Perhaps you saw the game this past weekend. I think they call it the SUPER BOWL. It is a holiday of sorts in America. A time to gather with friends, around a BIG TV with A LOT of snack food, watch the game, the Beyonce Bowl and the COMMERCIALS. I loved the Doritos commercials and the Taco Bell commercial. But one particular commercial struck me. It made me pause. It has to do with the title of this post:: SUCCESSION. It was the DODGE spot with Paul Harvey::God made a farmer.
Here is the video and the words:
Succession planning is critical in a family business like farming. It is critical in church planting and the church. When do you start planning for succession? Now. If you are a church planter, it must begin from day one. You must build into the DNA of your organization and your leadership a plan for succession . People must see in you, as you model life in Jesus, something to "spend their life doing. " This is what loving discipleship does.
Here is where I would start. Invite some people into your life as a servant leader. As you LOVE doing life in JESUS, and helping others DO life in JESUS, you invite people into your life. You show them the life of a Jesus follower. Make a list of all the wonderful things you do on a weekly basis to serve the faith community. Then, invite someone to come alongside you to learn the trade. Bring someone along. Who are you inviting into your life, who are you bringing along and mentoring to succeed you? Who is coming alongside you to observe your life in Jesus as a follower, as a servant, and as a leader?
Next, give some responsibilities away. What are you giving away? Not, what do you dislike doing and finding someone else to do it, but; what are you giving away because you LOVE doing it and you want others to experience the joy of "spending their life doing it?" Who in your faith community are you developing to succeed you in the ONE thing you love doing the most for the people you shepherd? Be intentional. Be deliberate.
Finally, practice a Sabbath on THE busiest day of your ministry week, entrusting to those you have invited to succeed you to experience the JOY of serving. Sabbath is a grace day. It is a day for you to TRUST God and to learn to TRUST those you are intentionally, loving, investing in for the sake of the Kingdom.
Succession is scary and hard. It is working yourself out of a job at just the right moment--a job you love. Start working yourself out of the job you love so others can experience what you love doing! Invest in your successors and make the job of the next "search" committee an easy one!
God made a farmer. God made you. Enjoy the journey of inviting, giving, and resting in God and others seeing others to follow you in the family business.
Here are 6 questions developed by Dave and Jon Ferguson from their book Exponential. Use them to guide the time you have with your successors:
1) “How are you?”Remember at the heart of effecting coaching is a relational investment. It may sound cliché, but it’s still true: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” We begin every coaching conversation by checking in to see how the person we are coaching is really doing.
2) “What are you celebrating?”Every meeting at Community begins with some form of this question. Often it’s stated like this: “Where are you/we winning?” Whether it’s a one-on-one meeting, a group meeting, a staff meeting, or a temporary task force, we begin by celebrating how God is at work in our life, ministry, and church. Moving from “How are you?” to “What are you celebrating?” keeps the tone of the meeting very relational and positive. It’s tempting to quickly focus on what’s not working or what is broken. This question keeps the conversation focused on where the leader is feeling successful.
3) "What challenges are you facing?"You might be thinking, “Finally we get to something productive.” Yes, the previous questions are very relational, but if it helps any, remember that when it comes to coaching the relationship really is the task. This question gives your leader an opportunity to talk openly about the things that aren’t going very well in his group or team.
4) "How will you do about those challenges?"
Once a leader has disclosed some areas where he or she may be experiencing some challenges with his life, group, or team it is tempting to quickly move into “fix-it” mode and tries to solve the problem for him. There are times when a leader will need your insight and wisdom. However, the best way you can serve a leader is to help them tap into the wisdom and insight God has already given them to deal with whatever situation they are facing. It is the coach’s role to draw those answers or solutions out of the leader.
5) "How can I help you?"Finally, the question we’ve wanted to ask. This is an important question, but if you never get to this question because the
leader has already come up with an action plan as you walked through the previous questions, considers yourself an extremely effective coach. There are times when a coach needs to step in and offer whatever assistance is necessary to help a leader in need. One of the three tasks that flow out of the relational investment is “serving”, and one of the ways you can best serve a leader is to help them through a tough situation.
6) "How can I pray for you?"The best way to wrap up a coaching conversation is to ask the leader how you can be praying for him. It is also a great opportunity for the coach to ask the leader to be praying for her. This is one way a coach can help the leader know that this relationship is mutually beneficial. After the leader has had a chance to express some areas where he is in need of prayer, take a few moments to pray for the leader and reassure him that you will be praying for him regularly.
Here is a related link on APPRENTICESHIP
Read here for more ideas on how small businesses can approach succession:
http://succeedasyourownboss.com/07/2012/are-you-ready-for-succession-planning-in-your-family-business/
Here is the video and the words:
"And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say,'Maybe next year,' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse with hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours." So God made the farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the leg of a meadowlark."
