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It happens to all of us – and no one can escape. Our seasons to lead come and they eventually go.
It can be difficult to come to terms with this inevitable reality.
However, as church leaders we must be thinking about the future.
We are all in seasons that will eventually end. Preparing for those seasonal transitions is what succession planning is all about.
“Succession planning is a process for identifying and developing internal people with the potential to fill key leadership positions.”
It is estimated that 65% of nonprofit organizations have no succession plan in place to replace senior leadership. This is a frightening thought when you consider the responsibility and influence church leaders have.
I remember when I was working on a church staff, and our Children’s Ministry Director suddenly left.
We were caught off guard and had to scramble with no quick solutions.
If you think about all of the moving parts in a children’s ministry, you can appreciate the importance of having someone in the queue ready to go.
We did not have a succession plan for this person, and for several months, we scrambled to cover and ensure nothing fell through the cracks.
When church boards neglect the important task of planning for the succession of key church leaders, they put their church at risk of dying.
These risks can be related to the quality of services, management of resources, or the loss of church members when an endeared staff member leaves.
Churches are often the victims of a failure to plan. And as the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Churches should have the forethought to recognize the importance of planning for the future by identifying and developing the necessary talent to take over when the inevitable time comes.
Is Succession Planning Necessary For Churches?
Organizations use succession planning to prepare for inevitable transitions in leadership and put structures in place to develop skills and competencies in leaders.
The simple truth is that all church leaders will eventually accept a different position, retire, and sometimes die. Failing to address this important issue is an act of irresponsibility by the church board.
Organizations use succession planning to forecast the supply and demand of talent for key positions. This can be the senior pastor or any other person who has key responsibilities in the church.
For succession planning to fulfill its purpose, there needs to be a formal process to assess church employees and their readiness for advancement within the church.
A succession plan defines these competencies and assesses the necessary mix of knowledge and skills for leadership staff, and recommends the training needed to master those competencies.
7 Tips For Creating An Effective Succession Plan
1. Make it a Priority
The first step is to recognize the importance of succession planning.
Church boards need to commit the necessary time and resources to this by anticipating leadership transitions.
The focus should be on identifying which positions warrant a succession plan and identifying those church leaders who may be good candidates for higher levels of responsibilities.
Use that information to create a detailed and specific developmental plan to ensure church staff is ready to transition when a change in leadership is necessary.
Succession planning not only needs to be a priority, but it should also be part of a church’s long-term strategy.
2. Devote Time to Planning
As with most organizational priorities, there is a necessary time commitment for succession planning initiatives.
Time should be allocated to church board agendas, leadership meetings, and human resource management to ensure the church is ready for a leadership transition.
Conversations should focus on asking the questions – who, what, and when.
Who (which) employees demonstrate the potential for higher levels of leadership?
What type of development do they need?
And when is the optimal time frame for their readiness for promotion?
3. Utilize A Succession Planning Guide
Use a planning guide to monitor your efforts and to keep them on track. Use the guide to articulate a succession plan’s goal and identify succession planning team leaders and team members.
This tool is also used to determine which roles in your ministry would benefit from a succession plan, who has the potential for development, and what skills are needed to fill those roles.
You can access a Succession Planning Tool in our library of forms, documents, and job descriptions. If you are a member, you can log in here.
4. Create a Development Process
Create a defined and specific talent management process that includes identifying skills and aptitudes needed to meet the predetermined competencies.
For example, if the position requires the skill of preparing and presenting a sermon message, the candidate may need the development of that competency.
There should also be conversations that help to identify potential talent as well as discuss strengths, weaknesses, skills, experience, and developmental needs of the available employee pool.
Employee developmental plans should be part of a structured performance management system. This focus should also include employee development by increasing employee responsibilities and providing mentoring for employees with the potential for promotion.
5. Create an Employee Development Database
Spend the time to create a database that tracks employee skill development.
Keep records of performance appraisals, employee development plans, and any training.
Use this information to facilitate conversations about potential candidates and track their development process.
6. Provide a Mentor and a Coach
Leadership development is a process that often is the result of opportunities to practice key leadership competencies.
Provide identified employees with leadership opportunities and a mentor to help them to build on their strengths and identify areas to improve.
This mentor/coach should be the go-to person for employees to ask questions, seek counsel, or clarify role responsibilities.
A good mentor can help facilitate a smooth transition.
7. Structured Transition Plan
Transitioning leadership can be a challenge if there is no plan to address the obvious issues that come with passing the baton.
Spend the time to create processes that help the employee orient to the new job. For higher levels of leadership, this may take months, if not years.
This simple step can minimize the downtime associated with leadership transitions and can help the newly promoted employee to hit the ground running.
Organizations fail when they are unprepared for leadership transitions, fail to have a process to assess internal talent, and lack vital communication about the organization’s plan for a leadership transition.
It is difficult to watch someone step down who has such enormous influence, but when that time comes, it is important to have the next leader ready to go. That won’t happen unless you have a plan!
Does your church have a succession plan?
You can access a succession planning form and many other documents and job descriptions in our growing library!
