The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions

List of Exhibits xiii

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xvii

Introduction 1

Part One: The Principles, Cost, and Players in Health-Based Transition 11

1 Principles of Transition, Jesus Style 13

2 Counting the Cost 29

3 The Five Key Players in a Healthy Transition 41

Part Two: The Four Church Cultures: Family, Icon, Archival, and Replication 55

4 One Church, Four Variations 57

5 Transition Strategies for Leaders in a Family Culture 69

6 Transition Strategies for Leaders in an Icon Culture 85

7 Transition Strategies for Leaders in an Archival Culture 99

8 Transition Strategies for Leaders in a Replication Culture 115

Part Three: Components of a Transition Plan 127

9 Strategic Planning and the Search Process 129

10 The Asset-Preserving Ministry 145

11 A Capability-and-Maturity Model for Churches 159

12 Pastoral Transitions in Low-Performing Churches 177

13 A Plan for Responding to the Crisis of Sudden Transitions 187

14 Getting Started on a Plan for Your Church 195

Appendix: The Church Planning Questionnaire 201

The Authors 209

About Leadership Network 211

Index 213