Passing the Baton: Managing the Process of Chief Executive Officer Succession

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Survey after survey reveals that this is what children and young people are looking for in their churches: authenticity. Do we really love each other? Do we really worship? Do we really want to know God and follow him everyday? The style of the worship music is not nearly as important as the fact that the people around them are singing the songs like they really believe them. The hipness of the teachers and leaders is not as important as their humble, honest, caring spirit. They want to see the real thing. This is an urgent investament that must begin today even if there does not seem to be an immediate need. The pastor must prepare now to make himself redundant. As a leader you want to always build something that can outlast you! When what you build leaves with you or dies when you dies- you are not a leader, you’re a failure! If something outlast you that’s apart of your legacy! I’ve realized that many leaders are too focused on the next position more than they are the next generation! We’re more concerned about power than we are people! We need to build something that can outlive us and the best way to do that is to build someone up who can take what you built and move it forward! We as leaders have to learn how to pass the baton of leadership. This is a prayerful investment since fulfilling the mandate of 2 Timothy 2:2 "can never be accomplished apart from believing prayer." (109) It’s a way of saying that you’re passing on your legacy to someone else, like your son. The meaning of the expression. The phrase may refer to the action taken of passing the baton in a relay race. Essentially, you’re passing responsibility and accountability for the project or task onto someone else.

I have great memories of running relay races from elementary school through intramurals at college. It is a prime example of teamwork and comradery. A relay race requires full participation from every member. Everyone giving it their all for their assigned section and then passing on the baton. It’s never the fastest runner or the last runner that wins the race. It’s the team that works together and trusts each other. Passing the baton with confidence and care is the most critical element. This is a gracious investment where the training pastor understands his own shortcomings and weakness and does not mold other men to be copycats therby replicating his own weaknesses. What do you think at this point about Paul as a person and as God’s vessel? Why? Have your thoughts or feelings about him changed? If so, how?

Why USIP?

The whitewash marks in each lane show the section inside of which the baton had to be passed, 10 meters on either side of the center line being the space allowed for the runners to pass the baton." The final method is the “push pass” and this is often favoured as a safe method of baton exchanged. It involves the outgoing runner’s arm being extended with the hand open and the incoming runner vertically placing the baton straight into the open hand.

After having rounded the bend on yet another decade of living, I find I am increasingly standing on the sidelines or sitting in the stands applauding races run by grandchildren. I love the coveted opportunity both to celebrate their victories and to seek to help them find meaning in their defeats. The occasional trophies are beautiful; the more frequent times they go home empty-handed are also beautiful as opportunities to learn something from disappointment, and to make plans hoping for different outcomes going forward. The “upsweep” involves the incoming athlete passing the baton upward into the receiving hand. This is a good method for receiving as the hand is in a natural position, but it means that the baton will need to be manipulated before the next handover and this can be difficult for young athletes. This is a deliberate investment that is both thoughtful and intentional, not passive. This task is purposeful leadership training of men who have shown godly conviction and proven faithfulness. But the point of the song, and the Scripture, is that we're all in this thing together, no matter what our life circumstances. We are all members of a spiritual family; we all have children in our lives. Because of that, we all share responsibility for passing faith on to the next generation.Rediscovering Paul is not easy; but it is a journey worth taking. Perhaps the goal is too ambitious, maybe the best we can hope for is to have a better handle on Paul and his message. Nonetheless, you are ready for the next step: Imitate Paul. 1 What encouragement or challenge from Paul to Timothy concerning the gospel or your faith speaks to you today? Why?

The church members' responsibility is to understand this "passing the baton" process. Each member of the church must get involved, be committed to seize opportunity, get engaged in this work, and be prayerful for this process. There are three distinct recognised methods for passing the baton and all have their pros and cons.

Phrases Similar to Pass the Baton

There will be time when you need to learn the HISTORY of the organization of which you’re leading in Don't underestimate the impact you can have on the children and young people around you—in your extended family, in your neighborhood, in your church. By your authentic faith and personal involvement, you are helping to prepare that child for the day they need to take hold of that baton for themselves. Once the handoff has been made, keep cheering.