Next: Pastoral Succession That Works - Hardcover

Vanderbloemen, William; Bird, Warren

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801016479 ISBN 13: 9780801016479

Publisher: Baker Books, 2014

Synopsis

Through case studies, interviews, and real time research, this essential guide demystifies successful pastoral succession and helps readers prepare for an even brighter future for their ministries.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

When it's time for a new pastor, will your church be ready?

"I pray this book sells a million copies! My dad used to tell me this too: 'All pastors are interim pastors.' We're stewards, not owners. We're only here for a blip in time, but the church goes on forever."--Rick Warren, founding pastor, Saddleback Church

"Every pastor will face a transition at their church, and it will be one of their best chances at leaving a legacy. Next is an invaluable tool for securing a transition that works and a legacy that lasts."--Bill Hybels, senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

"Wisdom around pastoral succession is one of the great needs of the church today, so it's about time this book showed up. I have already sent a copy to several of the elders at my church."--from the foreword by John Ortberg, author; former teaching pastor at Willow Creek and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, CA

"In the kingdom of God, success equals succession--looking for a successor all the time. Next shows pastors how to do that for themselves, and how to model succession for their staff and volunteer leaders."--Mark Batterson, founding pastor of National Community Church, Washington, DC

"Someone said that the moment you succeed, you need to prepare for your successor to succeed. The church has too often failed in this critical mission. I believe this book to be one of the most timely and important of our day."--Jim Henry, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention; pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church, Orlando, FL

"This book is incredibly rich with good advice. Even a simple pastoral handoff like I experienced, from my father-in-law to me, could benefit from the wise insights and great stories."--Wilfredo "Choco" de Jesus, lead pastor of New Life Covenant Church, Chicago, IL

"Vanderbloemen and Bird are giving leaders permission to ask formerly forbidden questions now so that churches can thrive rather than limp through inevitable pastoral transitions."--Marnie Crumpler, executive pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA

From the Inside Flap:

Every pastor is an interim pastor. Every church and ministry goes through changes in leadership. Despite this truth, few churches are planning ahead for the day they will face a transition in leadership, and far too many handoffs in leadership end with a dropped ball. But the outcome doesn't have to be that way.

What if when a pastor moved on, the church knew exactly what to do because a plan and a process had been in place for some time?

While there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to the puzzle of planning for a seamless pastoral succession, Next offers church leaders and pastors a guide to asking the right questions in order to plan for the future. Vanderbloemen, founder of a leading pastoral search firm, and Bird, an award-winning writer and researcher, share insider stories of succession failures and successes in dozens of churches, including some of the nation's most influential. Through case studies, interviews, and real-time research, the authors demystify successful pastoral succession and help you prepare for an even brighter future for your ministry.|William Vanderbloemen (MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary) served for fifteen years as a pastor before founding Vanderbloemen Search Group, the leading search firm specifically focused on connecting churches and ministries with the right leadership for their teams. He and his wife, Adrienne, live in Houston with their seven children and two poodles.

Warren Bird (PhD, Fordham University) is research director for Leadership Network, the nation's leading catalyst for helping innovative church leaders move from ideas to impact. An ordained minister, he teaches at Alliance Theological Seminary. He is also author or coauthor of twenty-six books. He and his wife, Michelle, live in a suburb of New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Baker Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0801016479
• ISBN 13: 9780801016479
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224