The most important decision a church or any organization for that matter will ever make is who they choose as their senior leader. Perhaps the most vulnerable time in an organization’s life is when transitioning away from its current leader and searching for its next one.

So much is at stake: momentum . . . money . . . credibility . . . people. A flawless handing off of the baton in the church world will still result in at least ten percent attrition. Some people see the transition of the senior leader as their off-ramp to go elsewhere. Ten percent attrition isn’t the end of the world. A flawed handling of transition can result in a forty to fifty percent exodus of people; a fifty percent loss of income; a loss of influence in the communities we serve, and a loss of leadership credibility. This level of loss is often catastrophic. Some people get caught in the shuffle, and never return to church.

In today’s episode, John & Jim outline 7 practical steps a search committee can take to increase their chances of making a home run hire. Here are the show notes:

How can a church or a business do a better job when it comes to senior leadership transition? Here are a few pointers

1. Get outside help – these kinds of organizational decisions are so critical it’s foolish to go it alone. Secure an outside, objective, and trusted voice who will walk with you throughout the entire process.
2. Create a search committee that is representative of your church’s demographic
3. Get in touch with your organization’s culture – what’s the current age demographic? Ask yourselves, “What are we like when we’re at our best? What behaviors represent hills we will die on?”
4. Create a candidate profile – what are the non-negotiable character and leadership traits the next leader must have? What are some nice to haves? Work hard to create the profile, and don’t settle for anything less than all the boxes being checked off
5. Harness the power of your intercessors – if handing off the baton is the most important decision a church will ever make, the entire church needs to understand the seriousness of the matter. Call them to pray and fast.
6. Communicate, communicate, communicate – keep people apprised of your progress. Where there is an informational vacuum, people’s imaginations run wild.
7. Be patient with the process – Most senior leadership transitions take about approximately 6-9 months to complete. Larger churches – 500 or more – usually take even longer. It’s better to have an empty seat than a seat filled by the wrong leader.

NOTE: We are so passionate about a flawless handing off of the leadership baton that we’ve collaborated with our Converge Coaching team to create a data-driven, objective, assessment-based hiring system that will inform a search committee’s intuition, and significantly increase their chances of making a home-run hire for the next senior leader of their organization. You can learn more by reaching out to us here.