New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 717

Developing an Exit Strategy

Clint Clifton

Episode 717

What happens in churches when pastors don’t properly plan for someone to succeed them? Host: Clint Clifton talks with Jess Thompson and Todd Adkins about the connection between developing leaders and successfully transitioning a plant to next-stage leadership.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • The difference between transitional and cultural leadership development
  • The value of having a leadership development pipeline
  • Why it’s important to look at succession at every level
  • How a church’s need for different leadership gifts frees a pastor to try new things
  • Where to get help in developing a succession plan

Helpful Resources:

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

If you’re successful in planting a church, there will come a time when you’ll start to think, “I wonder if I’m the person to lead this thing to the next stage of growth?” @ClintJClifton

Churches have two choices: You can either build leaders or buy leaders. Our problem is we have gotten out of the habit of building leaders. @ToddAdkins

From what I’ve observed, it seems so much driven by the pastor who’s leaving and what God is doing in their life and how they’re preparing their church for that. How prepared is the church? How attached are they to the pastor? – Jessica Thompson

If you constantly develop people, you’ll find you will be able to multiply. When your time has come to transition out, you’ll be ready to do that in a way that helps the church be successful. @ClintJClifton

In the maturity and stability of the church long-term, it needs its primary voice to be in the shepherd-teacher category. When a church is started, it needs its primary voice to be apostolic. @ClintJClifton

Your legacy is really what happens after you leave. It’s not what you do; it’s who you develop. @ToddAdkins

An amazing amount of humility is needed for all involved – the leader you’ve developed and the thing that God is calling you to do next. – Jessica Thompson

Published on November 10, 2022

About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Author

Clint Clifton

Clint Clifton passed away on January 12, 2023, as a result of a small plane crash. Clint and his wife, Jennifer, had been married since 2000 and have five children. He completed a B.A. from The Baptist College of Florida and an M.A. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Clint founded Pillar Church in Dumfries, Virginia, in 2005. He oversaw the fruitful church planting efforts of Pillar Church and served as Senior Director of Resource and Research Strategy for the North American Mission Board.

More Resources from Clint