Transition Plan: 7 Secrets Every Leader Needs to Know [Hardcover]

Bob Russell (Author), Bryan Bucher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 2010

You’ve trained for months. Three workouts a day. Wind sprints. Long distance. Weight training. Your speed and endurance are the best they’ll ever be. You’re at your peak, about to run the race of your life. And everything you’ve worked so hard for comes down to a few seconds on a track. The gun fires, and you fly faster than ever before. Your heart pounds. You sense that you’re breaking records with each step. But at the final turn, the unthinkable happens. Right as you’re extending the baton to the next runner, it somehow falls to the ground. You watch in slow motion as it hits the track, bouncing away from you. Up to that moment, everything had been perfect. But dropping the baton cost your team the race. And for the rest of your life, you wonder why you didn’t practice the transition.

While not all of us run relays, all of us do have to make transitions. But batons drop everyday in churches, businesses, and organizations. Sooner or later, you will face a transition. Will you be ready? If not, you may endure the agony of a failed transition. The good news is that you don’t have to. Not only can you avoid dropping the baton, you can even strengthen your organization by preparing for upcoming transitions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Transition Plan shows that with proper foresight and preparation, a leader can safely navigate the often choppy waters of leadership transition. This book is proof that leadership transitions, when properly understood and executed, celebrates rather than challenges the inevitable process of change.”
---John C. Maxwell, Pastor, Best Selling Author of over 50 books, including The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

“We are all interim leaders. Smart leaders who realize this will make Transition Plan a must read. I know it will be for all of our clients."
---William Vanderbloemen, Vanderbloemen Search Group

“Succession planning is a critical task for any effective chief executive.  You owe it to yourself and more importantly to the people in your company to do it right.  Bob Russell provides a great best demonstration practice that you can apply in your company.”  
---David Novak, CEO of YUM! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver's)

“It would be impossible for me to overstate my excitement about this book. Finally, someone has captured on paper the delicate transition of church leadership. Every church leader should read this book and create or review a transition strategy. I benefited from Bob’s wisdom long before the book was written. Randy Frazee and I are enjoying a successful partnership at the Oak Hills Church, largely due to Bob’s counsel. Bob and Dave model the careful, humble spirit needed to pass the baton. May we learn from their examples!”  ---Max Lucado, Minister of Oak Hills Church, Best Selling Christian Author

“Joy can turn into despair if we cannot successfully complete the transition of our life’s work to those who will follow. Bob Russell’s remarkable 40 year journey and his insight on the transition process can help any leader prepare for this inevitable event.”
---John (Jack) A. Hillerich III- Chairman, Hillerich & Bradsby Co., a 125 year old family-owned company and maker of Louisville Slugger® baseball bats

“Transition Plan will help you realize your responsibility to the next generation. Bob’s story will inspire you to think forward to your own organization’s transition.”
---Craig Groeschel -- Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv

"Transition Plan offers sage advice for pastors and elders who want to be proactive in their leadership planning. No one is more qualified than Bob Russell to light the way. Wise, generous, and humble--in the pulpit, on the page, and in person--Bob shares chapter after chapter of helpful examples gleaned from forty years of ministry. Bob's 'here's what worked, here's what didn't' approach is honest, informative, and practical. Having had the privilege of watching this amazing transition unfold month by month from the pews, I can say absolutely, 'This is how you honor God and build His Kingdom!'"
--- Liz Curtis Higgs, bestselling author of Bad Girls of the Bible

“Finally an honest, straight-forward success story of holding God’s Kingdom and His agenda above personal success and impact, I highly recommend this book as I have been privileged to watch it up close in my relationship with Dave Stone. This book goes way beyond the theories and principles of transition and shares the real nitty gritty issues that touch on ego, position, humility and the challenges of making a great transition. Oh that all of us would ‘read and heed’ the words of this book.”
---Chip Ingram, President of Living on the Edge

About the Author

Bob Russell is one of today s most influential leaders that you ve never heard of. He was the senior minister of Southeast Christian Church, located in Louisville, Kentucky for 40 years, until he retired in 2006. It is the 6th largest church in America, with more than 26,000 members. Amazingly, four years after leaving, the church continues to grow. Some are baffled at how the church could continue on without Bob. But, insiders know the secret: the transition. The story of the transition plan has slowly spread throughout the world. Pastor Rick Warren praises the transition as the only perfect one he s seen, and it s now being used as a template for organizations of all kinds. Bob is now enjoying his retirement with his wife Judy and also enjoys speaking, mentoring leaders, golfing, and is an avid University of Louisville football and basketball fan.

