a corporate mindset.

Second, addressing the church’s brokenness means talking openly about specific action steps that will be taken to correct the known problems, to reconcile with those who have been hurt, and to put in place boundaries so this doesn’t happen again.

Obviously, we don’t celebrate sin, but we can embrace our brokenness: highlighting the wonderful work of restoration and repair that is possible in Christ. On both a personal and corporate level, our brokenness does not have to define us. But by the grace of God it can direct the church into a future of Christ-honoring ministry.

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TRM offers additional help and support for church leadership teams handling an abrupt pastoral departure. There are two workbooks that give practical advice for this critical transition season. Go to My Store to purchase either.

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How to Respond to Climate Change in Your Church

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One of the most difficult aspects of adjusting to an abrupt pastoral transition in a church is the immediate climate change which occurs. Everyone senses, almost overnight, a chill in the air.

It’s as if a cold front has blown through in the form of an unexpected blizzard which dropped the temperature, froze the ground, and left a thick blanket of snow over everything.

It’s puzzling and disturbing to have the former warm climate of joy, enthusiasm, and expectancy be so quickly replaced by the icy conditions of suspicion, doubt, and sadness.

The question everyone is asking, “We know what happened to our pastor, but what in the world has happened among us?”

Responding to a Church’s Climate Change

Some assume a bad storm has hit, but things will soon clear up. Others fear an ice age has started and nothing will ever be the same. The reality is between the two.

When the senior or lead pastor of a church abruptly leaves, the church enters a new season that is as real as the literal change of seasons –only more sudden. The new season is going to act and feel much like a literal winter.

So how should the church respond to this kind of abrupt climate change?

In the northern hemisphere when we shift to winter, typically the temperature drops, trees and foliage lose their leaves, and the ground gets covered in a blanket of snow. It appears that nature has shut down and nothing is going on. Yet despite appearances, God is at work below the surface where we can’t see!

Our God is accomplishing 4 major things:

  • The soil’s pH factor (the balance between acidic and alkaline) is restored.  For if the soil is too acidic a plant can’t absorb essential nutrients, and if the soil is too alkaline then certain nutrients in the soil become toxic to the plant.
  • The soil is revitalized and rejuvenated by rain and cold weather, for the soil needs a break (rest).
  • Cold weather and dormancy help guard both soil and plants against insects, nematodes and diseases.
  • For permanent plants, their root system is being strengthened and readied for a new season of growth.

If God, who cares for His creation, has this in mind for the ground and plants, how much more does He have good in mind when a church goes through a winter season.

Pray for winter to do its work. -Rick Foster

So back to my question, how do we respond? Pray that winter would do its work!

Specifically, pray that the Lord would do in His church what He intends winter to do for creation.

1. Pray that the Lord would restore the church.

Restore any balance we need in our corporate and our personal lives. Bring us back from any extremes towards which we have drifted.

2. Pray that the Lord would revitalize the church.

We want a joy, passion and enthusiasm for what Christ has done for us, and what He wants to do in our community. May in unity we pursuit Your agenda with all we have.

3. Pray that the Lord would protect the church.

We recognize we are in a spiritual battle and the lives of people are at stake. Guard your flock against temptation, deceptions, lies, and accusations of the evil one.

4. Pray that the Lord would ready the church.

The day will come when a new pastor becomes part of our church family. Prepare us by helping us release the past so we can embrace the new thing You have in mind.

Don’t ignore or resist the climate change that’s occurring in your church because of an abrupt pastoral transition. Instead, embrace it and pray for winter to do its work!

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If your church is experiencing the winter season because your lead or senior pastor has abruptly left, TRM has a number of resources that will benefit the leadership team. These materials will not only provide a common vocabulary for discussing the needs of your church, but they will also help you discern the issues to be addressed in a timely manner.

“Aftermath” is a practical workbook for the leadership team to read which will help them shepherd the church during a season few were prepared for.

“The First 90 Days” outlines how the leadership team approaches the first months in order to position the church to recover from their pastor’s quick exit.

Both resources are immensely practical and give solid biblical guidance on shepherding the church well. Go to the TRM Store to purchase a copy for each leadership team member.

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The Importance of Facing Reality

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“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality…” -Max Depree

When the lead or senior pastor abruptly exits, amid the resulting confusion, pain and grief, the church needs to be given a loving dose of reality.

They don’t need leaders to live in denial. They don’t need leaders paralyzed in rigidity. Nor do they need leaders who distance themselves from the mess.

