On June 30, 2025, we heard our final sermon from our pastor of 39 years. He was retiring after almost 4 decades of being our church leader, it was hard to imagine anyone else being our pastor. We intentionally had not selected a new pastor to replace him. Instead, the council decided on hiring an “Intentional Interim Pastor” for a period of 18 months.
Since June 30, 2025, 17 months have passed. Last month we hired a new, permanent pastor and he has already begun his work. The interim pastor will be here until the end of the month, and then he will move on to his new calling.
As I reflect on the past 1 1/2 years, I have to give a big “thumbs up” to our interim pastor and the work he did. He kept our attitude up, and created a natural “buffer zone” between our previous pastor and the new pastor. The reason I am sharing this story with you: If you have to replace a leader in your organization that is well-liked and has been there a long time, what can you do to prepare the replacement leader? How will you get them assimilated and get people excited about what unique qualities they bring to the table? Our church developed a strategy and executed it. What is your strategy if you must replace a legend?
Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family. When he took over the job from organization founder James Dobson, someone asked him, “How are you going to fill Dr. Dobson’s shoes? Jim quickly responded, “I’m going to have to find my own shoes”.
