Discover why finances are often the hidden key to a healthy pastoral succession. In episode 6 of The LeadingSmart Podcast, we explore how to prepare, fund, and lead through the financial side of transition. Get ready for your church and leadership to thrive financially.

Leadership is rewarding, but it’s also lonely. The higher you rise, the harder it becomes to find someone who can speak into your leadership with clarity, objectivity, and wisdom. That’s where a strategic advisor can make all the difference.

In Episode 5 of the Leading Smart Podcast, we discuss what to do when someone already on your team wants to throw their name in the hat. Whether it’s your teaching pastor, a beloved campus leader, or someone with long-standing ties to your church, the big question is this: Is an internal candidate a blessing—or a blind spot when it comes to pastoral succession?

In Episode 4 of the Leading Smart Podcast, we talk about something churches often overlook: the board’s role in a healthy pastoral succession. Because let’s face it, you can’t plan a smooth succession without a strong foundation of trust and clarity between the senior pastor and the board.

Hiring great people isn’t just about job descriptions and interview questions. It’s about discernment, relational investment, and telling the whole truth. Here are 3 critical phases to the interview process that will ensure every new hire is a good hire.

Most people know LeadingSmart for coaching, succession planning, and executive pastor gatherings—but few know about our highest level of support: Strategic Advising. Strategic Advising is a long-term partnership model where we embed in your leadership rhythms, join key meetings, and serve as trusted thought partners. It’s deeper than coaching or consulting—designed for the complexity senior church leaders face today. Learn more.

The emotional side of pastoral succession planning is often the most overlooked—and the most vulnerable. In this LeadingSmart Podcast episode, we share what we’ve seen pastors and families go through, and 3 ways to prepare for successful pastoral succession.

Discover seven key signs that your church should begin the conversation about pastoral succession. From staff turnover to passion shifts, this guide will help you discern the right timing. Tune into episode 2 of The LeadingSmart Podcast for more insight into answering the crucial question: "When is the right time to start talking about succession?"

Most churches don’t have a culture problem. They have a clarity problem. Team culture isn’t created by a clever slogan, an annual retreat, or a ping-pong table in the fellowship hall. It’s built through dozens of daily decisions, often unseen, but deeply felt. Here are 4 tips on how to build a culture that lasts.

Welcome to Episode 1 of The LeadingSmart Podcast. We're kicking off our inaugural season with a timely and critical topic: pastoral succession. Pastoral succession is often delayed or avoided. Discover why churches must plan ahead—and how to avoid four major myths that can derail healthy transitions.

Most succession plans fail not because churches don’t care, but because they wait too long to plan. One of the best ways to honor a leader's legacy is to ensure that the mission continues seamlessly long after they're gone. Here are 4 steps to a successful succession.

The Executive Pastor is the bridge between vision and execution. Get this hire wrong, and your team will flounder. But get it right, and your Lead Pastor can soar. And so can your church. Here’s your guide to hiring the right XP for your church.

Church boards are vital. But when they step too far into day-to-day operations, things can go sideways. Staff feel micromanaged. Decisions get delayed. Trust begins to erode. And soon, you have a ministry team that is stuck waiting for approvals instead of moving forward in faith. Here’s how to fix it.

For the past four and a half years, Holly Tate has been a trusted partner behind the scenes at LeadingSmart—helping us serve churches and leaders with excellence. Today, I’m thrilled to share that Holly is stepping into an even bigger role with us as a LeadingSmart Consultant & Executive Coach.

Leading a church requires the strategic mind of a CEO, the emotional intelligence of a therapist, and the spiritual discernment of a shepherd. And you better be ready to do it all under a microscope, with limited resources, and in a culture that sometimes resists the very change it needs.

Dave is joining me at LeadingSmart as a Senior Consultant & Coach. He’ll come alongside senior pastors and executive teams to help leaders navigate the very same kinds of complex transitions he’s lived through. As someone who’s sat in the senior pastor seat amidst hardship and transition, he brings wisdom, empathy, and strategic insight that can only be learned in the trenches.

I've never been more proud of a church in how they have navigated a significant leadership transition. What I watched unfold last week in the announcement should become a case study on how to have a smooth, momentum-building, transition.

You carry the weight of the vision cast from above, translating it into action through the organization, often with limited autonomy. You stand in the gap between the top leader’s expectations and the realities of execution, shielding them from the pushback while managing the frustrations of those below you. It’s an incredibly difficult and often lonely position.

I was 23 years old and started a role in a new department at the organization where I had been working for 5 years. My boss (let's call him Pete) was twice my age, had multiple college degrees, and had significantly more experience than me. Everyone else on the team was also older and more experienced than me.

A few months into the role, the president of the organization called me into his office and asked me to take over running the department. Pete wasn't leaving. He not only was staying in the organization, he was staying in the department. I would be Pete's boss. I'd also be overseeing the other staff who were once my coworkers. Talk about awkward.