The Elephant in the Boardroom:
Speaking the unspoken about Pastoral Transitions
Carolyn Wees and J. Russel Crabtree
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 - yes no one wants to
talk about this ELEPHANT in the church or session room.
This book by Carolyn Wees, executive director of
Multi-Staff Ministries, and J. Russel Crabtree, executive director of Holy
Cow! Consulting, outlines a "how to" guide to churches through a succession
plan for a hopefully smooth pastoral transition.
Using assessments tools and quizzes, the authors walk
church leaders through the process of identifying their particular church's
culture type and creating a succession plan that will meet their
congregation's needs. Based upon biblical principles and current
management techniques, this book can be a practical resource to help
churches look critically at the health of the church, before searching for a
new pastor.
Citing transition styles of Rehoboam and Jesus, the
authors describe the styles of "Four Church Cultures," and the strategies
for calling pastoral leadership in these four churches:
1. Family culture: personality driven style; pastor as
parent, elder, brother or sister. Example: Most mainline Protestant churches
and smaller community churches.
2. Icon culture: personality driven,
effectiveness church; pastor as living logo. Example: media churches, large
mainline churches.
3. Archival culture: knowledge driven style;
effectiveness church; pastor as replicator of ministry. Example: some
mega-churches, parachurch organizations.
Chapter 12, "Pastoral Transitions in Low-Performing
Churches," is particularly interesting as it attempts to answer the
question, "What is the message congregations, the majority of which are
unhealthy and dysfunctional?"
I recommend this book to all churches, whether
contemplating a pastoral change in the near future due to the impending
retirement of the current pastor or facing the immediate search for a pastor
who has 'up and left' for a myriad of reasons.
Reviewed by Rev.
Earle Sickels of the Spiritual Growth and Leadership Development Committee