6 minute read
How to Pass Your Baton to the Next Leader
You must learn the secret of healthy transition if you want to make maximum impact.
By Casey Wayne Mills
The writer of Hebrews uses the imagery of a track and field race to bring encouragement to a church that faced great persecution. In Hebrews 12:1 we see our mandate to run with perseverance the race marked out for us. We are encouraged to throw off everything that hinders us and watch out for the sin that can so easily entangle us. And we are reminded that there are those who have already run the race. They are cheering us on.
I have always loved watching racing events of all kinds. I love the Olympics, and I love watching my son’s track team run for their school. My favorite running event was always the 4x100 relay. Most track and field events are individual competitions, but this race is a team event. The most exciting moment in the race is when each competitor passes the baton to the next runner to complete his or her portion of the journey. This is not an easy task. If the baton is dropped, the race is over and the team will not be able to cross the finish line in victory.
I see an obvious spiritual application here. As church leaders, we are also in a relay race. Our calling is to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives and also to train others who will be able to properly take the baton and continue the race.
I have been blessed to be a part of a pastoral transition that involved a spiritual passing of the baton. In 1992, Pastor Don Goude hired me as Youth Pastor at Bethel Worship Center. My my wife, Judi, and I have been serving at Bethel for the past 28 years. In 2010, I became the Lead Pastor after Pastor Don passed the baton to me.
As I look back on that process I realize that this is something unusual in the church. Many pastors don’t train their successors. But what I experienced provides a biblical framework that should be a pattern for other churches.
In the Bible we see several examples of leaders who were raised up by mentors who continued the work of ministry. Moses mentored Joshua; Elijah mentored Elisha, who received a double portion of his mentor’s anointing. However, we don’t see in Scripture that Joshua and Elisha continued the legacy of raising up the next leader to carry out the vision. Sometimes the baton is dropped.
In the New Testament period we see Paul serving as a mentor and father to many men and women who continued the work of ministry. I love reading the end of Paul’s letters, when he names the people who took the baton to fulfill the goal of the Great Commission. Paul understood how the relay works!
Pastoral transition can often be difficult as a church gets to know a new pastor and the pastor tries to learn the rhythms of an established church. As I look back on the transition at Bethel, I see what was described by one our members as a “seamless transition.”
As the Lead Pastor, I am not a clone of Pastor Don. He never attempted to make me a carbon copy of himself. He allowed me to grow into what God designed for me. There are things that I do differently, but the core vision of the church continues. Our vision of “Team Bethel” continued as I took the role of Lead Pastor. Our vision for worship, discipleship and outreach continued to guide every leadership decision.
For this type of pastoral transition to take place in a church, a culture of teamwork must exist. I served 18 years as a youth pastor and associate pastor. During that time, I heard lots of jokes from others who wondered when I was going to be a “real” pastor.
But Pastor Don never made me feel like I was less than a “real” pastor. He affirmed my spiritual gifts and gave me freedom to lead. When I approached him about taking mission trips, he affirmed my desire. As a result, Bethel has influenced the world through gospel outreaches and through the building of churches and orphanages.
When I shared with Pastor Don my vision to start a preschool and an afterschool ministry called Bethel Cares, he allowed me to pursue this. He affirmed this ministry, which has impacted the lives of many children and families in our community.
I can imagine that if Pastor Don had shot downthese ideas, I might have left to go somewhere else. But he chose to affirm me. He was not threatened as I grew in spiritual maturity. He allowed me to view myself as a “real” pastor.
This type of healthy pastoral transition was possible because of my support of Pastor Don as my elder and leader. I always strived to be trustworthy. I honored him and his leadership. If I had questions about things in the ministry that I didn’t understand, I went directly to him for answers.
As a leadership team we have gone through many storms together. Sadly, in the global church we’ve seen situations where an associate will attempt to lift himself up by dragging the leader down. This only brings chaos and division. If the associate is hungry for position and power, a seamless transition isn’t possible. However, if we have a servant’s heart that seeks places to serve, then trust can flow.
Our transition at Bethel didn’t happen overnight. Pastor Don shared that he had known this change was coming for several years; then he shared with me two years before the transition took place. During those two years my preaching responsibilities increased, and I began to lead our administrative council meetings. Pastor Don asked me to give our vision message series at the beginning of those two years. All of these steps helped to prepare the church, and me, for the transition.
On September 12, 2010, I became Lead Pastor of Bethel, and ten years later I continue to lead with the same staff the Pastor Don and I assembled through our years together. Although he is retired, he continues toattend the church and is a great support to me and my staff.
This ministry of “passing the baton” continues at Bethel. As people serve in ministry they are raising up leaders who will one day take their place. Obviously this is not the only way for pastoral transition to take place, but I have seen it lived out. I believe it is a pattern every leader should implement.
Pastors, we are running with the baton. We must have a heart to pass the baton to the next leader to continue the vision of the church. Paul gives us the heart of this team mindset of ministry in I Cor. 3:5. He tells us that each member of the team has a task. Sometimes we water; sometimes we sow seed; and sometimes we harvest. But God is the one who makes things grow.
My vision is to one day joyfully pass the baton of leadership to a leader who was trained in this ministry. I’m thankful I already have prepared for the time of transition. When that day comes, I will cheer on the person who will take my baton and run to new places of impact for the kingdom of God.
