The Changeover Zone by Jim Ozier & Jim Griffith

Author:Jim Ozier & Jim Griffith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 2016-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

Each of these markers signifies a sequence in the handoff and to mishandle the baton invites serious consequences. The race can be over before it has ever begun.

The Private Notification

Saying “Goodbye” Part I

The first marker in the sequence is that of private notification. This is when the pastor learns she/he is going to a new church; it is when the church leadership learns they are receiving a new pastor. It is when the potential of the new arrangement becomes real. Most often, the private notification will be cloaked in confidentiality, until there is agreement on when, how, and who will make the public announcement.

What Not to Do:

The new extension campus in a fast-growing suburb had just celebrated its third year and had grown to a respectable size. A dedicated core leadership group was intentional and enthusiastic about getting to know their neighbors in the community. This enthusiasm was generating higher-than-expected offerings.

Still, the senior pastor of the main campus wanted to make a pastoral change in the extension campus, so he informed the extension campus pastor of the change and then arranged for his placement elsewhere. The senior pastor then asked his “tribe’s” supervisor to meet with the leadership to inform them of the impending change. The extension campus pastor also was prepped and invited to the meeting.

An impromptu meeting was called and leaders from both campuses were summoned. They sat around the table, visiting and dressed casually, not knowing the details of the meeting. In walked the supervisor, attired in a dark suit. Without introductions or conversation he said: “You’ve been asked to this meeting so I could tell you that last night, I presented your pastor as the new pastor of another church. When we have selected your next pastor, I will let you know.” He looked up at the stunned faces and asked pointedly, “Any questions?”

Silence. Finally one individual asked, “Do we have any say in this?” “Not really,” replied the supervisor. “That’s not the way we do it.” He paused briefly and then said, “If there are no other questions, I’ll let your pastor say a few words.” On cue, their beloved pastor chimed in: “This is a great opportunity for me; I was surprised when they asked me about going to this other church, but as a pastor, I go where I am sent. I will sure miss you, but I’m also sure they’ll find a new pastor that you will love like you’ve loved me.”

Quickly the supervisor drew the fifteen-minute meeting to an end. People filed out in silence, many of them never to return to the church.

The lesson here for supervisors: avoid treating the private notification of the pastor leaving as perhaps the more typical protocol when an older established church faces a pastoral change. In a young church, people simply do not know or appreciate the tribal polity. Even if they did, such an abrupt approach shakes the foundation of confidence and trust.

Supervisors go a long way toward improving the odds of success

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