Succession or Fired
Oh no, you need to have a series of challenging conversations that may lead up to a termination. The positive time is when a change is a planned succession …
Keys to Successful Hiring and Firing
The number 1 resource that Executive Pastors manage is human resources. The top two keys to stewarding human resources is how we hire and fire. In this webinar we will talk about the values [...]
10 Steps to Communicate a Pastoral Transition
The decision to let a pastor go is never an easy one. But once the decision has been made, it's important to handle the situation with grace, dignity, and respect. After all, this is [...]
Avoiding Succession Sins (or Potholes)
What has changed since Covid on Pastor Succession? What are the biggest mistakes and traps that do-it-yourselfers in this process tend to make? The webinar will address these topics and: How a church can [...]
Is There Life After Ministry?
Helping Staff Transition To What's Next A question that lingers in the hallways of church offices and in the hearts of some pastors is, "Is there life after vocational ministry?" We know ministry work [...]
When and How to Change Ministries
Questions to Consider Before and After You Decide to Leave Feuding Cripples Church— That headline was plastered on page 1 of the city newspaper. By a 17-6 margin, the deacons and trustees had voted the [...]
When the Ground Shifts: Understanding the Magnitude of Ministry Transitions
Growing up in Southern California had its constants—the eternally pleasant 75-degree weather, the ever-congested freeways, and the notoriously high cost of living that always seemed to outpace a pastoral salary. It also had its [...]
Is There Life After Vocational Ministry?
When I was a pastor, I would have days where I thought I was the luckiest person on earth. Standing in front of a couple renewing their wedding vows, preaching a message I was [...]
The Two Biggest “Misses” in DIY Senior Pastor Succession Plans
Pathbreaker Pastors and their churches deserve to see ministry momentum multiplied through a planned pastor succession process. Sadly, that rarely happens with churches and pastors that do it themselves. Why is that? Dave Travis [...]
Letting Your Pastor Go: Without Destroying the Pastor or Your Church
Church transitions are difficult, but they don't have to be destructive. No one gets into church leadership to scatter the sheep. They often want the best for the church and its members, but the [...]
Seamless Succession Planning
Pastoral Succession has been a taboo topic for far too long, but the truth is that every pastor is an interim pastor. Whether you are ready or not, succession is going to happen. Will [...]
Senior Pastor Smart Succession
Lots of Senior and Lead Pastors are thinking about succession. In the next five years, pivotal leadership in your church could change. How you approach a succession can be the difference between sailing on [...]
When We Let Staff Members Go
What Is Ours to Do When We Let Staff Members Go? A blanket of sadness covered the office that Thursday as we waited anxiously to know whose names would be called. It was eerily [...]
The Great Resignation … and What To Do About It
Back in May, we started a discussion with William Vanderbloemen. At that time, he said: We’re calling 2021 'The Great Covid Churn.' Now, that churn has expanded into what is being called The Great Resignation. This [...]
Board Fires Pastor
The line from the Apollo 13 movie comes to mind: Houston, we have a problem. Many high-profile minister failings can be traced back to the board not holding the senior pastor accountable. This isn't just [...]
Creating a Legacy Life Plan: What most older pastors said they should have done sooner
Join Fletch and Dave Travis, Director of Strategic Counsel to Pastors & Church Boards at Generis, for this fascinating topic. Dave has a vast perspective on how to build a productive legacy season in [...]
Succession Planning & Post-Covid Hiring
We’re calling 2021 “The Great COVID Churn.” Because of the exhaustion, burnout, and uncertainty people have experienced over the last 12 months, Churches are seeing an enormous increase in turnover and hundreds of pastors [...]
Senior Pastor Succession: What the Executive Pastor Can Do to Help It Along
The pandemic season has done two things for a Senior Pastor succession thinking. For many, some long-term senior pastors under 60 years old and now planning to hand over leadership over the next few years. [...]
Bad News Can Be “Bad News”
We’ve all been there. We’ve heard bosses, supervisors and even friends fumble, stumble and ramble when attempting to bring bad or difficult news to someone. Whether it’s a team or an entire company, a [...]
Modeling Leadership Transition
Leadership transitions are crucial. A successful handoff propels an organization forward in its vision and strategies. Rocky transitions cause multitudes of ongoing issues, from which some organizations never recover. This is true for churches, [...]
Bullying and Harassment
Hey Fletch … An article on XPastor mentions a doctoral dissertation by Dr. Art Hunt, I Never Expected This Would Happen To Me. I would be very grateful if you could let me know how [...]
Free E-Book on Smart Succession
Dave Travis has a great e-book on Smart Succession. This is available for a free download from this page. Dave successfully steered Leadership Network for many years and now is the Director of Strategic Counsel [...]
Could Someone Else Lead This Ministry Better?
Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Hey Fletch … I’ve been in my role at the church a long time. I suppose that I’m a little tired … never had a sabbatical or taken much of my [...]
Interim Pastors
Saturday, October 27, 2018 Hey Fletch … I am an intentional interim pastor working with Interim Pastor Ministries. In the past 7 years, I have served 4 different churches, 3 of which had their [...]
Preparing for a Senior Pastor Resignation
One day, you may have the conversation. This is one of those ultimate conversations in your ministry life. It may come out of the blue. You may have some signs it is coming. You [...]