Pastoral Succession Resources:

“One way or another, every church will eventually lose its pastor or minister yet few congregations prepare for this dramatic event. The pastor’s departure evokes a range of reactions and problems—sorrow and grief, uncertainty, loss of mission and momentum, power struggles—yet no one wants to talk about this elephant in the boardroom.” (taken from the introduction to The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions — see below)

Below are resources dealing with the issue of pastoral succession:

• Heir Apparent — A retiring pastor and his successor discover what it takes to make a transition plan work. A reprint of an article in Leadership Journal by Skye Jethani.
• Passing the Torch – Changing Church Leadership in a Changing World is a book by Donald Bowen, former pastor of Downtown Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia. Download the book by clicking the link above. In the words of Bob Perry, “This book tells the story of a healthy church with a healthy pastor making a healthy transition toward the future.” According to Don Bowen, the process and transition went so well, different people encouraged him to tell the Downtown story so as to help other pastors and churches traveling a similar road.
• The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions by Carolyn Weese and J. Russell Crabtree is available from Amazon by clicking the link above. Carolyn Weese and J. Russell Crabtree—experts in the field of church leadership—have written a nuts-and-bolts guide to developing a succession plan for smoothing pastoral transitions. Filled with strategies and solid advice, this handy resource is based in solid research and the authors’ many years of experience working with churches in a wide variety of denominations. Weese and Crabtree clearly show that leadership succession should be part of every church’s planning process
• Bob Russell Succession Plan
  Bob Russell, Pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, one of the 10 largest churches in the US, has wisely set up a succession plan that is enabling a smooth transition to a new pastor.
• Point of Departure: A Comprehensively Planned Departure
  Curtis Plott, president and chief executive officer of the American Society for Training and Development in Alexandria, Virginia, shares his 3-year transition plan to a successor.
• ASAE Succession Planning Resources
  The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) provides a wealth of resources, including these links on articles related to executive succession.