People were afraid it wouldn't work; we were told it wasn't going to happen; the horror stories were flying around like witches on Halloween, but we are defying the odds and the oddsmakers. Pastor Joe and Leslie and their three girls came over for dinner tonight. We invited Izzi and Jo so the girls wouldn't have to be bored. They weren't. Delightful chatter and laughs from the back room accompanied our conversation in the living room after dinner. It was a wonderful evening; it was but one evening, but is another example of how pastoral succession can work. I don't know what I would have done had my successor been someone of lesser calibre or insecure in his own pastoral gifts and graces.
Our people at Park church prayed for over a year for Joe and Leslie, long before we knew it was them for whom we were praying. Linda and I knew we would be living in the Sinclairville community and attending Park church, so we also knew how important it was that my successor be someone whose leadership we could joyfully follow. I kept telling our people that whoever followed me would be my pastor as well as theirs, and that we all needed to learn to follow his leadership. When Joe and Leslie came, we were advised to absent ourselves from Park for a minimum of six months, but Joe told me to take a couple weeks vacation and then come back, which we did.
Joe is different, and carries out his ministry differently than I did, but he is exactly the right person for Park church, with his laid-back style and his approachability. In the four short months he's been here, he has already made more inroads into different parts of the community than I did in thirty three years. Tonight we talked about Park's future growth, about the potential pitfalls and how they might be avoided. We've both seen churches grow only to suddenly crash and burn, and neither of us wants to be party to such an event here. I wish I knew the secret. I have learned a few things over the years that may help, but I've also learned that people are unpredictable, and there are social, psychological, and spiritual forces at work that we may not be able to predict or avoid. Ultimately, it is God's grace that carries us through.
All the same, I am grateful tonight for a pastor who is wise beyond his years, who is deeply passionate about the Gospel, who doesn't think it beneath him to serve and love people in ordinary and humble ways, and who knows how to honor the past while keeping his eye firmly fixed upon the future. It is easy to play a supportive role when I'm confident of the leadership that is before me. The pundits were wrong. A long term pastorate can be successfully followed if it's based on prayer and the new pastor is as quality as ours is. Tonight, I am grateful for Joe and Leslie, and for the opportunity we had tonight to share a meal and talk. God is certainly good all the time, but especially THIS time!
I've been watching churches for several years to study the transition between a long-time pastor and a new pastor. I wish I had more good examples in the mix, but I'm glad to see a real positive experience. I have seen a negative example or two, and have several churches in my fellowship I am keeping an eye on. Good thing I have another 20-30 years to learn a thing or two.
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