Change is hard for most of us. It is a leaving behind of what we have known and moving forward to something new. There is always a space of not knowing, a space of transition. Like a trapeze artist who is leaving one bar before they grab the next. Transition can feel terrifying but it can also be a time of transformation, a time of clarity about what matters, who you are, and who you want to be. It is no different for congregations in times of transition.
Times of transition in pastoral leadership in congregations can be challenging for a congregation. Today it is very common for congregations to face a whole host of challenges, questions and decisions that arise when a pastor leaves a congregation.
However, this can also be a time of transformation for the congregation. It is a time where a congregation can get very clear about their identity, about their purpose, about what they need, about what they are able to pay for, etc. Here are five recommendations for successful transitions in congregations.
- Work with a consultant. Often leaders in their own industries, or previous leaders in a pastoral search, feel they can handle the nuances of a transition. Transition in the corporate world, or really any other setting, is very different from the transition of pastoral leadership. Churches are facing more challenges than ever before in the transition time. Questions about identity and vision are coupled with decisions of viability as a congregation, the future realities of budgets, including staff structure, along with public statements of belief. Outside help will be important in navigating this season. It may seem like a cost the congregation cannot afford but it is much more expensive to hire the wrong person, to hire someone who leaves quickly, or to lose other staff in the process. This is a critical season of the church to invest in.
- Do not allow a small group of the congregation to take sole leadership of the direction of the congregation. In the absence of pastoral leadership, a group will sometimes rise up in the congregation with a specific agenda for the future of the church. They begin to make the decisions for the congregation and while that may feel comforting at first, the congregation as a whole needs to be heard to be part of the future vision of the church.
- Recognize this is a season of transformation and not merely a season to rush through. I once heard someone who served on a search committee say, “We just decided from the beginning that we knew we would change with every candidate with talked to and that every candidate would be changed in the interview process with us.” This is a season that will forever change the church. You will be changed and that is not a bad thing.
- Have the difficult conversations during the transition with the help of a consultant. I once was hired by a congregation that had not had a conversation about the changing finances of the church, ever, in its 60 year history. The numbers they used to come up with my salary where not numbers they could support, even as small as it was. There was this assumption that someone who was called by God to be their pastor would just fix it. We work with many congregations in which questions of identity and belief arise in the search process. Rather than seeking outside help and having healthy conversations as a congregation, it is often assumed the new pastor will handle the issues. It is challenging enough to be a pastor today without coming into a new position with conflict already looming, and most candidates can tell this in the interview process. Strong candidates will appreciate a congregation that is willing to navigate the challenging conversations without expecting the pastor to fix everything. Healthy leadership is important for navigating those conversations, but waiting for a new pastor to fix everything only sets up the church for a challenging new start.
- Try to relax into this time between the trapeze bars. It will feel frustrating at times, it will feel scary at times but allowing your congregation to do the work of the transition season will benefit your congregation when the pastoral transition is over.