A change in pastors can be one of the most difficult times in parish life. Navigating Pastoral Transitions: A Parish Leader's Guide helps make the transition smooth and successful. By helping parish leaders understand their unique role in managing change, this guide enables communities to turn crisis into opportunity.
This resource walks parish leaders through a detailed Pastor Transition Timeline that includes vigils, liturgies, and rituals for saying goodbye to the current pastor and welcoming the new one. You will also find solutions for common concerns and a welcoming orientation process.
This invaluable guide should be part of every pastor transition. The practical tips and guidelines in this book will help to assure the parish continues to thrive under new leadership.
This book is designed to be used with Navigating Pastoral Transitions: A Staff Guide and Navigating Pastoral Transitions: A Priest's Guide.
Contents
Preface vii
Introduction 1
Begin with Endings 9
Wandering Through the Middle Ground 15
Launching New Beginnings 25
Frequently Asked Questions 32
Strategies for Effective Transition 39
Bibliography 47
Marti R. Jewell, DMin, is an assistant professor of theology in the School of Ministry at the University of Dallas. She served as the director of the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project, a national research project studying excellence in parish leadership, and co-authored The Changing Face of Church and The Next Generation of Pastoral Leaders.
This book, at first glance is seemingly simple. That is because Marti Jewell writes from her ability `to listen with the ear of her heart' to the lived experience of pastoral leaders who reap the backlash and hopes of parishes in transition. This book does not leave a pastoral leader powerless in navigating transition; it provides the complexity of system change as well as a resource for dialogue among pastoral leaders. Pondering responses posed by Jewell will once again focus the mission of the Gospel for the good of the community.Barbara Sutton, Associate Dean, Formation and Outreach, School of Theology, St. John's University Any transition or change can either be a time of panic or adventure. The materials presented in this guide offer a means of hope and new life, of looking back and moving forward, of grief and acceptance. As a pastoral minister, I have experienced many aspects of what is reflected in the pages of this guide. I found that I did make it through the change, the transition and am better prepared for ministry because of it. I would highly recommend this book as a tool, a gift, to all pastoral ministers whether in transition now or in the future. It gives a sense of hope and new life amidst the pain of change in our lives.Sister Theresa Khirallah, SSND, Director of Ministries, Diocese of Dallas A highly recommended resource for parish leaders who are planning for or in the midst of a change in pastors. This guide has it all-an excellent well-explained section on the theory behind the stages of the change process, great personal reflection questions for parish leaders for each step along the way, a well thought out Q & A section, and my favorite chapter-a smorgasbord of practical ideas and strategies.Mark Mogilka, Director, Stewardship and Pastoral Services, Diocese of Green Bay Filled with well tested practical strategies, Navigating Pastoral Transitions is an invaluable resource for pastors, parish staffs, and parish leaders, wanting to navigate a pastor change with care, creativity, and hope.Sal Della Bella, Director of Evangelization, Archdiocese of Louisville