Leaders in Transition: A Guide to Leadership Succession in the Church and Other Faith-Based Organizations

By Andy O. Homer

Much has been written on the subject of leadership. For the most part the discussion has been on the principles of leadership i.e. how to be an effective leader while in office. This book is about the leader leaving office and how his/her departure affects him/her, the incoming leader and the members of the faith community or organization.

A change of leader can be a very stressful experience for a congregation, particularly if the transition from one leader to another is poorly managed. This book examines the nature of leadership transitions primarily, though not exclusively, in the church, and provides ideas and suggestions for effectively managing these transitions for the benefit of all the stakeholders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512738261

Andy O. Homer

Rev. Dr. Andy Homer is a former National Elder Director of The Open Bible Standard Churches of Trinidad and Tobago Inc. In March 2015, he retired after thirty one (31) years of ministry as the senior pastor at the Church of The Open Bible, Marabella in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He is a graduate of the Open Bible Institute of Theology in San Fernando, (Diploma Theological Studies), Eugene Bible College (New Hope Christian College), Eugene Oregon, USA (BA), The Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, Kingston, Jamaica, ( MA) and Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, (Palmer University) Philadelphia, USA, (DMin) Dr. Homer is a marriage and family counsellor, conference speaker and an adjunct professor at the Caribbean Nazarene College in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He and his wife Ann Marie reside in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and have four adult children, Anderson, Alyssa, Arland and Andrea.

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Copyright © 2016 Andy O. Homer.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-3827-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3828-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3826-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016906143

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/9/2016

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1.   Transitions - A Fact of Life

2.   Notable Transitions in the Scriptures

3.   Rules of Disengagement: The Outgoing Leader

4.   Managing the Transition: Role of the Governing Board

5.   Managing the Transition: The Interim Leader and the Transition Team

6.   Rules of Engagement: The Incoming Leader

7.   The Role of the Membership

8.   The Leader’s Family And The Transition Process

Conclusion

Appendix A:   Open Bible Manual, Article 9. Churches

Appendix B:   Suggested Programme for an Installation Ceremony

Appendix C:   The Four Church Cultures

Appendix D:   The Four Church Cultures With Examples

Appendix E:   Policy on the Status and Function of the Interim Minister

Appendix F:   Guidelines for Structured Reflection

Notes

Resources

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my four children:

Anderson

Alyssa

Arland

Andrea

Along with their spouses, Josanne, Hugh, Deniece and Akil, they have been an invaluable source of inspiration and encouragement to me during the writing process. They have also shown a keen interest in the subject matter discussed in this book.

FOREWORD

By their very nature, transitions are intimidating if not scary. Add together the systems that have to function properly, along with the numerous agendas, dreams, personalities, and egos that are thrown into the mix and you have yourself the makings of potential storm, with all the upheaval and destruction that can accompany it. Having the best of intentions is not enough to guarantee success. However, if led well, transitions can generate a stronger sense of community, bring healing to concerned members, and make possible a greater fulfilment of the missio Dei.

As an executive coach, I have the privilege of interacting with pastors and leaders from various denominational affiliations across North America. I have been functioning in this role long enough to know the damage experienced by all involved in poorly led pastoral transitions. I recall all too well one conversation with a former pastor. The pain in his voice was palpable as he described the situation he had recently left. Although everyone involved in the initial transition had the best of intentions in mind, a failure to apply some of the key observations offered in this book led to unnecessary pain and dashed dreams, a reality that could have and should have been avoided.

I first met Andy Homer in the fall of 1974. My family and I moved to Trinidad & Tobago to take over the helm of what is equivalent to an American high school. Andy was a teacher at the school, well liked and respected by both students and fellow staff members. However, it quickly became obvious that Andy had capacities and intentions well beyond this current role. Following what he believed to be God’s will and call for his life, two years later Andy and his new bride headed off to the United States to further his education in preparation for the next steps God had for him. Since returning to Trinidad & Tobago, Andy has served as pastor, denominational leader, educator, conference speaker, and writer, all the kinds of roles that have prepared him to offer helpful advice on the critical issues contained in this book.

While it is impossible to anticipate and address every potential problem or issue that might arise during a pastoral transition, or to provide specific steps for every type of denominational polity, the sage advice and guidelines submitted here will be of benefit for any and all churches. He offers guidance and assistance on responding to important questions such as:

• How do you know when it is time to step aside?

• What about the belief that a pastorate should be a lifetime call?

• What criteria should be used by the selecting body to determine the appropriate candidate?

• What are the responsibilities of church members during a time of transition? (this is an area seldom touched on)

• What should be the proper relationship with one’s former church members?

• What should come into play when considering the question of when to let the governing board know of one’s decision to step down?

Using biblical examples, practical experience, and good old common sense informed by years of leadership experience, Dr. Homer provides sound, practical, and gracious advice for both the church/organizational body and the pastor/leader. I particularly appreciate his observations regarding the value of an interim pastor, suggesting that it may in fact be worth considering as a standard practice in most pastoral transitions. Honest and insightful, the reader will quickly be able to tell that Andy has been there.

Every retiring pastor wants to leave a positive legacy and every new pastor wants to be provided the opportunity for a great start in his or her new role. This book helps to fulfill both goals. Everyone involved in a pastoral transition will find excellent advice that, if followed, will lead to a successful marriage between the congregation and the new pastor.

The contents of this book are not simply theory to me. I recently stepped down after a 37-year pastorate. The horror stories I had heard regarding such situations were numerous, causing a great deal of trepidation as I moved through the process. Fortunately, many of the guidelines Dr. Homer includes in this book were applied, leading to a very successful transition and ongoing ministry.

Dr. Homer concludes his introduction with these words: It is my prayer that my readers will find this book interesting, informative and practical. I am confident that Andy’s prayer will be more than answered.

Phil Newell, DMin

Executive Coach

Adjunct Faculty, George Fox Seminary

PREFACE

It has often been said that everything rises or falls on leadership. That is a true saying. We ought not to be surprised, therefore, that the body of literature on leadership has grown exponentially over the years. Leaders in Transition: A Guide to Leadership Succession in the Church and Other Faith-Based Organizations is an addition to the collection of books on leadership.

A common feature of the literature emerging, particularly from the corporate world, is its focus on the principles of leadership: planning, organizing, leading, controlling, conflict resolution, and communication. One can also say the same about the literature coming out of the faith community.

This book is different. It seeks to address an aspect of leadership that the popular researchers and commentators on this subject often do not discuss. While the popular researchers often focus on the leader’s effectiveness in office, this book focuses on the effective leader leaving or entering office. This book is about succession and the effects of leadership transition on the departing leader, the arriving leader, and the faith community or organization. Moreover, this book seeks to provide ideas and suggestions for effectively managing the transition process, for the benefit of all involved.

Andy O. Homer

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am extremely grateful for the overwhelming encouragement and support I received from friends and family members at the beginning and during the course of this project. This book is really the achievement of several generous, committed and gifted individuals.

More specifically, I wish to thank Walter Joseph, founding pastor of the Walking on Water Ministry in Brampton, Canada, for his support and for providing some of the resources cited the text. I regard Walter as one of my first consultants on the issue of leadership transitions.

I also wish to thank Gary Emery, Regional Director of the Pacific Region of the Open