Spiritual Leadership – Top Dog to Support Staff

The transition to discuss today is the final transition in leadership. It is, in my humble opinion, the only correct transition for a true Top Dog – it is, the transition from Top Dog to Support Leader. Yes, a backward transition to some but in reality it is a forward transition in the sense that it is the correct transition.

Top Dogs simply will not, by the law of death, and should not, by the laws of leadership, remain Top Dogs forever. Many leadership gurus identify this as the principle of “knowing when to leave” or “raising up your successor.” Don’t get confused. We are not talking about transitioning from one Top Dog role to another Top Dog role. We are discussing the last Top Dog role for a leader naturally transitioning to a Support Leader. It might be logical because of age, leadership preparation of the next generation, the end of a call or the like.

Granted, the Top Dog who successfully transitions to Support Staff will never be exactly like all Support Staff for he has gained incredible battlefield experience in the tough job of being a Top Dog. The Top Dog who successfully transitions will not only be a tremendous force for the Top Dog he serves but will be humble and only fill the role that is needed.

Scotty did not make the transition to Support Staff well. He questioned the leadership above him and intensly critiqued it. By his admission, God had not called him to be a Top Dog of a church. The church he joined as a Support Staff was incredible and growing. He never really found satisfaction. He really wanted to be special and to be a Top Dog but he had transitioned out of it to Support Staff. Sure, he found some success and helped but he was never content for long and secretly his pastor wondered, “What have I done?” In the end, he left the church and became the pastor of a small church – Top Dog again. Scotty found out that he wanted to be Top Dog but that God had moved him forward for a purpose to being Support Staff. Scotty left that position and started his own thing. He really is great at being Support Staff (because that is what God has now called him to do) but he is not content with it. He yearns to direct, to guide, to be out front. Certainly there are other issues but to this day, he is missing that God moved him out of Top Dog and he cannot move himself back into it. Scotty forgot that Support Staff seek to build up a foundation under Top Dogs, to facilitate better leadership by quietly doing much leadership for no recognition, and that the job is honored with God.

Bob made the transition well. Surprisingly, his transition out of Top Dog was not his choice and at moments did not even seem “of God.” He simply became too old and the Church today wants its “fresh leadership” as the young lead the old. He was done wrong even if it was God’s desire. In the end, I think Bob would even agree (he’s in heaven now so I can’t ask) that it was time for him to become Support Staff. He had served well but for many reasons it was better for others to be Top Dogs. He was a great Top Dog in his day, diplomatic, smart and spriritual. His intelligence and ability to teach was up there with the best of the best teachers. His style of preaching did not connect to the younger generation but his teaching was great. God led Bob to a church where he simply and quietly began to support the pastor. He did not make a big deal of his past successes, the fact that he was a pastor or that he knew more than the pastor did. They had great conversations about theology and ministry over coffee. They disagreed and bantered but when the young man led the old man followed and cemented the young man’s God-called leadership. Bob had grace. He served the people and continued his pastorate as a Support Staff person to this pastor and these people. He calmed the seas for the young pastor when meetings started going wrong. However, he never took the leadership from the pastor. His diplomacy lifted up the pastor's leadership and filled the gaps as a humble servant. He did not tell others how he had come to help that young man grow or to train others. Bob just took his skills and applied them to the other support staff, the top dogs and the top most dog. He taught every time that he could. He counseled. He lead leaders to be better but not for him, for God. He suffered the humbling fact that he was too old and tired to be a Top Dog anymore. He faced his own retirement and the fact that his desires needed to change to meet God's. He was ignored by the denomination now and other churches wondered why he was embraced in the new church. Through it all Bob held a part-time job, shifted to bi-vocational Support Staff and changed the face of a pastor and a church. Bob made the transition well.

Scotty stills looks endlessly to be a Top Dog though he realizes that he is really supposed to be Support Staff – it was his call. Bob finished out his ministry and was loved as much, if not more, at his last position than when he was young. Scotty is making no real impact leadership wise. Bob is dead and buried but impacts his last church more than most leaders ever will as Top Dogs. Scotty did not find humility and peace. Bob was humility and peace. Scotty failed because he was not prepared. Bob succeeded because he was deep, spiritual and wanted God’s efforts to succeed long before he needed to transition.

Scotty did not make the transition.

Bob make the transition and the Church was blessed along with God’s name.

Which one will you be when it is time?