The compelling need for the leadership team is to boldly declare what is true about the past, the present and the future. The church needs shepherds to remind them of reality.

Why is it critical to define reality? It will combat the infectious viruses that tend to crop-up in the church at this time that blind eyes, harden hearts, deafen ears, and weaken hands.

Virus #1. Some easily go to extremes. When the lead pastor abruptly leaves, on the one hand some will believe everything has changed (nothing is ever going to be the same again). Or some will go to the other end of the spectrum and believe nothing has changed (they will deny that his leaving has any impact on the church). Neither position is healthy.

Virus #2. Some will struggle with a loss of hope. Their evaluation of the current state of the church is that it’s going downhill, everything is falling apart, the whole thing is about to collapse (so I’m going to bail). And instead of keeping their opinion to themselves, or appropriately engaging with a member of the leadership team, they spread their fear in conversations and on social media.

Virus #3. Some will have unrealistic expectations. Then there are those with a very narrow focus who assert that it’ time to just move on and get back to the way it was. Their insistent suggestion is to form a search team as soon as possible. In their minds, bringing in a new pastor is the answer to most of the problems. Click here for a review of why this is an all too often tragic mistake.

When the senior pastor abruptly leaves, leaving the remaining leadership team with a major mess on their hands, the apostle Paul mentions something that deserves their thoughtful attention.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” -Ephesians 5:15-16

When Paul wrote about making the best use of the “time”, he didn’t use the Greek word for a point of time but for a period of time. He wants leaders to understand how to best know and engage in the season they are in. Notice that he says there are wise and unwise ways of doing this.

Just like the literal change of seasons in North America, when the lead pastor abruptly leaves, it shifts the whole church into a new season. The climate and conditions in the body have quickly changed (almost overnight), and there is going to be a new reality, for a season.

There are 3 key elements of the new reality which the leadership team needs to explain.

First element of reality…it is true, some things will never be the same.

The former pastor had unique gifts, personality, and ministry approach. As the “face” of the church, who he was and what he did set the tone. Now that he is gone, the ministry expression of the church will be different, and it will feel different.

Second element of reality…but it is also true some things have not changed.

The biblical vision and purpose of the church is still the same. The character of our God and His work in and for us through Christ and the Holy Spirit have not been altered. We are still His loved children and we still have His Great Commandment and Great Commission mandates to pursue.

Third element of reality, the church is entering a season much like a literal winter.

In some locales winter is uncomfortable and inconvenient as cold temperatures dominate and frequent blizzards hit. The transition season between permanent lead pastors can likewise be uncomfortable and inconvenient for the flock. Yet as in a literal winter, something powerful and necessary is happening below the surface that we don’t often see!

  • The soil’s pH factor (the balance between acidic and alkaline) is restored.  If the soil is too acidic a plant can’t absorb essential nutrients. If the soil is too alkaline then certain nutrients in the soil become toxic to the plant.
  • The soil is revitalized and rejuvenated by rain and cold weather, for the soil needs a break (rest).
  • Cold weather and dormancy help guard both soil and plants against insects, nematodes and diseases.
  • For permanent plants, their root system is being strengthened and readied for a new season of growth.

These are the critical characteristics of reality which the church needs from its leaders as they enter a new season. They need to hear what has changed and what has not. They also need to hear how in the midst of the winter season the Lord will be at work, below the surface, restoring, revitalizing, guarding, and preparing the church for a new season of Christ-honoring ministry that is yet to come.

This is the loving dose of reality the leadership team needs to give to the body. As they do, they are fulfilling their role as shepherds in being purveyors of hope!

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For more specific help on leading the church go to the TRM Store to purchase the workbook “Aftermath” which explains the critical issues a leadership team needs to address after their pastor has abruptly left.

Or the newest resource from TRM is the concise booklet “The First 90 Days” which gives a game plan for leading in those first critical weeks when the pain and confusion of the pastor’s departure threatens the life of the church. For churches wanting personal consultation due to their unique situation, select that option in the TRM Store or contact me directly: rick@interimpastor.org.

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When You’ve Lost Your Pastor, Finding One is Not the Priority

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When He Leaves, Don’t Start a Search!

Photo by Christian Efert on Unsplash

Is finding a new pastor the answer when your former one has moved on? Especially when the previous pastor’s departure was painfully abrupt, is quickly getting a new one on-board the priority?

Most church leadership teams blindly ignore the reality that it’s not if your church will face a pastoral transition but when. So, when the inevitable happens it often creates chaos at the highest level. Wise thinking and objectivity can appear to disappear under the pressure of the moment.

