“Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face!” said boxer Mike Tyson, champion Joe Louis, and probably others. Getting hit in the face hurts, but having a plan doesn’t need to be painful.
Some pastorates may feel like a fifteen-round boxing match. Whatever the situation, both boxing and pastoring have a beginning, middle, and end. As such, a faithful pastorate should include a plan for how to end and to transition to the next pastor. Yet that plan should connect to and not conflict with the providence of God.
Our Plans
In May 2023, I retired as the pastor of our church in Minnesota after serving there about fourteen years. Most of our family lived about 1000 miles away, and a few family members’ health was beginning to decline. So my wife and I moved back to our home in Virginia. What follows is a brief account of the occasion in which I had a plan and, by the grace of God, witnessed a smooth transition to a successor.
By way of disclaimer, let me admit the obvious: not every plan pans out. I have heard plenty of stories of pastoral transition plans going pear-shaped. As you
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