Simple Advice for Ministry Transitions.

A few years ago I wrote this article hoping that it would be published in Group magazine. I have seen far to many groups and churches torn apart due to the egotism of a single leader. Group rejected the article. They said they wanted to encourage and not discourage longevity in ministry. I think they missed the point. I wish all Christians leaders would take this advice to heart.

In high school I watched four consecutive pastoral transitions tear my youth group apart. Each new leader inevitably changed the way things were run as we, the youth, wanted to remain loyal to the way things were done. Some youth became bitter, dozens more left. You’ve probably seen or experienced it before, the sometimes-certain destruction transitions bring.

Let’s face it you’re going to leave. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow but some day you’ll say goodbye. And chances are at some point you’ll find yourself ministering in the shadow of a former leader. There’s nothing we can do to protect our youth from change, but we can make change less precarious. Your transition as well as your successors can be a positive experience if you follow these six simple rules.

Rule #1 - Remember You’re a Servant.
First and foremost, recognize you’re a servant. The group does not belong to you. Leaders who think they own the group fail to listen. Conscious or unconscious, good intentions or bad, they build the group around themselves. They quickly start new programs, end old ones, and refashion the ministry according to their own vision. In this, the youth are forced to choose between the old and the new.

If Christ is the king of your group, no such choice should exist. Remind yourself as well as your youth, Christ was, is and will be the King; staff changes, not the management. You are a servant, no more and no less.

Rule #2 - Follow Your Predecessor.
Chip failed miserably. He had been a successful youth pastor before with a lot of great ideas. The problem: we already had a great ministry. Every Friday night, a hundred or more teens would come to “CLUB REVELATION,” listen to Christian bands and hear one of a dozen leaders preach the gospel. It wasn’t for Chip. He immediately canceled our Friday nights, changed our name to “Impact,” and became jealous every time we spoke of our former youth pastor. He found new leaders, passing over the ones he already had, and rarely spoke with the youth one on one. Within a year, our leaders were gone, my friends were gone and Chip had gone as well.

As you enter a ministry position, remember the youth as well as their former leader were there before you. No matter how you feel about your predecessor’s programs, it was God who called him to lead for a time. He or she formed relationships and established a foundation. By continuing to build on this foundation you prove your commitment to the group. In return they will willingly follow.

Rule#3 Lead When Their Ready to Follow
The time will come for you to initiate change but wait until the youth are ready to accept the changes you make. Remember just because someone has made you a leader, doesn’t mean the youth have made you theirs.

Becoming a leader takes time and effort. Talk to your kids and get to know them. Take them out to eat. Discover their likes and dislikes. If you truly care about the teens in your group you will grow with them and not against them.

Shawn succeeded where Chip failed. He had never been a full-time youth pastor; in fact, he had never been in a youth group before. However, what Shawn did offer was a willing ear and patience that outlasted all others. Since he didn’t have a lot of ideas, he waited until we were willing to follow, and follow we did.

Rule #4 Remember Your Temporary Position
Your exit plan begins the moment you start. The temporary nature of your position demands it. Remind your students, as well as yourself, your time of ministry will end. If we don’t remind them, they will hang their hopes on us. After you leave feelings of abandonment will naturally occur. However, by reminding them of our impermanence we highlight Christ’s endurance. Therefore remind your students again and again, you will leave but Christ remains forever.

Rule #5 Groom leaders.
Part of building a solid foundation for the next youth pastor is providing a foundation on which he can flourish. That means #1 training leaders in the Christ/servant mentality. However, It also may mean to look for successor among your own church. The best transitions are smooth transitions. Overlapping responsibilities between two leaders is the smoothest transitions of all. Like the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, your attitude should be “he must become greater and I must become less.”

Rule #6 Continue relationships
Just because you leave should never mean you’ve divorced yourself from your kids. Once you’re a youth pastor, you’re a mentor for life. Your still a servant of the same Lord, therefore the youth are, in some way, still your responsibility. From time to time give them a call, ask about them and pray for them. Don’t undermine the new youth pastor but give him your full support.

By following these six simple rules, a youth pastor insures a peaceful and rewarding move.