Church Transitions by Pathways Forward
Image via WikipediaMarks of TransitionWhat happens to a church as it goes through a leadership transition? There are a number of characteristics that emerge at points throughout the transitional process. These can vary greatly depending on the unique circumstances that have precipitated a leadership transtion. Here are some of the common marks of transition we observe at various stages of the transitional process:
A sense of loss and need to grieve.
Most churches feel a sense of loss when their Senior Pastor leaves. This is even common in churches where they wanted the pastor to move on. To a greater or lesser degree churches tend to take on the characteristics of their leaders. A familiarity, even predicatability takes place through the leader’s tenure, and when he or she leaves something changes. The familiar patterns, styles, stories, and particular focal points of a pastor’s ministry start to die. It is a fact that many people’s sense of history about their church hinges on the “pastoral eras.” When Pastor Bill was here we had a great Sunday School program. Sometimes their is great sadness about this loss and change. At times their is great sadness about HOW the change took place. Not everyone feels this sense of sadness depending on how close they were to the pastor or whether or not they were supportive of the pastor’s leadership. Those who are feeling sad or bad dont’ always appreciate those who are relieved the pastor is gone. Rallying cries “to find a new pastor” can be interpreted as callous or even heartless. Helping churches find a way to grieve change or loss constructively is part of a healthy transition. It is often a good place to start.
Decrease in attendance, volunteerism, and financial support.
Many churches experience an unsettling decrease in the early days of transition. There are many reasons for this phenomonen. Some people are just upset, disappointed, or even angry. They have a sense of need for a “time out”, especially if the pastoral departure has been difficult. Some people who have been contemplating making a move see a pastoral departure as an opportune time to make a move as well. If the pastor has moved to another church in the area, some people go along. If the pastor who left has been an exceptional preacher or developer of public ministries, the inevitable change in the “product” means some people seek what they want to get out of church elsewhere. If a clear transitional strategy is developed and communicated this early attrition often stabalizes, but the experience can put extreme pressures on the leadership that is left to carry the load. It is rare for any church not to experience at least a 10% decrease even in the healthiest pastoral departures. Having a clear succession plan in place long before a pastor departs can often minimize both attitrition and stress on leadership teams managing transition. It is estimated that about 1% of churches have a succession in place.
Tension, Conflict, and Struggle
It is not uncommon for churches to experience signifcant tension in the early days of the transtional process. It could be that tension and conflict were present prior to the pastor’s depature. Sometimes, the absence of a strong leader means things can boil over. There can be finger pointing and blame attributed to people or groups within the church as the “cause” of the crisis. If the Board asked for a pastor’s resignation there can be anger directed toward them. Uncertainty about who is leading, or attempts to try to change things too quickly can cause an uproar. In addition the ministries of the church may not be functioning effectively. (See Acts 6:1-7 for an example) Some people become upset that their pastor has “dumped” the church for a better post. One of the biggest contributors to tension during transition is the absence of persistent, clear communication between the leaders and the congregation. People feel marginalized and don’t know what is going on. A clear communication plan is a key element of a good transition. Opportunities to clear the air, usually facilitated by a third party, can help reduce tension and give people a chance to be heard. It is always a good idea to create ways for the church to pray through their tensions together.
Governance Challenges
Many church boards leading during a time of transition are called upon to make some major decisions in addition to providing strong leadership in the absence of a Senior Pastor. One of the common threads of transtion is that many church boards discover they are not following their own “rule book”, the constitution and bylaws, and that they often depended on the Senior Pastor to be the constitutional watchdog. The struggles which precipitate some pastoral transitions are sometimes because church leaders were disregarding or unaware of governng policies. In order to move forward churches in transition require excellence in governance. Too many late night unproductive board meetings are often the unfortunate by-product of transition. With proper guidance transtion can be an opportunity for organizational renewal and pursuit of excellence in governance and governance policy.
The Emergence of Old/New Ideas
One of the realities of church life is that one local church can’t do it all. When a church has a leader and leadership team in place, certain initiatives will get lots of time and attention while others will not even recieve a hearing. But when there is no longer a focal point for leadership many ideas that have been left alone can be once again raised up by champions within the church who either were not given a voice or who realized that there cause would never get a hearing and thus kept quiet. The emergence of what I call “old/new ideas” can be both a good and bad thing, depending on how they are handled. Some churches launch into major new ministry directions before they have found a new Senior Pastor, only to find that they do not have the leadership resources to see it through. Responding in a healthy manner to the increased emergence of “old/new ideas” becomes a significant part of the existing leadership circle of the church during transition.