What exactly is the pressure everyone is sensing? It’s called the leadership vacuum. The person who led, and whose vision and values set the tone and direction, is now gone. A hole…a vacuum is created that they once filled. The pressure is to fill the void and fill it swiftly.

“Nature abhors a vacuum.” -Aristotle

This pressure is particularly acute when the pastor’s departure was an abrupt one. Why? Without a leader people start to drift, confusion and frustration set-in over decision-making, competing claims for authority break-out in fights for control.

In addition, some well-meaning members can exert pressure on the leadership team because they believe a church without a pastor is like a ship without a captain. “And we certainly don’t want to run aground!”

Under this kind of internal and external pressure, the church’s leadership team can easily make finding a new pastor their number one priority. After all, filling the leadership vacuum with a new leader will reduce the pressure points.

But is that strategy the wisest approach? Or, could there be other dynamics in play that need to be addressed first?

I would suggest that there are two enormous issues that need prior attention. If they are disregarded, it can significantly endanger the spiritual health of the body for quite some time.

Why should finding a new pastor drop to at least 3rd on the list of priorities?

1. The church is not ready to receive a new pastor.

Even when a church implements a successful succession plan and celebrates the pastor’s transition, it still needs time to let go of their former pastor in order to be able to embrace the new one.

When a pastor, by the grace of God, is able to have a faithful tenure, the church gets used to things being done in a certain way. The body can assume that the former pastor’s personality, style of ministry, and unique gifts are the way, if not the right way. This sets up the next pastor for unfair comparison and critique.

On the other hand, when the pastor’s departure is traumatic because of its abruptness, the church will not be ready to receive a new leader until it works through two issues: grieving the loss and repairing broken trust.

Wisely, many churches bring in an interim pastor to help the church through its pastoral transition. The right interim pastor, with his gifts and specialized training, allows the church to see that a different leader with a different approach can actually be a great blessing.

When critical comparisons evaporate, the deep work of grief is done, and broken trust is restored, the church will be in a position to embrace a new pastor.

2. The church doesn’t know who they should be looking for.

One of the dangers, when a church starts its search process too quickly, is they’ll go to one of two extremes.

Either they’ll look for someone who was just like the former pastor or on the other hand, they’ll try to find someone who is a total opposite. So, get a clone or clear the deck…magnify the former pastor’s strengths or magnify his weaknesses.

Too avoid these extremes, a wise approach is to use the transition season after the former pastor has left to pause, take a deep breath, then carefully and thoughtfully evaluate the church. This is a time to ask profound, provocative, and redemptive questions.

  • Who are we (current internal demographics)?
  • Do we know the community around the church (current external demographics)?
  • Where are we going (clear mission and goals)?
  • How effective are we at sharing the gospel (who has come to Christ recently)?
  • How effective are we at growing disciples (is there progressive maturity taking place)?
  • Therefore, what kind of pastor would ‘fit’ our unique setting and help us be a Great Commandment and Great Commission church?

As with the other high priority I’ve mentioned, an interim pastor can be of significant help in the transition season to help a church wrestle with the specifics of who they should be looking for as the next permanent pastor.

Do not underestimate the internal and external pressure that comes from the leadership vacuum. Get your priorities in the right order so that your church is prepared to enter a new season of Christ-honoring ministry with its new pastor.

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The leadership team of a church faces more pressure than just the leadership vacuum. Especially when the former pastor left abruptly, there are other unique disruptive factors at work that need to be addressed.

Click here to purchase my workbook “Aftermath: Leading the Church After Abrupt Pastoral Transition”. It’s 47 pages will guide a church’s leadership team in those first critical 90-days to lead and shepherd their church well.

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Redemptive Questions for Painful Times

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When asking instead of declaring is the right approach



The importance of asking the right questions.
Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash

When a senior or lead pastor abruptly leaves, shock waves of change reverberate throughout the church.

One of the temptations the leadership team must guard against will be to simply hunker-down in a defensive posture in order to endure this painful season. The mind-set can easily be, “The church body has experienced so much change recently, they can’t, or shouldn’t have to handle more.”

And yet, those who have studied and led groups through even painful leadership transitions tell us that this unique season is actually a strategic time to take intentional initiative.

The leadership partners at Praxis suggest that in the disruptive season of leadership transition there are 3 redemptive questions to ask.

Instead of putting the church at further risk, the answers to these questions will “demonstrate love, the bearing of burdens, and keeping of trust”. Some might think these questions will pull the church apart, when actually asking these questions will pull everyone together.

