Every pastor is an interim pastor. Every pastor eventually resigns, retires, or dies. What is your church’s plan to find your next pastor?
Scripture lays the foundation for an ideal pastoral succession plan: the outgoing pastor trains men for ministry, prepares his church for his departure, and, with the church’s approval, appoints one of these men as his successor.
If a pastor does not prepare his church for his departure, the church will likely struggle after he leaves. The Bible suggests a better way.
- You have reached the end of this article preview. This article was published in the Winter 2023 Baptist Bulletin. Subscribe to the Baptist Bulletin or purchase a gift subscription. If you already subscribe to the print edition, sign up for free digital access.
David Huffstutler is pastor of First Baptist Church, Rockford, Ill. All Bible quotations are from the ESV.