Bryan Bucher is currently the senior pastor of the Shawnee United Methodist Church in Lima, Ohio, and a Doctorate of Ministry student at Asbury Theological Seminary, where he is a Beeson Pastoral Fellow. He has been researching successful transitions for the past three years at organizations throughout the United States. He is married to Aimee, a stay-at home mom and self employed web designer. They have four sons: Max, Xavier, Elijah, and Toby. He writes a blog which you can find at ShawneeUMC.com. If he s not out trying to keep up with his sons, you can find him on his beloved Kawasaki Voyager motorcycle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Ministers Label Publishing; 1st edition edition (August 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982720491
• ISBN-13: 978-0982720493
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for business and church leaders, August 24, 2010

By 

William Vanderbloemen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Transition Plan: 7 Secrets Every Leader Needs to Know (Hardcover)

All pastors are interim pastors.

All leaders are interim leaders.

Unless we are the pastor when our church closes, or the CEO when our business shuts down, we are all only in our churches for a temporary stay. And I believe the most critical task for a church leader is to do all he can to secure the long-term future of the church.

Our executive search firm [...] handles a lot of transitions for a lot of large churches, and we are recommending this book to all of our c,ients

Bob Russell, the previous pastor at Southeast Church in Louisville, KY has written an account of the hand off that he, Dave Stone (the current pastor) and the church leadership planned. Their story is perhaps the best known story of a successful transition, particularly in a larger church.

While every church has different needs, and every transition plan should be hand crafted around their particular situation, this book is a must read.

Why? Because we are all interim pastors. And the call to care for Christ's church extends beyond our temporary stay

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for leaders, August 30, 2010

By 

fishingtobuy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Transition Plan: 7 Secrets Every Leader Needs to Know (Hardcover)

As the titled implies, the book is centered around the transition plan that Bob Russell designed for himself and his successor, Dave Stone, as he retired from the pastorate. I have read a lot of books on leadership but have never come across one that takes you through the planning and execution of a leadership transition. Bob's writing draws you into his story as well as other stories of leadership transitions done well. I would encourage any leader who is transitioning soon or any committee whose purpose is leadership transition to read this book and apply the wisdom Bob shares.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for All Leaders!, August 29, 2010

By 

Emily A. Mullens - See all my reviews

This review is from: Transition Plan: 7 Secrets Every Leader Needs to Know (Hardcover)

Transition Plan: Passing on Church Leadership

by Emily A Mullens on Saturday 28 August 2010|

How does a legendary pastor hand over his ministry to someone else?

What are the secrets that saved his church from self destruction during the transition?

How can this story help your kids ministry now and in the future?

Keep reading to find out.

Transition Plan, by Bob Russell and Bryan Bucher, is a very short, very succinct story of how to gracefully pass the baton of leadership. It is broken into 5 easy-to-read chapters, and 1 bonus chapter of articles on leadership. Beginning with Bob telling the story of how the "transition" took place for him at Southeast Christian Church after 40 years as senior pastor, the book is an enjoyable read right from the beginning. Topics such as "setting a plan" and "letting go of pride" are approached in a truly humble and truthful format. He leads us through, why we need a transition plan, and backs it up with a full chapter of research. Then he choreographs us through the "goodbye" and, the "what's next?" phase of retirement.

Bob Russell explains humbly and humorously how to practice the transition. Every chapter is very personal and wonderfully motivational! He tells the story of returning to visit his church after a couple of years of retirement. One man saw him in the restroom and declared, "Hey Bill! Good to see you back!" In two years, he had forgotten Bob's name. Bob Russell's humility is apparent in every chapter and antidote. His style truly makes you feel that we are all apart of the same team trying to get to the same finish line. His advice is easy to swallow as it is so graciously shared.

My first impression was, that this would never apply to me -- I'm not the pastor -- I do the kids stuff. But as I read, the clarity of Bob's idea came to me. The idea of having a a transition plan is invaluable. What if this concept was used not just for the senior pastor but for the leaders in kids programming as well?. As the mission statement is created for a ministry, a basic transition plan could be too! As I pondered how this would reflect in our kids ministry, I realized the impact this concept could have on our leadership. The "my ministry" concept would never happen. Right away leaders would realize they are a part of an ongoing vision that has been there before them and will still be there after them. Everyone would be visualizing the future of the ministry immediately, where it will go and what it will become under their lead. Finally, it puts a leader in the position of mentoring and training up new mature leaders. Wow!

I especially loved the bonus chapter with articles published by Bob Russell on Leadership. Titles include "Combat Procrastination Today!" and "Mentoring Future Ministers". These quick two page articles read like a devotional and inspire like a good pep talk before the big game. All have great value, and are supported by scripture reference.

I only hope the word about this book gets out to leaders on all levels, not just senior pastors, so everyone can benefit from this book. I believe that secular organizations could benefit from Bob's experience as well.

Bob's humble teaching style is contagious and energizing. It has motivated me to share this book with my senior staff above me and to the incredible servants I mentor in kids ministry! I encourage you to order copies for your entire leadership team so you can take this wonderful journey together. Although I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review, I will be ordering a copy for all of my leaders this year. Thank you, Bob, for sharing your gifts with us: the teammates in this race. May we all give our best run and pass the baton to the next runner!

If you'd like more information on Bob Russell, you can find it at [...]. You can also follow the Twitter account and Facebook Page for this book.