The Senior Pastor & Board Relationship in a Healthy Succession
Let’s be honest—succession is hard. But it’s even harder without a healthy relationship between the board and the senior pastor. It’s like trying to dance a waltz with two left feet. You’ll bump into each other, trip over good intentions, and eventually lose the rhythm.
That’s why in Episode 4 of the Leading Smart Podcast, we talk about something churches often overlook: the board’s role in a healthy succession. Because let’s face it, you can’t plan a smooth succession without a strong foundation of trust and clarity between the senior pastor and the board.
Healthy Starts with Trust
I love Patrick Lencioni’s model of team health—trust at the foundation, then conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. That same pyramid applies to boards. If you don’t trust each other, nothing else works.
A dysfunctional board dynamic—one where board members feel like nine bosses or where pastors feel like they’re being managed by strangers—kills healthy succession before it even begins.
Boards don’t exist to protect the pastor from the people or vice versa. They’re there to steward the mission of the church, which means having honest, trusting, long-term conversations about leadership.
So... Who Decides?
The big question: who makes the succession decision? The pastor or the board?
The answer: yes.
Sometimes pastors initiate it. Sometimes boards do. But in every healthy scenario, it’s mutual. Quiet, ongoing, relational. Not something you spring on a pastor in a board meeting. And certainly not something the pastor should change on a whim after it’s been decided.
Once a plan is in motion, changing it sends ripple effects through the staff, the congregation, and even a designated successor. At some point, you have to pick a date—and stick to it.
“That five-year transition plan? It stayed five years away for ten years.”
Sound familiar?
Establish Confidentiality and Clarity
Before anything goes public, there has to be a cone of silence (shoutout to Get Smart). Conversations should be private, vulnerable, and built on long-term relationships. Often, a subset of the board—two or three trusted members—can walk closely with the pastor as they process when and how to transition.
This is not about control. It’s about stewardship.
Boards need to gently raise questions, offer guidance, and prioritize what’s best for the church long-term. Pastors need the safety to say, “I’m tired,” or, “I think I’ve got more gas in the tank.”
And when you do agree on a timeline? Hold to it. No moving the goalposts.
Internal Candidate or External Search?
There are two critical questions every board must ask before launching the search for a new pastor:
Do we have an internal candidate?
Episode 5 will unpack this more—but spoiler alert: knowing this early shapes your entire process.Do we know who we are?
Some churches say, “Let’s define our vision, then find someone to lead us there.” Others say, “Let’s find a leader who’ll help us shape the next vision.” Either path works as long as you’re honest about where you are.
The Health of the Board IS the Health of the Succession
Here’s the truth: if your board isn’t healthy, your succession plan won’t be either.
There are churches out there right now with unclear bylaws, blurred lines of authority, and an ambiguous vision. That kind of fog drives away great candidates before they even start the interview process.
So if your board-pastor dynamic is tense, now is the time to get help. Bring in an outsider. Name the dysfunction. Do the work.
As you may have heard: “Every pastor is an interim pastor.”
You won’t be here forever. So let’s lead smart. Let’s get healthy now—so your next leader walks into clarity, not chaos.
Need help navigating board dynamics or succession strategy?
Our SmartSuccession consulting can walk your leadership team through a proven framework built for integrity and clarity. Let’s talk.
We also offer a free pastoral succession ebook that dives deeper into the topics we cover on the podcast, designed to help you prepare for a smooth transition.
And don’t miss Episode 5, where we dive into internal successors: Is it a good idea or a potential trap? Subscribe now to stay in the loop.