USA (MNN) — The father-son relationship is a great way to mirror God’s love for His children. It’s also a common way to “hand off” the leadership of a ministry. Global Advance just finished a 2-day training session on how to successfully navigate leadership transition.
(Photo courtesy Global Advance via Facebook)
“It was a really God-kissed time: a lot of interactions, a lot of prayer between generations, one for another,” shares Global Advance founder, David Shibley.
“One of the great emphases of Global Advance now is equipping ‘Next Gen’ leaders to help fulfill the Great Commission.”
A group of 13 father-son pairs gathered last week in Dallas, Texas, to learn best practices and transition tips from Equip Ministries. The forum wasn’t just for ministry leaders; pastors and other church leaders were involved, too.
Tom Mullins, President of Equip Ministries, is “the leading authority in the country on ministry transition,” Shibley shares.
“It was a beautiful time. We genuinely felt the applause of heaven over this, and I believe the Church in America is going to be stronger for it.”
How to do leadership transition
(Photo courtesy Global Advance via Facebook)
No matter the industry or arena, each leader must face the question of succession. Reasons can vary for a leader’s departure, but the fact remains that no leader can reign forever.
According to reports cited by Shibley, an estimated 60% of U.S. churches are currently in some stage of leadership transition. As stated so eloquently in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Shibley began seeing this truth take shape around him and decided to address the issue.
“My contemporaries, my friends–particularly pastoral leaders–many of them were in some stage of vocational transition,” he says.
“So, we thought that we would [create] something of a ‘pilot forum’ or the discussion of how to transition well in ministry, and also how to raise up spiritual sons in ministry.”
As leaders and their sons–both spiritual and literal sons–gathered to learn from Mullins, they also shared times of prayer and made concrete plans for their futures. “It was amazing what happened in less than 48 hours,” says Shibley.
(Photo courtesy Global Advance via Facebook)
Please pray for these ministry leaders as they enter a season of transition. Pray also for the leaders of Global Advance, as they determine what to do with this forum moving forward.
“I know that this is needed. The format is still a bit unclear into the future.”
