Where Does A Pastor Turn During Crisis, Change, Or Transition?
I talk with Christian leaders almost everyday, and many times they are in the midst of a transition. A transition can be defined as “a period of time of changing from one state or condition to another.”
During a transition, there are feelings of uncertainty and loss of control… followed by fear and anxiety because who wants to follow a pastor or church leader who is struggling? (At least, that’s what we tell ourselves.)
Figuring out how God is at work during transitions can require the help of someone else...
Who helps pastors and church leaders with transition? Who helps the person who is supposed to have it all together when crisis or change happens?
A Tool That Has Helped Me
Few individuals understand how God develops leaders over their lifetime more than Dr. J. Robert Clinton. His masterful work, The Making Of A Leader, helped me pass throughout the greatest transition of my ministry career a decade ago.
What surprised me most about this tool were the predictable phases God works in throughout our lives, which Clinton explains in his 6 Phases of Leadership Development.
The book goes on to answer: Which phase are you currently experiencing? What will it mean to pass into the next phase of leader development? When difficult things happen to those you serve and care about, how might God be at work? How might your support and encouragement be more focused and resourceful knowing these patterns? Will not knowing these patterns cause you to work against God’s Spirit?
I believe this book is one of the top five books every church leader should read. I use it with ministers to help them reinterpret how God is at work when life or ministry isn’t going as expected.
I use this tool in conversations I have with pastors when they want to blame the elder board, church member, or staff members because an agreed upon outcome doesn’t materialize.
Clinton’s contribution to our reFocusing team has been inestimable. Using his ideas, training, and research, we help develop Christian leaders, particularly pastors, across America every week.
Want More Tools To Become A Better Leader?
We have some very effective turnkey processes that inform and inspire leadership development. We’d love to become a go-to resource for you, especially in transition. There is hope. There is help available. You will get through. Don’t go it alone. And please don’t miss the way God works in you during the journey.