Before You Go - Building Bridges Before You Leave

Navigating a departure from a church staff role requires intentionality and reflection, focusing on leaving positive impacts for both the church community and future leaders. The conversation emphasizes the importance of relationship-building, effective communication, and thoughtful documentation during the transition process.

• Strengthening key relationships before leaving
• Resolving existing conflicts proactively and gracefully
• Affirming and supporting your successor adequately
• Practicing transparency regarding your departure reasons
• Documenting and leaving clear notes about ongoing projects
• Creating a comprehensive transition document for the next leader
• Emphasizing that transition requires prayer and planning
• Encouragement for transitioning leaders to reach out for support

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

Leaving a church staff role the right way isn't just about moving on. It's about what you leave behind. You know, the relationships you build or repair before you go can define your legacy for years to come. Today we're going to unpack how to finish well, build bridges and ensure that your transition is a blessing, not a burden. Stick around, this is an important one. Thanks for joining me here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom. You know, leaving a ministry is not just about where you're going next. It's about how you finish where you are, and we've been working through, during this series on the podcast, wade Hodge's book called Before you Go, and Wade reminds us that leaving well involves actually an intentional bridge building with those that you've worked alongside. So here's some really key areas that you need to focus on during this. This week we're talking about during this transition period. Okay, you already know you're leaving. You've already probably announced it. You're looking at where you're going next. Here's some things to focus on during this actual, you know period.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Time of transition. First of all is, as best as you can, strengthen your key relationships. Strengthen your key relationships. Now, what does this mean. This means, you know, meeting with leaders and staff and volunteers to express gratitude, to affirm all their contributions and, as much as you can we talked about this yesterday leave on good terms. Don't burn any bridges, you know, particularly, even especially, if there have been some real challenges and if there have been some challenges during this interim period, do your best. And this is going to be hard because this is not going to be at least it's not my first inclination but I think it's actually the right thing to do and it's the biblical thing to do. If there've been challenges and you know that there are conflicts, use this time as best as you can to resolve any conflicts that you know exist. Take the initiative. That's right. Take the initiative. You take the initiative to reconcile with anyone that you've had tensions with. The kingdom is a lot bigger than your church where you've been or where you're going to, bigger than your church where you've been or where you're going to, and leaving unresolved issues behind can really create unnecessary obstacles for the next person that takes your job, and it also is just. It's going to be kind of like a millstone around your neck. You know, leaving and knowing that you have unresolved things. So resolve any conflicts.

Speaker 1: 2:45

Another important thing to do and sometimes this is easy because you know who's taking your job. They've already hired him or her, or maybe you have a successor that you handpicked. But If you, as best as you can and maybe this doesn't happen during the transition, maybe this happens. You know you're at your new role and three months later they hire somebody as best as you can, affirm your successor. Affirm your successor to those who matter to you Right, if you know who will be stepping into your role, you can do that right away and do what you can to encourage and support them and share any insights and resources that will help them succeed. We talked about that a little bit yesterday. But also affirm those not just the successor, but those around, those people that you work with and just say, hey, joe's going to be great, you're going to love Joe, or give Joe a chance. You know whatever you need to do to affirm your successor to their face and make them feel like you're there for them and you will be there for them even though you're leaving but also for those around you, and then communicate everything. Well, we talked about this again yesterday too, but I want to reemphasize this. A lot of this is a little bit of what we talked about yesterday, but it's so important so I want to repeat it. You need to really communicate that departure really, really well and you need, as much as you can, be transparent with the people in your church, with your leadership, about your decision to leave.

Speaker 1: 4:14

We have a rule at Chemistry, when we're interviewing candidates and we're asking them why they're leaving or why they're looking for a new role, and we're asking them why they're leaving or why they're looking for a new role, and sometimes we have to ask them up to three times, because you know the first time you're going to get. Well, you know. I just feel like this is what God's wanting me to do. The second time, you might get a little bit more of an answer. The third time, if you keep drilling down, you're finally going to get. Well, this happened and then this happened and there's conflict. So be transparent as much as you can about your real decision to leave Now. Don't blow things up. We talked about that earlier in this series. You want to leave? Well, you don't want to burn your bridges. So, as nicely as you can, as transparently as you can, share about how you came to this decision and then document your work, leave behind clear notes and plans and contact lists.

Speaker 1: 5:10

And here's the application for today. Building bridges is one of the most important things that you can do and it's one of the best things that you can do. That's gonna pave the path for a positive transition, not only for you, but for your church, for your family and for the next person that comes in. So that's what I'd like you to do today. We talked about it yesterday at the end, and today's assignment is exactly the same if you're in this time of transition.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Yesterday I called it a plan. Today I want to maybe make a. If you worked on it yesterday, let's call this a transition document. Okay, you're going to summarize everything that you can. I like to use a Google Doc, but you can use whatever you want to Summarize all the things that you think you're going to need to document for yourself on the way out and for the news person on the way in, and it could be ongoing projects that you're working on and their statuses. It could be key contacts Any kind of essential information you want to pass on to your successor.

Speaker 1: 6:13

That is really important to have this all down on paper. How are you doing? This is tough. This is tough stuff and I can talk about this all day long, but when you're going through it, it's tough. It's tough.

Speaker 1: 6:30

I've been there and transition is never easy. And transition doesn't just happen If, if you just leave it happen, there's a high likelihood it's not going to go well. So that's why it's I just I'm telling you it's so important to have a plan when you're in transit Maybe you're not in transition now. Remember this for when you will be, because you will be someday to make yourself a transition document so that you can leave where you are. When you leave that you can leave. Well, I'd love to hear your plans, how you're navigating through it. Maybe you're stuck and you're like Todd. I just need a little bit of help getting unstuck here.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Email me at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Your emails are always private, they're always confidential and I read each and every one of them and try to get back as soon as I can. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast here so you don't miss any future episodes. And if there's any way that I can help you in your church, particularly in any staffing changes, any staff health things, hirings, firings, compensation issues, all of those kind of things. Reach out to me. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'd love to talk with you and see if there's a way that we can work together. We're here at Chemistry to help you build a healthy team. And finally, if you would like a copy of this book that we've been talking about it's from Wayne Hodges and it's called. Before you Go, you can just email me podcast at chemistrystaffing, and I will make sure that you get a copy of that book today.

Speaker 1: 7:59

All right, thanks so much for spending some time with me today. It's always a highlight of my day to be able to spend some time with you. And just remember, you know, when it comes to transition, leaving well isn't just about saying goodbye. It's about creating a legacy of grace and integrity and collaboration. It's about you and your family. It's about your successor and their family, the new person. It's about your old church and all your leadership and your congregation and your relationships. And it's about your new church, because they're going through transition too. That's why it gets so complicated and so complex. So bathe it in prayer and create a plan. You're going to need it All. Thanks so much. Take care. I'll see you here again tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.