Just thought I’d share a few thoughts on staff transitions. We’ve only had a few of them at NCC, but this weekend we say goodbye to Dave Clark who has served as our media pastor for five years and most recently, campus pastor @ our Georgetown location.

Here are a five lessons learned:

1) The better the staff member the harder it will be to say goodbye. So the harder it is the better it was. If you’re not sad it doesn’t say much for the people leaving. So embrace the sadness. Shed some tears. That just means they did a great job. And don’t act as if it isn’t a loss. It is. We can’t fill Dave’s shoes.

2) How you make your exit says more about your character than how you make you entrance. If you are leaving a staff I have one piece of advice: finish strong. Make them miss you. And if you’re saying goodbye to a staff member, bless them and honor them on the way out. And acknowledge the fact that they will always be a shareholder. They’ve invested blood, sweat, and tears. And them leaving doesn’t change that.

3) Eventually your kids go off to college or walk down an aisle. Parents eventually have to “let go” of their kids. I’ll have mixed emotions when I walk my daughter down the aisle. It’s hard to imagine right now, but I know I’ll have a measure of sadness because I love my little girl. But it’ll be a celebration of the next stage of her life. That is what it’s like saying goodbye to a staff member. They become a family member. And we say goodbye with mixed emotions.

4) You’ve got to lead with an open hand. I think it’s ok to ask staff to make a time commitment based on portfolio or circumstances. But even then you need to realize that God calls the shots. Everything we have and everybody we work with is on loan.

5) Remember that it’s all about the kingdom. I think it’s important to celebrate where they are going. And in this instance, it’s easy. I love Ed Young and I love Fellowship Church. And the important thing isn’t National Community Church or Fellowship Church. The important thing is God’s Kingdom. May His Kingdom come and His will be done in DC and Texas as it is in Heaven.