One of the most astonishing things about the ministry of Jesus is that he handed it off — to us!
Transitions are inevitable in life and ministry. In this, as in all things, Jesus sets the example for how to do it well. In this article, Trip Kimball walks us through some of Jesus’ process.
— Karl Vaters
The responsibility to develop new leaders and equip them to serve is an important part of leadership. But the key to seeing good leadership continue is to pass the baton of leadership to others—a transition of leadership—and do it smoothly.
I came to faith in the Jesus Movement of the early ‘70s. My wife and I started serving as overseers of the nursery care for a large church in Southern California. The church was a major influence in that era and beyond. It’s even been the subject of a recent movie.
We had no formal training for our service and we were young—young parents and young in the faith (typical of that intense, evolving movement of new followers of Jesus). Our role in ministry was to care for about 150-180 babies and toddlers at each of the three Sunday morning services. We were also there every night of the week, except Saturday, and we oversaw both paid and volunteer assistants.
Looking back at this, I’m amazed that we were allowed to serve so quickly. But it was great preparation for the ministry we did for the next few decades. The steep learning curve showed us the need to equip others who would serve alongside us.
One thing I remember from those early days was the expectation of training someone to take our place in whatever ministry we did. This sense of responsibility is embedded in me and I see it modeled first by Jesus with his disciples.
Jesus’ Example
Here are five ways to transition well. I’ve drawn them from Jesus’ last night of ministry with his closest followers. Jesus is the ultimate servant-leader. He was an example of confident, yet humble leadership as he prepared for a fruitful transition to those he chose to be the first leaders of his church (Ephesians 2:20).
A true servant-leader begins and completes a healthy transition of leadership. These are qualities seen in Jesus, as he washed the disciples’ feet the night before his death on the cross (John 13:1-17).
I learned some of these principles in my own ministry transition, but they became more clear when I stumbled upon them here in John 13. We can glean much more from Chapters 13 through 17 of John, but this is a good start.
1) Know the Way (John 13:1 & 3)
The Lord was confident in who he was as God’s Son. He knew where he came from and where he was going. He knew the way his disciples needed to go as leaders and he showed this by loving them to the very end in the fullest way.
Our confidence is not to be in ourselves or our abilities, but in the Lord and who we are in him. Every leader in God’s kingdom needs to be confident in their identity as a child of God. If we’re not, why should anyone put their confidence in our leadership?
Knowing the way is basic for us. The first step is to deny ourselves—our selfish nature—die to ourselves, and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). It’s a way of faith guided by the Holy Spirit. The people we lead need to be confident that we know the way.
2) Walk the Way (John 13:4-5)
By far, the most common and important element of true servant-leadership is to be a living example. This is the picture we have of Jesus as he washed the disciples’ feet. Everything Jesus did was a model for all those who follow Him.
Jesus showed his disciples how to lead by how he walked through daily life—the way Jesus carried himself in various situations and public settings, and how he interacted with people other than his followers.
We also see the impact of Jesus’ life example when he was a young man among leaders in the temple (Luke 2:46-47).
Paul and Peter also lived as an example to those they led and mentored. This is central to God’s design for effective leadership.
3) Show the Way (John 13:6-13)
Showing the way is an extension of walking the way, but it also teaches and trains them relationally and interactively.
What we see in these verses from Jesus’ dialog with Peter is more than classroom or pulpit teaching. It’s a relational discipleship process. Jesus does this often throughout the gospels.
In the early days of the Jesus Movement, this type of discipleship was common. It’s probably not as common where you live today. It requires time and commitment because it’s intentional and relational. I believe this lack of interactive discipleship has weakened the church.
It’s often resisted or avoided because of the distractions and insistent demand for people’s attention in our culture. Healthy leadership transition requires interactive leadership that shows the way.
4) Make a Way (John 13:14-15)
An important part of leadership is training up new leaders. Again, it is not a program, but an intentional and relational process of discipleship. Discipleship done well naturally produces leaders.
The responsibility of leaders and mentors is to make way for others to step up and into leadership roles. It may require creating opportunities for others to move forward in leadership or allow for innovation and creativity beyond existing leadership roles.
This requires a willingness to look beyond ourselves as leaders. Jesus had this vision from the beginning. It was always in mind in everything he said and did. Jesus knew his time on earth was short and that raising up leaders for the new church was essential.
It is our responsibility to empower others who can fill our leadership role. Pastors don’t always have this in mind, but they ought to because of unforeseen situations and knowing when to step away in later life stages.
5) Step Away (John 13:16-17)
One of the more difficult roles of leadership is knowing when it’s time to move on or get out of the way. It’s usually a matter of timing—the Lord’s timing, not ours. Although it can be difficult to discern for pastors, it’s imperative to pursue this prayerfully, especially as we age.
How a leader steps away is also important. If it’s done too quickly, it’s likely to fail. If it’s done awkwardly or too slowly, it’s difficult for everyone involved. Planning on a transition—choosing to step away—may not be something we want to do, but it’s wise.
Again, we look to Jesus as our prime example, but other examples are Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas knew Saul (Paul) was gifted by God and called for the work in Antioch and beyond. Paul gave detailed exhortations and encouragements to both Timothy and Titus for handling and leading ministry transitions.
Stepping away requires self-denial on the leader’s part who steps away. The timing is difficult for those of us who are church-planters and founders of ministries. It’s a lot like letting go of our young adult children as they grow into their own lives.
Transition Leadership Well
So, for a healthy and fruitful transition of leadership in ministry—whether a pastorate or ministries within or beyond the church—here are the five ways I see how Jesus demonstrated the transition of his leadership through His unexpected example as a servant-leader.
- Those we lead and mentor need to be confident we know the way.
- Those who follow us need to see how we’ve walked the way if we expect them to lead as we do.
- We need to provide an interactive and living example that shows the way for others under our leadership.
- We need to look for and create opportunities for others to step into leadership as we make way for others to lead.
- We need to be attentive to when and how to step away from our role as a leader or pastor.
(Photo by Paul J | Flickr)
