LE ADE RSHIP | PR AC TICE
Alley-Oop Pastoral transition that works BY WALTER HARVEY
I
n my younger years, I was a decent basketball player. Dunking, passing, defending and making shots came easily for me. ne of my favorite offensive plays was the alley oop. A player throws the ball to a teammate near the basket. The second player jumps, catches the pass in midair, and dunks or lays the ball into the basket. As I got older, aches, pains and injuries led to the realization I would one day hang up my basketball sneakers.
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Similarly, I knew I would not lead my church forever. Eighteen years into my senior pastorate, at age 50, I began to pray and prepare. I did not want to stay too long, and I certainly didn’t want to leave too early. Both the alley-oop and pastoral succession require a keen sense of timing, trust and teamwork.
Timing Timing is everything in basketball. During an alley oop, both the pass and jump must happen at precisely the right moment. If any part of the play is out of sync, the handoff will fail. It s a good illustration of pastoral succession. I finally retired as senior pastor on unday,
