The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World

by Peter Scazzero

The Seven Stages in Our Transition Process The following are the seven stages of the transition process developed by the board and me. I shared these stages with the congregation in 2011. 1 Define the founding pastor’s new role. Since I would be staying at New Life, the first thing we had to determine was what my role and contribution would be once a new senior leader was in place. This would have a significant impact on the contours of the next senior leader’s job description. I was convinced it was God’s will that I surrender my power and come under a new lead pastor for the future of New Life. 2 Define the new senior pastor’s role. We determined the job description for the new senior leader and his or her relationship to the elder board. 3 Establish a task force. The elders commissioned a transitional task force to begin the search for a new senior leader. 4 Identify potential candidates. The task force and the elders concluded that we had two potential internal candidates at New Life. We began conversations with each of them to discern God’s choice for this role. During this process, one of the candidates determined that remaining at New Life was not God’s will for him. 5 Complete a year of “testing.” The elders then set up a one-year framework for “testing” Rich, the remaining candidate, and possibly choosing him as the next lead pastor. 6 Affirm a new leader. That year of “testing” concluded successfully in December 2011, and the elder board affirmed Rich as the new ...