Despite the chaotic TV version, succession is something leaders should start from the very beginning. It's not something just for retirement-age pastors and organizational heads. It's for leaders, at every career stage, who want to finish their work well. In this episode of The Flourishing Pastor Podcast, pastor Tom Nelson talks about the art — and it is an art — of passing the baton from one leader to another. Part of the conversation is a deep dive into the challenges leaders face in the latter parts of their careers, including why so many pastoral ministries seem to end in failure or scandal. 

As the conversation unfolded, Tom explains three metaphors that guide his approach to pastoral leadership: a battleground, a marathon, and a sacred trust.

Tom Nelson is the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, and he's the president of Made to Flourish, a national nonprofit that works with churches and their leaders in the area of faith and work. You can learn more about Tom's work at www.madetoflourish.org, and you can find his new book, The Flourishing Pastor: Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership — which is the springboard for this podcast — wherever you buy books. 

***Get Free Books*** Christians often report that their churches don’t prepare them for the pressures, opportunities, or challenges of their daily work. At Made to Flourish, we call this the Sunday to Monday gap, an unhealthy divide that can blur our understanding of God’s work in the world — work we’re meant to join. To help close that gap, we want to mail you a collection of practical, theological books — completely free of charge. In this free box, you’ll also get the latest issue of the award-winning Common Good magazine, and for a limited time, Tom Nelson’s book, The Flourishing Pastor: Recovering the Lost Art of Shepherd Leadership. So whether you’re a pastor or layperson, claim your free books at madetoflourish.org/box.