Admittedly, the pursuit of answers to these 3 questions will feel counter-intuitive at a time when everyone in your church is still reeling from the abrupt departure of your senior pastor. But wise leaders will gently, yet firmly, push the envelope and ask the following:

Question 1

Where do we have newly-unlocked freedom to be creative?

To think about being creative and trying new things, right after the senior pastor has left, requires facing the issue of loyalty. It can feel disloyal to consider alternative approaches and ideas when the former pastor had his way and his methods.

Yet no one way is perfect. William Bridges in his book Managing Transitions argues that the season right after the exodus of top leadership is a creative time. “People who are sure they have the answers stop asking questions. And people who stop asking questions never challenge the status quo. Without such challenges, an organization can drift slowly into deep trouble…”

Give permission to those who are your committed stake holders to be innovative and think outside the box. How can we do it better (efficiency)? How can we reach more (effectiveness)?

Question 2

Where are there newly-possible opportunities to restore broken norms, flawed assumptions, hurting people, and inefficient channels.

The abrupt departure of the lead pastor can actually bring clarity. If his quick exit is due to a major moral implosion in his life, then typically his hidden sin was also causing a blindness to other broken matters.

Avoid demonizing him or trying to preserve the memory that he was a saint. The reality is like every pastor, he had his own set of weaknesses and strengths. It’s not unusual for the former pastor’s weaknesses to have been overlooked or endured, but with his leaving, now is the time for objective evaluation.

Gather the leadership team and have an honest conversation that probes with questions like these:

  • Is our church’s mission (the way we do church) biblically balanced so that our efforts bring glory to God? How does our church’s ministry measure-up to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?
  • Has our ministry accepted worldly strategies, standards, or outcomes? What role does marketing, spreadsheets, and organizational structure play in our measure of success?
  • Have we marginalized or ignored certain people groups within our church? Who is hurting at this time that we know about, and are we oblivious to the pain of others?
  • Are we financing and staffing our ministry in the most efficient way possible? What values are behind our resource allocation choices?
  • Has there been a consistent theme of dissent or criticism that we never seriously heard? Are we authentically open to listening and considering the perspectives of others?

Question 3

Where can we as leaders take risks, even sacrificial ones, for the sake of others?

It will take a great deal of humility, but does the leadership team need to confess and ask forgiveness from the church about their choices, insensitivity, or blindness?

Has the abrupt departure of the lead pastor revealed any systemic dysfunction in the church which needs immediate attention?

Does the leadership team need to take extra time to make themselves available to listen? Are there individuals or groups within the church who haven’t sensed they had a “voice” and their concerns or needs were really heard?

Are there ministries within the church that need to end? Are there newly opened windows of opportunity for ministry that need to be grasped?

These 3 redemptive questions are part of a unique mindset leaders can bring to the season of leadership transition which will keep the church from just thinking of surviving but rather thriving.

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For a more in-depth evaluation of the leadership transition season and what specific steps need to be taken to shepherd the church well, go to the TRM Store to purchase a copy of the practical workbook “Aftermath: Leading the Church After Abrupt Pastoral Transition”.

If the trauma of pastoral transition in your church needs a more personal touch, consider the consulting options found in the TRM Store. I bring the experience of helping a variety of churches after their senior pastor had a moral implosion.

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Making Sense of Uncertainty

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The Similarities between a Pandemic and Abrupt Pastoral Transition

Our current COVID-19 pandemic and the transition a church experiences when they abruptly lose their senior pastor have uncanny similarities. The obvious issue is the ability to handle unwanted and unexpected change.

But what is not obvious is the nature of the change and the differing ways people respond to change.

A powerful analogy

One of the most powerful and helpful analogies about change which I give to churches going through sudden leadership transition is to realize they have entered a new season, and that season is much like a literal winter. This is a sobering reality, but it can also be very encouraging.
 
As winter arrives in our northern hemisphere the weather changes. In response, we make necessary adjustments. Snow tires are put on our vehicles, we wear warmer clothes, we turn up the thermostat.

Likewise, there are some behaviors we avoid: we don’t plan outdoor picnics, we don’t expect to work on our tan, we don’t plant tomatoes.
 
Similarly, when the senior pastor abruptly leaves (for whatever reason), the church typically abruptly enters into a new season. But is there an adaptive response to this new season?

The sudden leadership vacuum kills ministry momentum. Initiatives are put on hold, attendance and giving often plummet, the cold wind of grief chills the former climate of enthusiasm. A survival mentality takes precedence over thriving.
 
