Converting the choir: a process study of member reactions to ministerial succession

Abstract

This thesis examines leader succession in churches from the perspective of church members. The author sought to determine what processes organization members experience as their churches change ministers, as well as how ministers attempt to guide those processes. To that end the researcher analyzed six case studies. One primary case study was explored in depth using process methodology (Poole, et al., in press) to uncover members' experiences. Process methodology calls for obtaining rich data on a continual basis as the process unfolds. This study started with one minister's retirement announcement and continued through the next minister's intentional program of taking charge and encouraging the church to reassess its vision, a total of eighteen months. Five additional case studies from a variety of denominations were examined to find how other members experienced transition and to extend the primary case study's conclusions. Organizational members were found to fit in a typology along three dimensions: commitment to the church, preference for the previous minister, and amenability to change. Many members experienced sincere grief processes while others were able to take leadership through the transition and move the church along. Ministers agreed that the primary way to lead was to communicate in caring, pastoral ways with congregants. Transitions can provide a time of testing for an organization, which can have negative outcomes for some members but can also strengthen the faith of others as they break their bonds with the individual leaders and strengthen their bonds to their churches and their faith in God.