Biblically Speaking
Biblical Succession PlanningEmphasizing the ‘what’ over the ‘who.’ By Gayla Congdon
My husband, Scott, recently shared a message he had heard from Chuck Swindoll, who spoke of his desired retirement plan. Swindoll said that at age 91, he would consider it a privilege to die while preaching one last sermon, keeling over from a heart attack with his chin hitting the pulpit as he went down. For many pastors, this is the ultimate retirement plan.
Several years ago, our board of directors asked us to begin preparing for our own retirement and plan of succession. After founding Amor Ministries more than 30 years ago, my husband and I identify with Swindoll. We would love to end our days on the mission field—preferably in the most dramatic fashion possible.
Although we don’t plan to retire from the ministry anytime soon, we recognize that a well-thought-out plan of succession is needed in order for the organization to move forward.
We have begun this plan by focusing on what the ministry will look like in the future rather than who will be leading. We trust God to put the right person in place to lead when that day comes. We believe this is a biblical concept. Throughout Scripture, the only time the "who” is significant to God’s plan is Jesus. Everything else is about the relevance of God’s kingdom. As the founders, Scott and I want our ministry to survive beyond our lifespan, but only if it continues to be relevant to the mission and purpose of the church.
Our plan of succession is modeled after Jesus’ instructions to his disciples. Jesus didn’t succumb to the culture of his day in order to be relevant. His time was spent making the gospel important in the here and now in order to be applicable in the future. In fact, the message of the Resurrection, as powerful as it was, would have faded away without the establishment of the church. In his infinite wisdom, God knew that in order for the gospel to spread beyond the life of Jesus, the church would be entrusted to an unlikely group of leaders. The "who” wasn’t as important as the "what” of their message. This was Jesus’ succession plan.
In John 14:12, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” This verse has always captivated me, because Jesus is utterly devoid of ego. The one who died on the cross and rose again gave us the core of our plan of succession by his very example. As humbling as that is, the focus is not on me, or us, or the "who.” Instead, it is on being a faithful servant to the "what” of God’s kingdom, both now and in the future.
Over the past two years, we have often asked ourselves whether our ministry is as relevant to the mission and purpose of the church as it was 30 years ago. The ministry has faced tough economic times, fear of violence in the regions we serve, and more. But through it all, we have come to realize the importance of what we do. Amor Ministries has always served the church wherever we work and it always will, in spite of the physical challenges we may face, because we have an unrelenting passion to build the future church.
Just as Jesus gave us the perfect map for succession planning, so too did Moses and Joshua, one that can be applied to the "who” in your ministry as you move forward.
Relevance
One of the most significant points in the Moses and Joshua story is the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring salvation to the world through Abraham. This was one step in his plan to return the children of Israel to the Promised Land, where the Savior would be born.
We today should never be afraid to ask if our ministries are still in line with the mission and purpose of the broader church. And we must have the courage to let go if they aren’t. So often we acquiesce to culture instead of our commitment to biblical truth. We need to let go of what isn’t relevant in order to move forward with succession planning.
Mentoring
God chose Joshua yet used Moses to mentor him. Joshua accompanied Moses to collect the Ten Commandments and was with him when he smashed the tablets. Moses kept Joshua close to mentor him for his future role in leadership.
Chuck Miller of the Barnabas Project identifies this type of leadership in these four principles:
"I do it—you are observing.”
"I do it—you are with me.”
"You do it—I’m in the background encouraging.”
"You do it—I’m with you in spirit.”
Preparation
God prepared Joshua to be the one to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land long before he gave Joshua the charge. Joshua is first mentioned in Exodus 17:8–16 as the commander of the Israelites during their battle with the Amalekites. His character and leadership skills stood out among the rest.
In Deuteronomy 31, Moses, near the end of his life, commissioned Joshua to be his successor. We read in verse 23, "The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.’ ”
For us today: We need to trust God for the "who” as he prepares that person to take over when the time comes. That said, leaders need to create opportunities for those being mentored to put their skills to use. If Moses hadn’t let Joshua lead while he was still with him, Joshua wouldn’t have become the leader he eventually became.
Recently my husband and I enjoyed a two-month-long sabbatical. After the challenges we have faced during the past two years, it seemed like an inopportune time to be going away, but we viewed it as an opportunity to start our plan of succession. It began by removing ourselves from the day-to-day schedule in order to evaluate whether or not the ministry is still relevant to the mission and purpose of the church.
What’s more, we mentored a team of leaders who never missed a beat while we were out of the country for extended periods of time. This worked because of the tremendous trust that has been built by us all.
And of course, we are confident with the belief that God is already preparing the "who” to take over the "what.”
Gayla Congdon founded Amor Ministries in 1980. As chief spiritual officer, she oversees the staff’s spiritual health and communicates the goals, mission, and purpose of the organization to constituents. In the past 30 years, Amor has taken over 300,000 volunteers to Mexico, South Africa, and the United States to build over 16,000 homes.
