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The Truth About Consensus

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / February 14, 2016 / 0 Comments

“Let’s work by consensus!” is a familiar rallying cry. It feels egalitarian, generative and worthy. So we set aside Robert’s Rules of Order and begin a dialogue where all are encouraged to weigh in. We promise ourselves that we won’t move forward until we’ve reached an agreement that everyone likes. And then the problems begin, […]

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Blame it on Polity

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / August 31, 2015 / 0 Comments

Leaders utter a predictable battle cry when faced with possible organizational changes.  “Our polity won’t allow us to do that!” They may want to consider changes that will make their organization more nimble, flexible and efficient, but they suspect that polity (denominational governance systems) will stand in the way. We live in an era where […]

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Do I Have Enough Influence

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / June 15, 2015 / 0 Comments

© 2011 Yogendra Joshi, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio You are clear about the changes needed in your congregation, and you are confident in your ability to execute the change. You are not certain that you have the influence needed to overcome change resistance. This is the fundamental dilemma of every leader, especially those […]

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Pastoral Transition-Lifting the Veil of Secrecy

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / July 15, 2014 / 0 Comments

Organizations in all walks of life openly plan for leadership transition. The Church is unique in the veil of secrecy that we draw around pastoral transition. We don’t want to watch people grow anxious, so we withhold known information about departure. In doing so, we postpone the hard adaptive work of leadership transition into the […]

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Passing the Baton

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / January 31, 2014 / 0 Comments

Lately my phone has been ringing off of the hook with people who want to talk about pastoral succession: denominational leaders who want to prepare for the impending onslaught of baby boomers about to retire; senior pastors wanting to think about exiting their congregations well; and lay leaders wondering how to talk with their pastors […]

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Spiritual Work in Pastoral Transition

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / February 19, 2013 / 0 Comments

 Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to Frank Ostaseski speak about Being a Compassionate Companion while accompanying the dying. Frank is a leader/teacher in the Zen Hospice Project. As I listened to Frank speak, I was struck by how well his five precepts for walking with the dying apply to congregational life, when a congregation is in the […]

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Leadership Systems in Motion

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / October 31, 2011 / 0 Comments

The large church is managed through five interdependent leadership systems. When change occurs in one system, it tends to produce change in the others. These systems include: Clergy Leadership Roles Staff Team Design and Function Governance and Board Function Acculturation and the Role of the Laity The Formation and Execution of Strategy As daily changes occur […]

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Waiting for Staff to Retire

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / January 27, 2011 / 0 Comments

I often find myself in conversations like this one with a senior pastor. Pastor: “I need help thinking about the configuration of my staff team. I’m currently trying to work around 2 key positions that aren’t appropriately staffed right now. There isn’t much I can do in the moment because I’m waiting for these 2 […]

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Co-Pastorates

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / September 20, 2010 / 0 Comments

Congregations that employ more than one pastor often grapple with the authority relationships between those two pastors, particularly in congregations that call their pastors and embrace a congregational form of polity.  Increasingly, these congregations are inquiring about, or exploring, co-pastorate relationships. I’m using the terminology here to refer to a relationship in which there is […]

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Interim (or not?)

By Susan Beaumont & Associates / February 11, 2010 / 1 Comment

Change in the senior leadership of a congregation is fraught with opportunity and danger. A congregation in the midst of senior clergy transition is likely to experience high levels of anxiety and energy manifested in stagnation, conflict, or in brilliant creativity and rebirth. The Interim period has long been viewed as a special time in […]

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