Next: Pastoral Succession That Works

by William Vanderbloemen, Warren Bird, John Ortberg (Foreword by), Eric Geiger (Introduction), Kenton Beshore (Introduction)

Overview

Every church and ministry goes through changes in leadership, and the issue is far bigger than the wave of pastors from the Baby Boomer generation who are moving toward retirement. When a pastor leaves a church, ministries are disrupted and members drift away. If the church is already struggling, it can find itself suddenly in very dire straits indeed. But the outcome doesn't have to be that way.

What if when a pastor moved on, the church knew exactly what to do to find a suitable replacement because a plan and a process had been in place for some time? While there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the puzzle of planning for a seamless pastoral succession, Next offers church leaders and pastors a guide to asking the right questions in order to plan for the future. Vanderbloemen, founder of a leading pastoral search firm, and Bird, an award-winning writer and researcher, share insider stories of succession successes and failures in dozens of churches, including some of the nation's most influential. Through case studies, interviews, and real-time research, the authors demystify successful pastoral succession and help readers prepare for an even brighter future for their ministries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781540905239
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/26/2024
Edition description:	Expanded and Updated Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

William Vanderbloemen (MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary) served for fifteen years as a pastor before founding Vanderbloemen, the leading search firm specifically focused on succession planning and connecting churches and Christian organizations with the right leadership for their teams.

Warren Bird is an ordained minister and teaches at Alliance Theological Seminary. He is also author or coauthor of twenty-eight books, including Next: Pastoral Succession That Works. He and his wife, Michelle, live in a suburb of New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the New Edition Eric Geiger Kenton Beshore 11

Foreword to the Original Edition John Ortberg 13

Preface to the Expanded and Updated Edition 15

Preface to the Original Edition 19

Part 1 Why Succession Planning Can't Wait

1 Why Every Leader Needs This Book 29

Top Reasons You and Your Ministry Should Start Planning for Succession Right Now

2 The Ten Commandments of Succession Planning 46

Practical Actions Whatever Your Age or Tenure

3 Three Essential Questions 60

What Is Succession Success? What Captures My Passion? How Are My Finances?

4 Ten Models of Post-Pastorate Professions 70

From Seminary Professor to Missions Pastor, Many Strong Options Exist

5 Deciding When It's Time to Leave 83

Finding Space and Permission to Explore the Options

6 Resigning "Young" to Start Another Ministry 94

And Does the Outgoing Pastor Always Need to Leave Town?

7 Four Church Cultures, Four Succession Styles 112

Plus One Cardinal Rule of Pastoral Succession

8 Founder's Syndrome 120

What It Is and Why It Matters

9 Family Successions 130

Five Disaster Formulas to Avoid, and Five Best Practices to Follow

Part 2 Be the Exception

10 Wisdom from Unlikely Sources 143

Transitions That Shouldn't Have Worked but Did

11 What Happened at the Crystal Cathedral and First Baptist Dallas 154

A Close Look at Two Failed Successions

12 The Term Limit Factor 171

What Might Prevent Your Church from a Multi-Generation Run

13 Messy and Unexpected Endings 184

When Succession Follows Adultery, Nasty Church Splits, or Other Challenges

14 Interim Pastors-Some Unintentional, Some Intentional 195

How to Avoid Being the "Sacrifice Pastor"

15 Forced Farewell 206

What to Do If the Pastor Needs to Go but Doesn't

Part 3 Transition Well, Finish Strong

16 Where to Find a Successor 215

Staff, Multisites, Former Interns, and Recommendations from Friends

17 The Money Question 229

What It Really Costs to Finance a Pastoral Succession

18 Preparing for the Next Pastor 246

Setting Up Your Successor's First One Hundred Days for Success

19 Thinking Long Term 258

There Is No Success without Succession

What Our Organizations Can Do for You 265

Acknowledgments 267

Appendix 1 What Millennial Pastors Think about Succession 270

Appendix 2 Frequently Asked Questions about Succession 286

Appendix 3 A Successful Pastorate Doesn't Always Guarantee Good Pastoral Succession 288

Appendix 4 Research for This Book 291

For Further Reading 293

Notes 297