A recipe for succession

A week or so ago I was having coffee with a Christian minister who had just retired after pastoring for 35 years the church he’d founded as a young man. There had been a smooth leadership succession to a younger minister, the church was debt free and growing, having become a thriving and much-loved hub of the local community.

As I sipped my coffee and listened, I couldn't help thinking of recent high-profile leaders who have utterly failed to know when their time was up (Biden their time, perhaps?).?Or the harrowing HBO television series, Succession, which one critic has summarised as a “fight for the front seat on the bus to hell”!?

Clearly there was some wisdom here, so I couldn’t resist asking this minister what the secret of his success (and succesion) was. He was self-effacing, putting it down to the grace of God. But he offered a second reason: as a young man he had received some sage advice that he had taken to heart: watch out for the temptations of gold, glory, and girls.?

I’m not sure I’d put it in exactly those terms today, but you get the gist. It's a warning harks back to the ancient biblical wisdom that warns against "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life" (1 John 2:16).

It’s the kind of age-worn advice—memorable, pithily put, and easily internalised—that clearly helped this humble minister to spend a lifetime avoiding potential diversions from a path of integrity and character. Instead, he cultivated a life of faithful service to his wife and family, his church family, and his wider community. And, to crown that vocation, he was able to navigate a successful succession.

It’s that kind of virtuous character formation and heart for service that we seek to model and cultivate at St Mark’s National Theological Centre. That’s regardless of whether our students are called to be full-time ministers or to pursue vocations in spheres such as the public service, teaching, the defence forces, or faith-based organisations. Our courses, offered in partnership with Charles Sturt University, include a revamped Graduate Certificate in Theology that is tailored for people serving in all kind of vocations (public servants, teachers, the defence forces, faith-based organisations) and with classes in the evenings to work around busy schedules. Find out more on our website or at our upcoming Open Evening on Wed 30 October (on-campus in Canberra and online).

I’d love to hear from you. What have you learned (from others or from your own hard-won experience) about recipes for succession?