In less than a week, this chapter of my life will close. As I prepare to step away from parish ministry and transition into full-time coaching and consulting, it’s a bittersweet process. Over the past few weeks, I’ve focused on onboarding my successor and ensuring clear directives for coworkers, volunteers, and parishioners. It’s hard work—but it’s completely doable.
This transition is possible because, years ago, someone gave me a piece of advice that stuck: “Start replacing yourself.” They didn’t mean it as preparation for this moment, but as a principle for leading and managing a ministry. When you learn how to replace yourself, you not only prepare for the day you step away but also strengthen your ministry. Delegation improves, communication becomes clearer, and your team’s ownership grows.
The challenge is that many of us don’t know where to begin. Here are three practical exercises you can implement to start replacing yourself:
Look at your calendar and schedule intentional absences from your ministry or programs. Instead of preparing everything for your team before you go, assign key responsibilities to others.
For example:
Document what you typically do, then step away. When you return, sit down with your team to evaluate what went well and where improvements can be made.
Taking these regular breaks fosters interdependence within your team. Volunteers and participants share the workload, creating systems that may even improve the ministry’s operations. Over time, this practice allows you to focus on big-picture goals and deepen relationships with those you serve.
A fresh set of eyes can be both humbling and invaluable. When someone new joins your ministry, take the time to sit down with them after a few weeks to ask about their experience. Not only does this help you assess if they’re in the right role, but it also provides insights you might have overlooked.
Ask questions like:
Over time, we develop blind spots. We get stuck in routines and lose sight of better ways to do things. Inviting someone to speak into your ministry helps you identify areas for improvement and creates systems that are easier to understand. This makes onboarding and recruiting new people far simpler.
It’s easy to jump from one season to the next without stopping to reflect. While self-reflection is helpful, gathering a group for a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) is even more powerful. This team-based approach encourages critical thinking and invites others to share ownership of the ministry’s success and health.
You don’t need a formal leadership team to do this. Rotate participants for fresh perspectives, and schedule these evaluations at least once a year. Whether after a major event or at the end of a program season, make time to reflect. The insights gained will guide you in building a stronger, more sustainable ministry.
Replacing yourself is rewarding but requires letting go of control—and that’s never easy. These exercises—stepping away, inviting observation, and reflecting as a team—help take the chaos out of transitions. When the time comes to step aside, your ministry will be prepared not just to survive but to thrive.