11 Important Steps a Church Must Take after Losing a Pastor
- Greg Grandchamp Author
- Updated Aug 06, 2024
“…not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
It happens all the time, doesn’t it? It might begin with the dreaded words, “My resignation is effective….” or “I will be retiring as of….” After the initial shock wears off, there is likely a period of a bit of confusion. The congregation starts to ask, “what do we do now? Where do we go from here?”
Of course, at that point, a lot of the decisions that follow will determine the direction the church takes. While there are some quite prominent exceptions, in most cases a pastor leaves a congregation for reasons other than the result of sinful behavior. To be quite honest, that scenario presents an entirely different set of circumstances to the congregation – and likely a much more challenging proposition. For our purposes here, we are going to step around that particular scenario as it would require an article dedicated entirely to that subject.
Make no mistake, the leadership of a church – any church – is a vital role. The chosen leader must not only represent the high Biblical standards, but also be a fit for the particular culture they are stepping into. The decision must be mutual and must not be rushed – even if the need feels urgent.
Throughout a 45+ year business career, there was never a replacement hire I made that was nearly as critical as replacing a pastor. And while we are trying to outline some steps that might be taken, there is no one-size-fits-all in these situations. Each step must be carefully considered before the next step is taken.
The Role of a Pastor
In the New Testament, the word use for pastor comes from the Latin word meaning “shepherd.” Appropriate, don’t you think? It is not the only word used for this role, however. In his letters to the various churches throughout the New Testament, Paul puts a great deal of emphasis on the position, although he frequently uses the word “overseer.” Nonetheless, Paul lists the general qualifiers in his first letter to Timothy – a young man Paul considered like a son:
“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)” (1 Timothy 3:1-5).
Paul repeats those in much the same way in his letter to Titus (1:5-9) – although he refers to the role as “elders.” In the New Testament, the words pastor, overseer and elder are seemingly used interchangeably, depending upon the emphasis desired. Same role, different designation. It would seem that, in one case, Paul emphasizes the entire life experience of the role, while overseer seems to place greater emphasis on the responsibility to watch over a congregation and to see to their spiritual needs.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul explains:
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Jesus identified Peter as the rock upon which he would build his church (Matthew 16:18), then later, after his resurrection and Peter’s denial, seemed to further outline his expectations:
“… Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ … He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep’” (John 21:15-17).
Choosing a pastor is clearly not a step to be taken lightly.
11 Critical Steps to Finding a New Pastor
1. Pray
Prayer. Clearly the singular most important step. Pray for guidance and for increased trust. Pray for the right directions.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
2. Determine the Why and Deal with It
The reasons the prior pastor left can have a significant impact on what steps should be taken to replace him – not to mention the ease of transition. Questions must be asked, and the leadership team must be open to listening to the truth. Did the pastor simply retire, or were there difficult circumstances? Did they move out of state? Did he go to teach or to a greater ministry opportunity, or was there division in the church? Are there relationships to be reconciled?
If the reason was conflict within the church then the source must be identified and steps must be taken to ease that conflict. If there are problems within the congregation, those too must be handled.
Be objective; what are the strengths of the church? The weaknesses? Might outside assistance be needed?
3. Pray
Pray for open eyes, open ears and open hearts to help resolve any issues or conflicts.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19-20).
4. Analyze the Budget
Obviously, a pastor’s salary and benefit package could be a significant part of any church’s annual budget – and that expense may change when a pastor leaves and new pastor must be hired. There might even be expenses associated with the search. A reasonable effort must be made to anticipate – as closely as possible – what the costs might be in order that funds might be used wisely.
5. Pray
It can be easy to be discouraged in the middle of the process. Pray for continued strength and guidance; and pray the Lord’s will be done.
”I (we) can do all this through him who gives me (us) strength” (Philippians 4:13).
6. Develop a Plan of Action
Assign a search team who can begin the difficult process of finding candidates. Establish some minimum criteria – “must haves” – as well as a list of desired criteria – a wish list, if you will. Also, before the interviews take place, create interview questions to ask each candidate. These should not be yes/no questions, but should take some thought and expanded answers.
Establish an interview process that is followed each time, with recommendations to the search team whether to move forward, or pass (and why) on particular candidates. At least two to three interviews, if possible, should occur before making either decision. If possible, review sermons given by the candidates to gauge their fit with the core beliefs of your church.