A literal winter is a good season for the earth. Powerful activities, which often go unnoticed, are working to prepare the ground and plants for a new season of growth and fruit bearing. In the same way, the unexpected and unwanted winter season in the life of a church can provide for a time of rest, revitalization, and review.
 
Andy Crouch and the team at Praxis Labs recently posted 2 journal articles (here and here), in response to the pandemic, where they used the same analogy, yet expanded it. They have identified that our perspective on change happening around us is similar to our perspective on a blizzard, winter, and an ice age.
 
Consider your own outlook on the change that has occurred in your church because of the quick exit of your lead pastor, and the way people responded to that change.

Blizzard

Sometimes change is like a literal blizzard, the climate has become difficult and threatening. In a blizzard people need emotional and practical support. Extraordinary measures, that would be unthinkable under normal conditions, are necessary -but these measures are not sustainable for long periods of time. The goal in a blizzard is to hunker down, “wait it out”, and survive. Everyone understands that eventually things will return to normal.

Winter

Then there are changes that resemble Winter. The change usually begins with a blizzard but it lasts much longer. The time frame can’t be measured in weeks, but months. This is a new season with bitter inhospitable conditions that demand adaptation. There will be regional variations, for some churches might experience a “mild” winter. But the season will reconfigure the culture of the church. There won’t be a return to normal, instead there will be a “new normal”.

Ice Age

Some of the changes churches experience are like a storm (blizzard), others like a season (winter), but there is always the possibility of it being a stage (ice age). The impact of this kind of change is not measured in weeks or months but years. The change is so pervasive and deep that a whole generation will be shaped by it. It will reshape the cultural landscape of a church for years. No one knows for sure what the new normal will be.

Key Observations

The power of this broader analogy from Praxis Labs can be of tremendous help to church leadership teams who are seeking to shepherd their flock through the change that occurs with the abrupt departure of their pastor. It will be important for everyone to see the story of your church, its narrative, from the same perspective.
 
Let me give you several important observations in line with this analogy that come from my nine years of coming alongside churches in transition as their interim pastor. When it comes to the abrupt departure of the lead or senior pastor….
 
1. Most everyone will want, or expect, the change to be like a blizzard.

The assumption, many will have, will be that things can and will quickly return to normal. Yet the reality is that there will be a new normal.

 
2. The leadership team is going to be evaluated by many in the church based on whether they can quickly return things to normal.

There will be pressure to “fix” things, move on, and get back to the way it was. Comments made in public and private will try to minimize the damage that has been done, and give vent to the frustration on why it’s taking so long to get back to normal.

 
3. The more abruptly the pastor leaves, the more disruptive will be the consequences in the church.

The church body should be prepared to expect to live through a winter season as a result. It will take months before people will be ready to receive a new pastor and move forward together.

 
4. If a church doesn’t respond well to the abrupt departure, it may move from winter into an ice age that could “chill” the climate of its ministry for a generation.

Inappropriate or ineffective responses involve a denial or hiding of what happened; not allowing or encouraging the church to grieve; the belief that simply hiring a new pastor will solve the problem; not addressing ministry or cultural dysfunction in the body.


When the lead pastor abruptly departs, the leadership team of the church needs to speak directly to the impact of the change. Their words can set a clear picture of the narrative and help the whole flock respond well to the changes everyone is experiencing -be it a blizzard, a winter, or an ice age.

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I’ve published a practical workbook for leadership teams that will help you navigate the first critical 90-days after your senior pastor has exited quickly. This workbook will walk you through the essential issues that need to be addressed if your church is going to recover well. 

Click here to get a digital or physical copy for each member of your team, or to consider the personal consulting options I can provide for your unique situation.

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The Elephant in the Quarantine Room

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The uneasy reality we’re reluctant to acknowledge

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic there are a multitude of questions running through our minds. “How long will this last? How can I and my family stay safe? Will things ever return to normal? How will we make it financially?

We have serious questions and we would like to have reliable answers.

Yet there’s one question that most of us are prone to avoid asking, because we’re not sure we want to face the answer. The question: “What is this crisis revealing about me?”

As much as we don’t like to admit it, a crisis is a revealer.

A Crisis Reveals

Think this through with me. First, a crisis or disaster of almost any type has two painful prongs.

On the one hand, a crisis brings into our lives that which we didn’t want to have. Suddenly we have the unwanted guests of pain, inconvenience, trouble, suffering and anguish. Every morning they greet us when we wake up, and walk beside us as constant companions throughout the day.

