Leadership Transition

I have walked with many local congregations and other ministries as they transitioned from one leader to the next. I won’t say I have any expertise in the matter, but I do have some experience. It’s a subject I think about quite a bit.

Leadership transition can be a delicate matter. There are many egos at play, various agendas, fears of change, yet opportunities to press on in Gospel labor is the goal that we really desire and it’s exactly what lies before us today. After we pray together, I will share with you some thoughts on leadership transition through the wisdom of Moses, and how we can embrace this transition and affirm it with spiritual strength, unity, and dignity.

This prayer comes from from The Valley of Vision (a prayer entitled “Humility in Service,” pages 326-327). Let’s each of us take a moment and make this prayer our own:

I humble myself for faculties misused, opportunities neglected, words ill-advised,
I repent of my folly and inconsiderate ways, my broken resolutions, untrue service, my
            backsliding steps, my vain thoughts.
O bury my sins in the ocean of Jesus’ blood and let no evil result from my fretful temper,
            unseemly behavior, provoking pettiness.
If by unkindness I have wounded or hurt another, do thou pour in the balm of heavenly    
            consolation;
If I have turned coldly from need, misery, grief, do not in just anger forsake me;
If I have withheld relief from penury and pain, do not withhold thy gracious bounty from
            me.
If I have shunned those who have offended me, keep open the door of thy heart to my
            need.
Fill me with and over-flowing ocean of compassion, the reign of love my motive, the law
            of love my rule.
O thou God of all grace, make me more thankful, more humble;
Inspire me with a deep sense of my unworthiness arising from the depravity of my nature,
            my omitted duties, my unimproved advantages, thy commands violated by me.
With all my calls to gratitude and joy may I remember that I have reason for sorrow and
            humiliation;
O give me repentance unto life;
Cement my oneness with my blessed Lord, that faith may adhere to him more
            immovably, that love may entwine itself round him more tightly, that his Spirit
            may pervade every fiber of my being.
Then send me out to make him known to my fellow-men.

Now, let’s turn our attention to Numbers 27:12–23:

[12] The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. [13] When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, [14] because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) [15] Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, [16] “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation [17] who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” [18] So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. [19] Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. [20] You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. [21] And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” [22] And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, [23] and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses. (ESV)

When you look at the life of Moses, he seems like one of those irreplaceable leaders. It seems like no one could fill his shoes. Here’s the thing, more than most, when it came to filling Moses’ shoes, no one knew better than Moses that his feet were made of clay.

Think about how others would have viewed the situation. It was Moses who answered God’s call to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. It was Moses who challenged Pharaoh – and let’s not forget, Pharaoh was most likely the most powerful ruler in the world. It was Moses who went on top of Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments from God Himself.

Could anyone else do all of that? Could anyone else do ANY of that? I’m sure people would’ve thought that way.

What did Moses do to (1) embrace transition, (2) lead others to embrace transition, and (3) affirm the next leader?

       I.      (1) To embrace transition, Moses did three things:

a.      He listened to God when God called him aside to receive instruction. (see verse 12)

b.     After hearing from God, Moses himself initiates the transition process. (see verses 15-17)

c.      He humbly accepts God’s chosen man. (see verse 18)

    II.     (2) To help others embrace transition, Moses communicates openly and firmly with the people. (see verses 19-22)

a.      They made Joshua’s calling and affirmation public; they did it out in front of people.

b.     They made sure it was spiritual, commanding the priest to affirm Joshua.

c.      Note: I think it was important for the people to affirm Joshua AND for them to see Moses affirming Joshua too. Public; corporate; communal.

  III.   (3) To affirm the next leader, Moses laid hands on Joshua. This laying on of hands was to pronounce blessing, affirm calling, confer transition of authority, and speak words of commission to Joshua -- through Joshua’s ears, but TO Joshua’s heart. (see verse 23)

In our work places, in our community organizations, and especially in our local churches, we often see leadership transitions. We can emulate Moses. We can emulate the wisdom of his mind, the love of his heart, and the affirmation of his hands and voice.

We can emulate Moses; the question is whether we will.