7. Pray
Pray for continued wisdom and guidance during the process. Pray for each member of the search team.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
8. Communicate to and with the Congregation
Create a plan of action for the time you may be without a pastor – whether weeks, months or a year – and communicate that to the congregation. Include plans for growth, community outreach, fellowship and worship. Work to ease any discomfort the congregation might feel.
Communicate what the roles are during the transition period – especially during any time absent a pastor. Encourage continued involvement with the church’s ministries. Encourage fellowship and continue to meet together.
Be prepared to deal with a range of feelings and emotions. Some may feel grief or anger or bitterness over the departure of the prior pastor. Others might be happy about some fresh teachings. But don’t let those feelings stay tucked away – let them be expressed.
9. Pray
Maintain strength and encouragement through prayer and fellowship. Encourage trust in the Lord. Pray for patience through the process to allow the right candidate to be identified.
10. Narrow It Down
Narrow down the choices to two or even three candidates and have them meet with the leadership team for open or one-on-one discussions. At the end of the process, ask the leadership team their impressions. These are less interviews than “getting to know you” conversations. Allow the candidates to freely ask questions of the leadership team. Then ask the leaders if there were any red flags that they observed.
11. Pray
Pray that the candidate you are to choose would be made clear to you and the other members of the search and leadership teams. Come together in prayer.
Once these steps are complete, you will quite likely have a very clear idea of who your new pastor will be, and you can begin a transition process.
Steps to Transition Well
The process of bringing in a new pastor can be very challenging. Likely, the congregants loved, or at least liked, the old pastor – which is why they are there. In some cases, the outgoing pastor might well be a founding pastor. How the transition occurs will be greatly dependent on whether the former pastor is retiring and sticking around – or leaving, never to be seen again.
In any case, the new pastor will be under a microscope for an undefined period. Bringing in someone new, you can expect to meet some resistance and comments. “He’s nothing like…. was.” “Oh, …. would never have done/said that.” “Can you believe what the new pastor did/said?”
Departing Pastor
If the departing pastor is sticking around, you can rest assured that people will go to him with complaints and gripes. He must be willing to support the new pastor 100% and refer anyone who has a complaint to discuss it directly with the new pastor.
Risk – After having been the “go-to” guy for so long, there is ego involved. If the pastor lets it get the better of him, then he could well stage a “coup” and begin to undermine the authority of the new pastor.
The outgoing pastor would do well to go to another church, if possible, for as long as a year, to give the new pastor time to adjust – and let the people adjust to him.
Risk – If the outbound pastor sticks around, people will not adjust to the new guy, always seeing him as second-in-command to the outbound guy.
In such a transition, people expect drama. They almost seek it out. Be prepared from the start to show the new pastor honor – and to never speak a bad word or critique against him.
Incoming Pastor
Transition gradually. Don’t be a bull in a china shop and try to make wholesale changes immediately because now “I’m the guy in charge.” Be gentle. If you make changes, let them be gradual, and get buy-in from the entire leadership team.
Risk – The incoming pastor begins to make wholesale, significant changes before anyone has had time to adjust to his style and beliefs, multiplying the resistance and magnifying the microscope he’s already under.
Listen and learn, longer than you think you need to. Love the members and let them know it.
Trust is a critical ingredient to be maintained during the transition. You can’t lead people until they trust you.
Make sure you live and preach as you are gifted. Be yourself – and don’t try to be the old pastor. Being yourself will build trust as the congregation recognizes that.
Make no mistake, while potentially hurtful to a church and the congregation, the loss of a person does not stop God’s work. God is absolutely sovereign. His goal is a to be glorified through the church, among people being conformed to the image of Christ. The process of managing a church – with all its inner workings, and problems and needs – is in His eyes an important part of that growth. We need to remain connected to him, trusting in Him. We are to remember – His ways and thoughts are far above our ways and thoughts. The church is HIS church, not ours – and He will take care of it. He will see us through. Even through the loss of a pastor.
“’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Westend61
Greg doesn’t pretend to be a pastor, a theologian, or a Bible expert, but offers the perspective of an everyday guy on the same journey as everyone else – in pursuit of truth.
Greg can be reached by email or on Facebook @ Greg Grandchamp - Author.
