Transition Plan

The legendary pastor, Bob Russell,  retired from his position as Senior Pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.in 2006 

Under his dynamic leadership, Southeast Christian grew from 120 members into one of the largest congregations in America, with over 18,000 in attendance.

Recently, Pastor Russell wrote a book about their process of handing the leadership reigns over to the new senior pastor, Dave Stone, called Transition Plan.

I was privileged to receive a complimentary copy of this outstanding little book for review on this blog, and must say that it is well worth the read. 

A district superintendent friend recently told me that one of biggest challenges the Wesleyan Church faces is the transition of leadership in our larger churches.  More often than not, when a beloved, long-tenured pastor departs, there is significant trauma to the congregation.

An intentional succession plan, as modeled  by Southeast Christian Church is extremely helpful to making a healthy leadership change.

I appreciate Russell's wisdom and candor, as he described how they navigated the process, detailing their sucesses as well as their mistakes. 

A great read for all long-tenured pastors, district superintendents, and other denominational officials.