Observations from NEXT: Pastoral Succession that Works by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2020
What do you think about each of these observations?
- “Sometimes a long-term pastor functions like a founding pastor. . . . As their long tenure shapes the personality of the church they serve, they come to function much like a founding pastor. . . . as a result, they too face the huge challenge of how to not lose momentum or vitality when they step aside and someone else follows them.” (NEXT, page 121)
- Pastor Cahill notes: I am not the founding pastor of Christ the King - it was already 10 years old when I came in 1989. However, I have been the only pastor of this church for everybody that came in to Christ the King since 1989 - a living example of what the authors mean in this section.
- Pastor Cahill notes: I am not the founding pastor of Christ the King - it was already 10 years old when I came in 1989. However, I have been the only pastor of this church for everybody that came in to Christ the King since 1989 - a living example of what the authors mean in this section.
- “While the succession from a founder to the next leader should be a culmination of a legacy and a celebration of a new union between new pastor and church (a wedding), the reality is that the outgoing founder is often a bigger part of the problem than the solution When that happens, too frequently little can be done to avoid the church divorcing either their legacy pastor or their new pastor.” (NEXT, page 122)
- “Long pastorates can be healthy for churches. . . . [But] several factors contribute to failed hand-offs from founder to successor. The ones especially applicable to founding or long-term pastors include:
- Unwillingness to face the emotional sense of loss. . . .
- Hope that they can do it again. . . .
- Fear that all they’ve done will be lost under the next person. . . .
- Fear of the unknown. . . .
- Waiting on the right potential successor. . . .
- Enjoyment of the comfort level they’ve achieved. . . .” (NEXT, pages 123-125)
- Unwillingness to face the emotional sense of loss. . . .
- “Why were priests given a mandatory retirement age (Num 8:23-26)? Because after a while, the weight of carrying the tabernacle became too much for them. That concept seems like a good metaphor for today: after a season, the weight of carrying the burdens, fears, hopes, and dreams of the people of God can become too much.” (NEXT, page 126)
What do you think about each of these observations?