Who Will Serve After You?

At least in my denomination, clergy do not choose their own successors. Or at least we aren’t supposed to do that. I’ve seen pastors try and it almost always results in disaster. I’ve seen leaders act like bishops (although my denomination doesn’t have bishops) and make decisions “for the church” that congregations should make for themselves.

Nevertheless in these days of ongoing institutional shifts, I’m seeing a variety of plans as Baby Boomer Pastors – especially Pastors of large congregations – are retiring. Here are a few of those plans:

• The Pastor announces their retirement. A committee is chosen to seek a Transitional Pastor to serve in the gap between the retirement and the search and calling of the next Pastor.
• The Pastor announces their retirement and a committee is elected to choose the next Pastor who will join the current/retiring leader as a pair of Co-Pastors serving side by side until the retiring Pastor has their farewell party and then the new Co-Pastor becomes the Pastor.

There is no one right and healthy way to move from one leader to another leader in the same role. And yet there are a couple things to keep in mind to make it more likely that the church/organization we say we love thrives in the future.

• Remember that we won’t always be in this role. When we make ourselves indispensable, we aren’t doing anybody any favors.
• Please – for the love of God – equip other leaders to lead. I know congregations who barely know where the communion elements are much less how to set up The Lord’s Supper because the pastor or the pastor’s spouse or Miss Jenny who is 80+ years old has been doing it for decades. I know elders who have never been asked to pray out loud during meetings much less during worship services. I know congregations who can’t do anything without the pastor (or a member who is the de facto pastor) being present.
• Remember that every congregation is in transition NOW. If we’ve had the same leader for at least 10 years, many things have changed since that leader started. If we haven’t transitioned along the way, there will be an especially steep culture shift when a new leader begins. Imagine the shift if the pastor has been with us for 30 years. Yikes. (I see you, my congregational friends who’ve had the same leaders for over 40 years.)

These are tender issues. As all the generations await the stepping away of Baby Boomers (finally!) I myself am in this category of realizing that someone will succeed me in my role sooner than later. What are we doing to ensure that our congregations thrive? I know too many colleagues who are detached and really don’t seem to care what happens after they retire just so they get healthy pensions and a party that last Sunday. (Yes, that sounds harsh. Many of our oldest clergy are simply tired. It’s okay to leave.)

And it’s also holy and healthy to leave on a high note, having set up our congregations for success in the future. And success means more than an endowment and a sturdy building. How have we led our congregations to make an impact in our communities? How have people matured in faith during our service? How have we pointed to the future with a deep faith that knows God will lead us to ministry we cannot even imagine.

I write this today from Columbia Theological Seminary where several colleagues serving Presbyteries are getting to know the largest demographic on this campus now: immigrant students from Kenya and Madagascar and India and Syria and Pakistan and Tanzania and South Korea and Ghana and Liberia. These gifted leaders are among those who will lead our congregations in the future. How can we get ready to welcome them and let them be our successors?

Finally, don’t be a Logan Roy. Be a Victor Aloyo – or a leader like him.