On the other hand, a crisis also takes from our lives that which we didn’t want to lose. Something or someone precious and treasured is gone…vanished. It could be the loss of a relationship, our comfortable routines, distractions (i.e. sports, entertainment, eating out), conveniences we enjoy, or the control we think we have.

Second, this dual action of unwanted inserting and stripping radically changes our world. As these prongs pierce our lives, they reveal our heart. Consider the observation of Moses in Deuteronomy 8:2,

“….remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart….”

Most of us, at this moment, are living a quarantined lifestyle that feels like a wilderness. It’s both disruptive and disturbing. Are you facing the elephant? What is this crisis revealing about you?

What is Being Revealed

What’s being revealed at the heart-level because you’ve been furloughed, fired, or restricted to working from home? What is being revealed because you can’t self-medicate via sports on TV, your entertainment options are limited, and you can’t eat out or get out?

The Lord wants us to honestly face what the two-prongs of our crisis is revealing in our hearts about:

  • Our values.
  • Our agendas.
  • Our quality of relationships with spouse, family, and our church.
  • The level of intimacy we have in our relationship with the Lord.
  • Our habits.
  • Where our hope and trust actually resides.

Might I suggest that the very place where your emotions are most raw or explosive is right where you will find the elephant.

A bit further in Deuteronomy 8 Moses adds an additional comment in v.16 about Israel’s time in the wilderness,

“…that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.”

Whether the crisis is COVID-19, the abrupt departure of the lead pastor from a church, or a personal tragedy, much is revealed during these seasons we experience. Yet the inserting and stripping prongs of a crisis are being used by our loving heavenly Father for our good.

Invite him in to speak to the heart issues that are being revealed.

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If your church is facing the crisis of an abrupt departure by your senior pastor, what your leadership does in the first 90-days after his exit determines how well you will recover.

Click here to go to the TRM Store to purchase the workbook “Aftermath: Leading the Church After Abrupt Pastoral Transition”. It will lead your team through the practical aspects of shepherding your Body during this unique season.

In the TRM Store there are also options for consulting with your leadership team for those who desire or need a more personal touch.

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Critical Questions in the midst of a Crisis

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Whether it’s facing the challenging impact of the Coronavirus, or the challenge of your church facing the abrupt departure of your lead pastor….others are looking to you for leadership in the midst of the crisis.

They may not verbalize it, but when it’s crisis time, people want answers to 4 critical questions:

1. Can I trust you?

In the midst of a crisis (or even mild change), trust is the most valuable currency you can possess. Without it, people won’t follow your leadership. With it, even if you can’t “fix” things immediately, they will willingly follow.

Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?” Trust is not given nor earned by words alone. In a crisis, leaders can’t simply demand to be trusted.

Trust is a multi-faceted character issue. People trust when they have seen over time that what you say, you do. And they are convinced of your good intentions toward them. As Brennan Manning describes in his book Ruthless Trust, we only trust to the extent we know we are loved.

2. Where are we going?

Vision casting is important, even in the midst of a crisis. People want to know where you’re leading them. They want someone to explain the big-picture. When people see the big picture, they then understand the decisions that are made with the daily details.

When people are given a vision it creates unity as it rallies diversity. It is the fuel for enthusiastic commitment. It creates a template for decision making. 


3. Can you get us there?

Answering this question is a bit tricky. For people need to have confidence in you, but only as they see your desperate confidence in the Lord. Your skills, training, and experience as a leader are important assets. But a humble heart that admits God needs to show up is vital.

When a crisis envelops a church, like the abrupt departure of the lead pastor, the sheep want confidence in going with you on the journey that lies ahead. You may at this point not be able to answer all their questions, but do they know you have an unwavering trust in a big God? 


4. What is my role?

This question is based on the positive answers to the first 3 questions. People want to know what is expected of them. How can they contribute? How can they invest that makes a difference?

This question is not only being asked by the staff, it’s also being asked by each person who calls your church home. They want to know if they matter?

If you are in a leadership position and the current crisis has revealed a disconnect between you and others, review these 4 questions. Are you answering them or ignoring them? Ask those around you what answers they are hearing from you.

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When a church experiences an abrupt departure of their lead pastor, what the leadership team does in the first 90-days is critical to the body recovering.

“Aftermath” is a workbook for such a time. It gives wise biblical guidance for shepherding the church through those early weeks. Click here to go to the TRM Store to get a copy for yourself, or one for each member of your leadership team.