In times of transition there are many, many factors that we need to be aware of… and manage… try to survive… but hope to thrive among.
A season of change can be a season of growth as we allow the impact of change to complete its work in us and through us. Please do not miss the importance of this statement; it is vital that you allow the change to affect you in a positive way. We each get to choose how we react and respond to change—let us choose a healthy response!
I have found great strength in safe support through advisors who can help me make good choices. One of those advisors is a man I have never met, but have spent hours listening to, watching his teaching and reading his books. Peter Scazzero is a trusted advisor whose wisdom helps to make me a better person. Pete and his wife Geri are the founders of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship which has become an essential part of our discipleship process here at ZION.
A recent podcast titled ‘What makes (or breaks) a healthy leadership transition?’ was particularly insightful and I recommend you take 40 minutes to listen to it… and then take another 40 to listen to it again!
In a section below, I have summarised the seven lessons Pete has learned from his experience in leadership. These are helpful to us as we transition our leadership as Kathy and I step into a new season while maintaining our membership in the ZION family.
This podcast encourages me that we can do transition well if we take a measured, loving, Spirit-led approach. I have no doubt we will not do it perfectly, but I have confidence we can do it well.
To add my personal advice to Pete’s, I would say:
- Let’s face the hard conversations with love and grace, knowing that the best relationships are those forged in the fire of testing and refinement.
- Let’s not consider ourselves more important than others… in fact, let’s just not consider ourselves important at all!
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (Phil 2: 5-7)
- Let’s build on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, but let’s not build monuments of them.
- Let’s follow the cloud of the Lord’s Presence, always. He is the God of promise that surpasses a single generation.
- Let’s remember that “sacred cows” do not exist, unless you’re someone of Hindu faith who worships bovine creatures. (We’re not Hindu!)
- Let’s not forget that a body with missing parts is not complete. The design of the church (according to scripture) is a body where each member contributes.
“From [Jesus] the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph 4:16, emphasis mine)
We have a remarkable opportunity here to make the church stronger through this transition, and I’m using inclusive language to communicate my commitment to be a part of the solution. How about you?
Phil Strong
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Seven Key Lessons for Healthy Leadership Transition
Do Inner Work Before Outer Work
Leadership transition begins with the inner life of the leader. Emotional health, self-awareness, and confronting one’s motivations are essential. Leaders must work through issues of identity, ego, and control before handing off leadership.
Discernment Over Decisions
Transition is not just about choosing the next leader; it’s about discerning God’s will over time through prayer, wise counsel, and spiritual practices. Quick decisions without discernment often lead to failure.
Surrender Control
One of the hardest lessons is learning to let go. Leaders must die to the need to control outcomes, trusting God with the future of the organization or ministry.
Embrace Grief and Loss
Transition involves loss—of identity, influence, routine. Scazzero teaches that healthy leaders make space to grieve well, rather than rush into “what’s next.”
Build for the Next Generation, Not Your Legacy
A healthy transition isn’t about preserving the past but empowering future leaders. This requires humility and generosity, putting the mission and people ahead of personal legacy.
Develop a Clear Process
Transitions that thrive are guided by clear, structured, and long-term processes, not impulsive hand-offs. Communication, role clarity, timelines, and mentoring are all critical.
Let Go to Truly Bless
The final act of a wise leader is to bless and release. This means stepping away without interfering, encouraging the new leader publicly and privately, and resisting the temptation to “hover.”
These principles are distilled from Scazzero’s leadership journey and his book The Emotionally Healthy Leader, which supports these themes in detail.