Lost in Transition: Lessons from the Most Disastrous & Successful Ministry Successions is a guide for those in leadership facing a ministry transition, whether they are the outgoing leader, the incoming leader, or part of the team shepherding the transition. Steve Woodworth, CEO of the Christian marketing agency Masterworks and a former senior leader at World Vision, draws on his own experiences as well as dozens of other firsthand stories of ministry successions—both effective and catastrophic—to create the blueprint for a successful succession.

In his review, Paul Matthew Percy, Ph.D., examines how the book can help Christian colleges and universities that face transitions of their own—particularly at the presidential level—to navigate the unknown so that campus leaders and the entire campus community are set up for success.

As in higher education broadly, Christian college campuses face increasing presidential transitions. Though it was not uncommon a generation ago for a president to lead an institution for a decade or more, today’s presidents have often occupied the role for less than six years. While new leadership is natural and often welcome in the life of an institution, managing the presidential transition is a challenge even in the best of times. (For CCCU institutions facing such moments, alongside the CCCU itself, see page 6). Given this environment, Steve Woodworth’s Lost in Transition: Lessons from the Most Disastrous and Successful Ministry Successions (Kingdom Life Publishing, 2024) offers applications to our own institutions.

Woodworth himself is a 40-year veteran of leadership in faith-based institutions, including World Vision and Masterworks, a marketing organization dedicated to aiding hundreds of Christian organizations to achieve their mission. “There’s a dire need for change in how ministry successions are handled,” Woodworth writes. “Too many transitions have ended disastrously, and most knowledgeable leaders agree that only half go well.”

Woodworth gathered stories to research what made a difference between success and failure in leadership transitions. Based on those observations, he develops five key principles that make or break a successful succession: 1) boards don’t know what they don’t know; 2) culture is king; 3) humility is the secret ingredient; 4) respect your outgoing leader; and 5) clear communication makes it all go.

Boards Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

While boards of Christian higher education institutions consist of successful, high-achieving members who care about the campus community, they aren’t there for the day-to-day operations. Therefore, they need to consider the possibility that they are not as informed as they think they are and to rely on the feedback of other trusted sources. At best, board members review and make decisions on the direction of the university two or three times a year. Woodworth quotes Rich Stearns, former CEO of World Vision: “Boards don’t fully understand the needs of the organization; they don’t know what they don’t know so they make mistakes and hire people who don’t fit.” A wise board searching for a new leader should lean on the current president and executive leadership team who have invested years working in the trenches every day.

Culture is King

The incoming president needs to understand the culture of the university or college they are about to lead. They need to appreciate and learn how things are done and work within the university’s culture to generate trust and rapport with the current leadership team, faculty, staff, and students (and, for many CCCU institutions, the small community where the school is located). When new presidents don’t appreciate and consider the nuances of the organizational culture, they are bound to encounter trouble.

Since cultural fit is such a big factor in successful leadership transitions, hiring from within the organization has tremendous advantages. While this approach isn’t always the right move if an institution is struggling, Woodworth argues that doing so in a healthy organization offers the best odds for success.

Humility is the Secret Ingredient

Any finalist considered to succeed the current president will be someone highly successful and confident, but too often a measure of arrogance accompanies that confidence. Therefore, incoming leaders need to guard against pride and instead approach their leadership role with humility. As Jesus told his disciples in Mark 10, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” This humility is necessary for both the outgoing and incoming leaders; Woodworth’s research shows the secret sauce for successful leadership transitions is when everyone comes with a humble attitude. Doing so allows the outgoing leader to place both the institution and the incoming leader in the best position for the future, even as the incoming leader begins with a humility unthreatened by their predecessor’s success, focusing instead on what’s best for the entire campus community.

Respect Your Outgoing Leader

If the board and incoming president fail to honor the departing leader and his colleagues, there is certain to be trouble. A loved, retiring president still has much to offer regarding relationships he or she built over the years serving the organization. Those relationships are critical to the continued success of the organization and its new leader.

Clear Communication Makes It All Go

As discussed already, boards are often well-meaning but not well-informed; there is a danger that the search process could happen in a vacuum. For the best chance of success, clear communication needs to be in place long before the transition begins and should include all constituencies. Failing to conduct a search in an open and transparent process will result in failing to learn things the board needs to know to hire the best new president. It is wiser to keep a wide group in the loop and rely on key members of the faculty, staff, students, and other friends of the university.

Woodworth ends his book with a principle from John Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Irrefutable Leadership: Achievement comes to someone who can do great things, success comes when they empower followers to do great things, but a legacy is created when a person puts their organization into a position to do great things without them. This is what Woodworth’s book aims to help all Christian institutions do. As he writes in his conclusion, “Leadership transition requires thoughtful and timely planning, developing potential successors, identifying the right person, supporting both the incoming and outgoing leaders with humility and respect during and after the transition, and graciously embracing our new roles when the transition is complete.”

Paul Matthew Percy, Ph.D., has held a wide variety of teaching and leadership roles in higher education, including interim president of Carson-Newman University (Jefferson City, Tennessee) and provost and vice president of academic affairs at King University (Bristol, Tennessee).

Steve Woodworth serves as CEO of Masterworks. With over 40 years devoted to advancing Christian organizations, Steve Woodworth brings a wealth of expertise in marketing, management, and organizational development. He steered World Vision’s direct marketing and donor services through a decade of annual double-digit growth in the 1980s and 1990s. Since joining Masterworks in 1992, Steve has been instrumental in establishing it as the premier marketing agency dedicated to aiding hundreds of Christian organizations in achieving their mission. Steve also gives back as a volunteer on boards, as a convener of industry leaders, and by continuing to lead the Communications Working Group for The Lausanne Movement.