For pastors with succession already on their minds, the pandemic may have stepped up the timeline. What might have been a distant point on the five-year horizon is now looming closer in both conversation and planning. For more than a decade, NL Moore & Associates has worked with long-tenured pastors in the planning and implementation of a pastor succession plan. If this important topic is rising for you, here are four easy ways you can begin to engage.
Open the conversation. As a pastor, you are often so focused on meeting the needs of others that you fail to give yourself time and space to focus on your own needs. Gaining confidence and clarity over the various elements of your own succession may be one of the greatest gifts you give yourself. Open the conversation with your board or with a small group of trusted friends. Read a book (The Elephant in the Boardroom by Crabtree and Weese is an excellent choice), or give us a call to schedule a complimentary, confidential, informal conversation. We are here to help.
Affirm your identity in Christ. It is easy to tie your identity to your job or title. We are all prone to mistakenly think we are what we do. For pastors, the rhythms of influencing others and having a front-row seat to see what God is doing in the lives of people is a powerful combination. Questions like, “Who am I if I am not their pastor?” rise to the top. As the season of succession draws near, it is important to reaffirm your identity in Christ. While it may not feel like it some days, God cares more about who you are than what you do for Him. Take time to reconnect with the truth of who you are as a child of God. Give yourself time apart to hear from God. Schedule a monthly day away to pray, dream, meditate on Scripture, and align yourself with the truth of God’s Word. As you look toward the season of succession, it is important to connect to your identity in Christ and affirm your personal value and worth outside of your position.
Reconnect with your strengths and gifts. Many long-tenured pastors have lost touch with the essential gifts and strengths God hard-wired into them. They know what they do but are unclear about what they love to do or how their strengths might translate into other contexts. Now is the time to invest in a fresh understanding of how you have been made and, through coaching, think about the ways your unique gifts might contribute to God’s purposes outside of your current role. NL Moore & Associates’ assessment team is available to take you through a two-part assessment and coaching process to help you reconnect with your essential strengths and wiring. We also have an experienced succession coach on our team who walks alongside pastors in this critical season. Support is available.
Gain clarity on your financial outlook. As you move toward succession, the practical side of the equation needs attention, too. If you don’t know your starting point, it is nearly impossible to navigate to your desired destination. Talk with your spouse to determine what you need and what you hope to accomplish financially in the next one, three, and five years. Seek the advice of a financial planning expert (it will cost less than you think). There may be people within your congregation who would be happy to help you, too. These activities will help you develop confidence and peace as you engage in the planning process. Clarity about your financial outlook is an important piece of the puzzle as you frame your future vision—especially if you discover that you require an income stream post succession.
Five years is not too soon to begin the succession-planning process. NL Moore & Associates is able to provide you with pastor succession planning as well as the search for your successor. Please reach out if you would like to open the conversation. We are here to help.