5LQ Episode 377: Eric Geiger and Kenton Beshore on Succession

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Eric Geiger, senior pastor of Mariners Church, and Kent Beshore, pastor emeritus of Mariners Church. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What do you most appreciate about the history of Mariners?What has been easy to transition and what has been hard?How are you passing the mantle of leadership in practical ways?What are some of the obstacles that have occurred that you didn't see coming?What practical tips and encouragement would you give a pastor that is close to succession but doesn't have a plan in place? BEST QUOTES "I would not have wanted to come to a place where there would be a misalignment in the values beneath the surface and the history and with who I am as a leader and the passions the Lord has given me.""Long before it was cool and it was written about, Kenton and his wife, Laurie, were involved in stepping into the pains of the poor and caring for the marginalized.""When you are talking succession you are basically asking a church to marry another pastor.""Our goal was to be clear and to also be attractive to the next pastor.""A great succession is the story of the church, the story of the senior pastor, and the story of the community have to come together.""The blessing of the senior pastor's wife to the new pastor and his wife is the single most important thing.""In our transition, the staff was not involved in any way.""We are both always asking, what is best for the people? What is best for the church?""Boundaries are critical.""I had a team of people helping me anticipate for 17 years problems, I did not see these coming.""The blessings of the transition and the succession are not worth comparing to any burden or obstacle." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Life-Style Evangelism by Joe Aldrich The Cross of Christ by John Stott Between Two Worlds by John Stott Christian Mission in the Modern World by John Stott This Episode's Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at Lifeway.com/Overcomer.