What is the most awkward question you have ever been asked? And what is the hardest question you have had to ask someone else?

Whenever we face a transition of any kind our instinctive reaction is to try to understand what is happening. For transitions represent change, and in the face of change we want to grasp its implications and impact. So naturally questions arise.

This is especially true when we encounter painful change or abrupt transition. At those times our questions pour out in a torrent and they are intense!

Your teenager calls to let you know they were in a wreck with your new car. What are our questions and what are your emotions? Are you okay? Is anyone hurt? Where are you? Was it your fault? Are the police there? How bad is the damage?

Then there are the questions that you don’t verbalize but are bouncing around in your mind. How are we going to function with one less car? What is this wreck going to do to my insurance premiums? Will my policy cover the loss? Should I “ground” my teenager?

When a church leadership team faces the aftermath of an abrupt departure by their lead or senior pastor, they can anticipate being bombarded by questions. They will not only have their own, but they will also be asked a boat-load by the church…and many of the questions will be intense! It may feel, at times, like you are the target of a firehose.

These questions can be grouped into four key areas:

• Questions about the former pastor.
• Questions about the leadership team.
• Questions about the church.
• Questions about themselves personally.

Questions will arise about the former pastor

• What was the issue that caused their abrupt departure?
• How long had this been going on?
• How could he have done that?
• Were other people involved? Who were they?
• Did no one see this coming?
• Was nothing done to prevent this, or correct this?
• Was everything he said from the pulpit a lie?
• I read or heard his confession, but how do I know he is sincere and not just sorry he got caught?
• What does his severance package look like?
• Are we offering him the opportunity to return?
• Are we offering to pay for any restoration help?

Questions will arise about the leadership team

• How long have you known this was going on?
• How did you find out what our former pastor was doing?
• How could you have not known this was going on long ago?
• How did you handle the issue once you knew?
• Are others on the leadership team involved in any of this?
• Did the leadership team cover or hide what our former pastor was doing?
• How can I know the leadership team is trust worthy?
• What have you done so this will not happen again in our church?
• Are you telling us everything, or just some of the truth?

Questions will arise about the church

• What are we going to do without our pastor?
• Is our church falling apart?
• Are other things going on that we don’t know about?
• What is going to change around here, and what will not?
• Is our church a safe place?
• Should I even keep attending here?
• How do I respond to my friends when they mockingly bring up what our pastor did?
• What are we going to do about the drop in giving and attendance?

Questions will arise about themselves

• Why didn’t I see this happening?
• I had a sense something was not right, but why didn’t I do something or say something about it?
• Why didn’t the Lord stop this?
• If our pastor could fall like this, what hope is there for me?
• Am I safe being vulnerable to other spiritual leaders?
• Is my faith in what God’s Word says a sham? Is this whole Christianity thing a cruel hoax?

Obviously, these are only a few of the questions that will arise when there is an abrupt departure of the senior pastor. But these will give the leadership team a sense of what they will face.

So, when you’re on the receiving end of the firehose, how is it possible to handle the torrent? There are a couple of key strategies to implement to be ready for these questions.

1. STRATEGY #1: The leadership team focuses on a commitment to embody truth.

When there is an abrupt departure this is not the time to figure out how to spin it. This is the time to tell the complete truth of what happened. This is the time to take responsibility, even if it means additional resignations because of intentional or unintentional complicity.

We are told to “speak truth” to one another (Eph.4:25), and that God delights “…in truth in the inward being” (Ps.51:6). If the lead pastor morally compromised himself, and that was the issue behind his quick exit, then that means for a period of time he was involved in lies, cover-ups, and half-truths. The church will be sensitive to this and will be watching the leadership team to see if they do it too.

2. STRATEGY #2: The leadership team focuses on a commitment to teaching the truth.

The abrupt departure of the senior pastor is not an unfortunate staff or employment change. The relationship between a pastor and the church is more like a family. The church is going to grieve the loss, and for some it will be traumatic.

This is the time to make sure that the church clings to the truth of God’s Word and God’s character. They need hope and confidence in what the Lord is doing for the Body. They need assurance that He is not punishing them, nor has He abandoned them.

Use the public group meetings to get everyone into God’s Word and point people to the promises and heart of God. Affirm that together you are going to trust Him even though it’s a painful season. Comfort the church that hoping in the Lord will not disappoint.

3. STRATEGY #3: The leadership team focuses on shepherding the church through their pain.

Abrupt, unexpected, and unwanted change brings pain because the change represents a loss. When people experience grief their questions will sound (and may actually be) accusatory since a grieving human heart often wants to find someone or something to blame. The leaders of the church will have to work hard not to take the questions personally, but to ask the Lord to help them shepherd in the midst of strong emotions.

To shepherd others through pain means being a safe person upon whom they can pour out their anger, frustration, disappointment, and confusion. Spiritual leaders in these situations practice the wisdom of James 1:19, “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”

Yet when there is a commitment to the first two strategies (embody truth and teach truth) then the leadership team’s transparency and their pointing the church to Christ will eventually restore hope when there has been broken trust.

For more information and insight into how to handle the first 90-days after an abrupt pastoral transition, check-out my other blog posts and also sign-up for my newsletter.

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