Seminary Viewpoints

Every Pastor is an Interim Pastor: An Eight-Step Succession Methodology

This Viewpoint blog post is a companion to the June 23 episode of the Theologically Speaking podcast: part II of a discussion between BJU Seminary Professor Ken Casillas and recent Seminary DMin graduate Dr. David Cortés Plata on his dissertation entitled “When My Church Is Without Me: A Manual for Pastoral Transitions for Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches in Mexico.”

Takeaways:

1. The overlapping “head-honcho” cultures of the Mexican caudillo pastor and the “my-way-or-the-highway” authority granted pastors in many American churches can compound the already real challenge of inevitable transition to a new leader—making the principle of pastoral responsibility for that transition all the more critical.
2. The potential grief and turmoil that could accompany a transition from such a leader can be reduced by pursuing an eight-step methodology proposed in Dr. Cortes’ dissertation—starting with cataloguing and gradually transferring responsibilities to a biblically qualified successor, clear communication and prayerful consideration and culminating in an election combining integrity with sensitivity, celebration and determination of the departing pastor’s continued role, if any.

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The role and expectations of the Mexican church pastor very much reflect the Latin American leadership culture of caudillos. Like political counterparts—from Simon Bolivar to Fidel Castro to recently retired Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador—these charismatic (in a secular sense) “head honchos” are beloved by their followers and seen as doing no wrong and having the answer for everything—beyond matters of faith to encompass everyday life decisions.

Caudillo culture further heightens an already enormous challenge—inevitable pastoral transitions. They are inevitable because truly, since the very first church in Jerusalem, every pastor has been an interim pastor: only the Good Shepherd is eternal.

After all, who can fill the shoes of a caudillo? Moreover, who will be in a position to lead the effort to find God’s man to fill those shoes—not to mention ensuring continued smooth church operation in the meantime, from opening the doors to overseeing the finances to “pulpit supply.”

This culture, and challenge, is mirrored in many American churches where senior pastors take on, or are permitted to exercise, “my-way-or-the-highway” authority—compounding the extreme difficulty churches already face filling empty pulpits. This renders all the more pertinent and critical the biblical principle laid out in the previous Viewpoint and Theologically Speaking podcast: pastoral succession is a pastoral responsibility.

In any church, but especially one with a single, strong, authority leader, the pastor is best-positioned to take the initiative and the first steps toward establishing a succession plan and path.

Simply having a pastor-initiated and -led process sets aside concerns over a leadership vacuum and calms the emotional storm that could accompany potentially wrenching change. A pastoral departure can be likened to a funeral, with deep grief within the church “family” at the loss of a beloved father or grandfather figure. But the right preparation can transform the metaphor into a joyful wedding, introducing a sense of anticipation, hope, and even excitement at the addition of a new family member.

Exercising this Responsibility in Eight Steps

Accordingly, my dissertation, based on a survey of 75 Mexican churches and far-reaching biblical research on leadership development and change, proposes an eight-step pastoral succession methodology:

1. Plan an Incremental Transfer of Responsibility:
   • 1. The pastor begins by prayerfully and carefully cataloguing his responsibilities—from preaching to teaching Sunday School, to Bible studies, to bus ministries, to missionary oversight and support.
   • 1. This list, along with the biblical qualifications for a pastor, will help the pastor identify what kind of man is needed to fill his position.
   • 1. The pastor can now assign a specific time frame (1-2 months for example) to transfer each of his responsibilities to whomever God provides as his successor. Depending on the pastor and his church, this process can take anywhere from half a year to two years.
     1. With this timeline in hand, the pastor can now address his church.
2. Communicate your plan and timeline to the church: This step comes second because it is easier, less disruptive and more reassuring to share the proposed completion of a smooth, plotted-out transition and handoff of responsibilities, along with a reasonable period of time for the congregation to prepare itself for the Lord’s leading and blessing. Again, the analogy of wedding versus funeral is apt: the church family has the opportunity to familiarize and acquaint themselves with the new “family member,” with the pastor still in place to smooth over any anxieties and difficulties.
3. Call the Church to Action: Having communicated the plan and process to the church, the pastor now implores them to pray—for the current and new pastors, for the different ministries that need to adapt to a new pastor for the transition, even for themselves, but most of all, for the Lord’s leading and confirmation as the process unfolds. This call to action can take place if the pastor has a successor in mind and if he does not. In some cases, the congregation will recognize someone that God has already provided among themselves. In other cases, the church will join the pastor in asking the Lord to lead them to the right man to join the congregation for the purpose of candidating.
4. Present the candidate, up-close and in-person: In one smaller Mexican church, the pastor and candidate literally had dinner with each family. Larger churches could hold a series of town halls where groups of members could meet, get to know, and ask questions of the candidate.
5. Lead organization of an election process combining integrity with sensitivity:  Most congregations in Mexico vote through a show of hands, people standing, or with a loud “Amen,” which could lead to peer pressure or challenges of the integrity of the election or even the selection process. Here, the prevailing American model suggests itself: written votes by secret ballot with supervised counting to ensure that the congregation has expressed the Lord’s leading and not just succumbed to favoritism or the power of suggestion.
6. Fully implement the responsibility transferal plan as it was delineated by the pastor.
7. Honor and celebrate the outgoing and incoming pastors.
8. Determine the future place of the departing pastor: Most caudillo leaders will have to leave the congregation they pastored as their past relationship with the church will not allow them to serve under the new pastor. In some cases, the outgoing pastor will be humble enough to serve the new leadership, but the congregation may not be able to see him in a new role. However, in churches where both the outgoing pastor and the congregation are willing and able to see him serve in a secondary role, the congregation will benefit greatly from a pastor emeritus that can put his wisdom and talents at the service of the new man God has provided as pastor.

Again, churches have transitioned leaders since the first congregation in Jerusalem, with or without the guidance and leadership of the departing pastor. Yet that truth does not imply that congregations should be flippant or bury their heads in the sand and merely trust that “God will help us.”

As Paul wrote the Corinthians, “it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” The faithful overseer of the Lord’s people will faithfully see his own stewardship and service through to the end by ensuring the continued loving, conscientious, and God-honoring shepherding of the flock by a qualified, prepared, and properly vetted and popularly confirmed successor. Putting this methodology into motion—even if it’s not all eight steps—can go a long way into transforming a time of potential grief, pain, anxiety, and turmoil into a joyful celebration.