Assuring the Success of a Successor

I carried the very last things out of my office at church today. There were just a few odds and ends. I left a few things on the shelves for my successor. But the one thing I don’t want to leave is the dirt and dust. I still have to wipe some of that away.

I hope that’s the way I’ve left everything for him: neat, clean, and lacking dusty old ways of doing things. I have to admit that as my days at Mt. Calvary wound down, my successor was not first and foremost on my mind. But the closer I got to my final days, the more I thought about the next occupant of my current office.

We don’t always work so that things are left in a better way for our successors. But perhaps we should. Conscientious work today means a better platform for tomorrow. Working well with co-workers, managers, and leaders enables them to do their best and be more than ready when a change is necessary.

I want my successor to succeed, because I have poured my heart and soul into the ministry at Mt. Calvary for more than fifteen years. It would be difficult for me to see it spiral downward.

So I have

  • Met with leaders
  • Shared documents and passwords with my assistant
  • Left the congregation with a clear sense of mission
  • Suggested strategies for the interim
  • Put full confidence in a faithful and hard-working congregation

More than that, I am praying for my successor, whomever he may be. He deserves my prayers, as do the people of the congregation I leave behind. He will face a challenging and interesting ministry. They will need a faithful and hard-working shepherd.

I hope that there isn’t too much dust left behind for my successor. He deserves a clean and fresh start as he ministers amongst a people who are loving, welcoming, and ready to be stretched in challenging directions.

How do you see to it that things are ready if and when change is necessary?

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Categories: Leadership, Ministry
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2 thoughts on “Assuring the Success of a Successor”

  1. I can relate to all of your points Tom. I am currently doing exactly the same; meeting with leaders, arranging meetings with staff and their new pastor-to-be, clarifying mission and vission, and making sure his path is clear and with minimal obstruction. We try to do everything we can to assure that our successors can hit the ground running…it's just the right thing to do.

    We're going to miss you around here, but we're also excited for the faithful in your new congregation. They are going to be blessed with a creative, faithful, true pastor.

    Reply