A strange thing happens in marriage and in ministry. You’ve heard “a cord of three strands is not easily broken?” This verse is often quoted at weddings. We use it as a symbol of the connectedness and strength that comes from the union of God and a man and a woman.

Well, if your spouse is “in ministry,” chances are there is also a fourth strand in your marriage. It’s the ministry strand.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary for churches to let go of a pastor or other staff for various reasons: financial, performance, wrong fit, transgressions.

Regardless of the reason, the messaging priorities remain the same. When communicating difficult news, there are three primary areas that should be kept in mind.

As lead pastor of the church representing the agreement of the church leadership, it is important to communicate this news in a way that builds trust among your congregation and honors both you and the departing staff member.

Since we know pastors love alliteration, let’s call them the three C's: clarity, compassion, and consistency.

Of all the issues the church needs to deal with in the next ten years, succession is near the top of the list. Leaders, don’t let what started with you end with you. Don’t let what started with you end with you. So why is succession going so poorly for so many churches? Here’s what I’m seeing, hearing, and learning.

It usually comes as a surprise to most. Transition of any kind beckons us to be prepared for something we were not quite prepared for. In this post, we highlight four challenges facing church leadership in a pastoral transition.

No matter what we have done, no matter how far we have fallen, we can always come back to God in worship. So let us not hesitate to worship Him, even in the midst of our deepest failures.

There are a variety of reasons why a church might need to let a pastor go. In some cases, it might be due to financial reasons, while in others, it might be due to moral failings or differences in vision for the future.

Whatever the reason, there are certain key steps that church leadership must take when communicating a pastor is being let go. How this is done can make all the difference in the world. It sets the tone for how the pastor will be perceived by the congregation, as well as how the church will be perceived by the community.