It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and brake, and disk, and plow, and plant, and tie the fleece and strain the milk, . Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Dad does. "So God made a farmer" (Paul Harvey).
Succession planning is critical in a family business like farming. It is critical in church planting and the church. When do you start planning for succession? Now. If you are a church planter, it must begin from day one. You must build into the DNA of your organization and your leadership a plan for succession . People must see in you, as you model life in Jesus, something to "spend their life doing. " This is what loving discipleship does.
Here is where I would start. Invite some people into your life as a servant leader. As you LOVE doing life in JESUS, and helping others DO life in JESUS, you invite people into your life. You show them the life of a Jesus follower. Make a list of all the wonderful things you do on a weekly basis to serve the faith community. Then, invite someone to come alongside you to learn the trade. Bring someone along. Who are you inviting into your life, who are you bringing along and mentoring to succeed you? Who is coming alongside you to observe your life in Jesus as a follower, as a servant, and as a leader?
Next, give some responsibilities away. What are you giving away? Not, what do you dislike doing and finding someone else to do it, but; what are you giving away because you LOVE doing it and you want others to experience the joy of "spending their life doing it?" Who in your faith community are you developing to succeed you in the ONE thing you love doing the most for the people you shepherd? Be intentional. Be deliberate.
Finally, practice a Sabbath on THE busiest day of your ministry week, entrusting to those you have invited to succeed you to experience the JOY of serving. Sabbath is a grace day. It is a day for you to TRUST God and to learn to TRUST those you are intentionally, loving, investing in for the sake of the Kingdom.
Succession is scary and hard. It is working yourself out of a job at just the right moment--a job you love. Start working yourself out of the job you love so others can experience what you love doing! Invest in your successors and make the job of the next "search" committee an easy one!
God made a farmer. God made you. Enjoy the journey of inviting, giving, and resting in God and others seeing others to follow you in the family business.
Here are 6 questions developed by Dave and Jon Ferguson from their book Exponential. Use them to guide the time you have with your successors:
1) “How are you?”Remember at the heart of effecting coaching is a relational investment. It may sound cliché, but it’s still true: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” We begin every coaching conversation by checking in to see how the person we are coaching is really doing.
2) “What are you celebrating?”Every meeting at Community begins with some form of this question. Often it’s stated like this: “Where are you/we winning?” Whether it’s a one-on-one meeting, a group meeting, a staff meeting, or a temporary task force, we begin by celebrating how God is at work in our life, ministry, and church. Moving from “How are you?” to “What are you celebrating?” keeps the tone of the meeting very relational and positive. It’s tempting to quickly focus on what’s not working or what is broken. This question keeps the conversation focused on where the leader is feeling successful.
3) "What challenges are you facing?"You might be thinking, “Finally we get to something productive.” Yes, the previous questions are very relational, but if it helps any, remember that when it comes to coaching the relationship really is the task. This question gives your leader an opportunity to talk openly about the things that aren’t going very well in his group or team.
4) "How will you do about those challenges?"
Once a leader has disclosed some areas where he or she may be experiencing some challenges with his life, group, or team it is tempting to quickly move into “fix-it” mode and tries to solve the problem for him. There are times when a leader will need your insight and wisdom. However, the best way you can serve a leader is to help them tap into the wisdom and insight God has already given them to deal with whatever situation they are facing. It is the coach’s role to draw those answers or solutions out of the leader.
5) "How can I help you?"Finally, the question we’ve wanted to ask. This is an important question, but if you never get to this question because the
leader has already come up with an action plan as you walked through the previous questions, considers yourself an extremely effective coach. There are times when a coach needs to step in and offer whatever assistance is necessary to help a leader in need. One of the three tasks that flow out of the relational investment is “serving”, and one of the ways you can best serve a leader is to help them through a tough situation.
6) "How can I pray for you?"The best way to wrap up a coaching conversation is to ask the leader how you can be praying for him. It is also a great opportunity for the coach to ask the leader to be praying for her. This is one way a coach can help the leader know that this relationship is mutually beneficial. After the leader has had a chance to express some areas where he is in need of prayer, take a few moments to pray for the leader and reassure him that you will be praying for him regularly.
The dream of God is not for the church to be led by a one-man show, but that it would be a great team led by great coaches. Our role is to equip and empower the people of the church to do the work of ministry. When the game is on the line and the final point needs to be scored, the ball will be in the hands of our leaders and those leaders need to be coached to take the winning shot.
Here is a related link on APPRENTICESHIP
Read here for more ideas on how small businesses can approach succession:
http://succeedasyourownboss.com/07/2012/are-you-ready-for-succession-planning-in-your-family-business/
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