With the coming shortage of Christian workers, how should a pastor nearing retirement prepare his church and family for a transition? Is there anything pastors in their 40s and 50s should be doing now in order to eventually pass the leadership baton effectively? In this podcast, Marshall Fant discusses with Bruce McAllister practical ways for younger and older pastors to be prayerful and intentional in preparing for a transition. They advise men who are retiring to continue serving the Lord by transitioning TO a ministry, not just out of a ministry. Bruce McAllister has served as GFA's Director of Ministry Relations since 2018 and has nearly four decades of experience with ministerial students. Both Marshall Fant and Bruce McAllister are passionate about serving the American church with the challenges it faces today. 

GFA recommends the following resources to guide churches and pastors in transitions. 

• GFA church staffing website at gfamissionsjobs.org
• Blog articles at gfamissionsjobs.org/blog
• Effective Senior Pastor Transitions: A Brief Overview of Orderly Transition Options
• Is it Time to Change Ministries? A Checklist of Vital Questions
• Search: The Pastoral Search Committee Handbook by William Vanderbloemen
• Before You Move: A Guide to Making Transitions in the Ministry by John Cionca
• Fourth Quarter: How to Finish Your Course with Joy by Don Sisk
• Next: Pastoral Succession That Works by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird
• In Search of God’s Man: A Help for Pulpit Committees by Douglas E. DeVore

For further discussion, you can contact Bruce McAllister here and Marshall Fant here.