Lainey is two years old. Well, a few days shy but regardless of what the calendar says, our granddaughter’s in the “terrible twos.” You’ve seen that stage of life: non-stop hyperactivity from dawn to dark, unfamiliarity with the word “No”, tantrums when corrected, rigid inflexibility and towering impatience!

When a two-year old decides “I can do it” any offer of help is sternly rebuffed. It’s painful to watch a child on the wrong side of three try to pour a bowl of Cheerios or, as with our oldest son, try to make scrambled eggs on the living room couch.

“I can do it myself” is the two-year old’s favorite hymn.

“We can do it ourselves” is a common refrain sung by the church’s lay leaders when the pastor departs. When a pastor leaves after a tenure of more than seven years or leaves under some form of duress that congregation is in need of the specialized care of an intentional interim pastor who is trained and experienced in guiding the church through the rough waters just ahead. Yet time and again congregations in need of the experienced transition pastor’s skills and expertise are left to drift aimlessly when untrained lay leaders naively take the helm as they repeat the refrain: “We can do it ourselves.”

Sadly, they can’t.

(Parenthetically, I recognize the risk of using this illustration to lead into a discussion of lay leaders attempting to guide their church through the transition. I’m not suggesting that these folks are like two-year olds in temperament. Some might be, but my point is about naiveté, not temperament. Lay leaders bereft of experience, training and resources will likely make a bad situation worse rather than bring about health and growth. )

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN TRANSITION?

In order for a church to emerge from its transition poised to achieve its God-given potential, seven broad initiatives must be achieved:

1. NegotiationThe first obstacle that needs to be overcome is the lack of understanding about what needs to be accomplished in order to lead the church through the transition in a way that prepares it for future growth. Those who lead need to discuss the issues confronting the church, determine how the authority will be distributed, assign the appropriate areas of responsibility and agree on a feed back loop that will give metrics that are appropriate for this stage in the church’s life.
2. AssessmentA season of assessment will help the transition leader(s) uncover the source(s) of the problems that brought the church to the edge of the abyss. This will include interviews with all adherents, professional assessment tools such as NCD & etc., a comprehensive review of all church-related documents (with special attention paid to minutes of the leadership council’s meetings), an interview of the departing pastor and, where appropriate, interviews with the denominational leaders.

   Without a clear understanding of the underlying issues it is extremely unlikely that the transition will be successful.

3. Leadership DevelopmentOur field experience has invariably found that genuine leadership development (as opposed to mislabeled “volunteer training”) is virtually non-existent when a church enters a difficult transition period. The transition leader must implement a process for identifying potential leaders – many of whom are often overlooked by the “in place” leadership – and training them to provide the leadership behaviors that enable the church to move toward its mission and vision.
4. ActionIf the assessment discloses any issues that must be dealt with immediately, the effective transition leader will address that issue without delay. He will bring his wisdom, experience and giftedness to bear on the available resources to resolve any such issue. This necessarily means that the transition leader will not shrink from conflict resolution no matter how painful it may be.
5. Mission and VisionIt is my conviction (which I believe is shared by most of my colleagues) that the lack of mission and vision is at the heart of the trouble that brought the church to this uncomfortable period of transition. The lack of mission and vision, and the pastor’s failure to sustain that mission and vision over a long period of time, creates a vacuum that is eventually filled with a host of competing demands, unproductive programs and a breathtaking failure to actually produce disciples!

   The transition leader must have a clear and thorough understanding of God’s mission as revealed from Genesis to Revelation, he must be able to communicate God’s mission in a variety of creative ways and through numerous channels so that the folks “get it”, and he must be able to help people understand how they as believers and as a church fit into God’s mission in the world.

   In addition to the mission (which, in the way I use the terms, will be pretty much the same for every Bible believing church), the transition leader must guide the church’s leadership in developing a vision that arouses passion and compels action by the church’s people. Vision requires an understanding of the mission of God, insight into the culture and ethos of the congregation, and a clear understanding of the community in which the church is embedded.

   Without clear mission and vision the church has no way of evaluating its efforts, channeling its resources where they will do the most good, of paring programs and activities that no longer serve their original purpose, and of maximizing the effectiveness of its ministry footprint.

6. Pastor SearchIn time the transition process will culminate in a search for the right pastor to lead the congregation in the next chapter of its life. The transition leader will appoint the search team, train them in the search process and guide them as a coach while they undertake the church. The training will include such items as (1) how to read a resume; (2) how to conduct an active search; (3) how to interview references; (4) how to conduct a behavioral interview with the chosen candidate and (5) how to negotiate the pastor’s job description and salary.

   This is the point where most transitions will break down. It typically takes 12 to 14 months before the church is really ready to begin its search. Thus, by the time it begins the church’s leaders are tired and the church may be impatient. The temptation will be to either higher an attractive candidate because he’s an attractive speaker or to simply “settle” for a less than ideal candidate.

   The transition leader needs to know how to motivate the pastor search team so they can go the distance and how to encourage the congregation to remain prayerful and patient during the search.

7. TransitionThe transition leader’s last act is to insure a smooth transition to the new pastor’s tenure. This will include reviewing the church’s history, the results of the assessment and the accomplishments secured during the transition process.

How realistic is the lay leader who says “We can do it ourselves”? Do the church’s lay leaders have the time, the skills and the resources to pull this off? Well, consider what type of person is needed to lead in transition.

WHO LEADS TRANSITION MOST EFFECTIVELY?

The available research indicates that transition leaders will be either a “driver” or an “influencer.”

[Source: Gordon E. Penfold, “Turnaround Pastors: Characteristics of Those Who Lead Churches from Life-Support to New Life.” A paper presented to the Great Commission Research Network November 11, 2011 at Biola University.]
Driver:  The effective transition leader will be very active in dealing with problems and challenges. They set high standards of performance and demand the best efforts of themselves and the leadership team. They will be undeterred by setbacks, they are willing to think creatively and when needed, they will pioneer new initiatives. He will be a natural leader whom others will follow because they are attracted to his vision and energy.

– or –

Influencer: The effective transition leader will be highly skilled at influencing others with emotional connections, a winsome personality and polished rhetorical skills. Others will see him as convincing, magnetic, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, trusting and optimistic. He will be a natural leader whom others will follow because they are attracted to his personality.