How Not to Handle a Pastoral Succession
How Not to Handle a Pastoral Succession
On September 17, 1944, a relatively unknown pastor named Kenneth Owen White arrived at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, D. C. (later known as Capitol Hill Baptist Church), eager to prove himself. In time, he would rise to national prominence—most famously, grilling John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign and then later serving as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. But at the time, White was simply a freshly minted PhD eager to test his mettle as pastor.
What greeted him was chaos. Like many mid-twentieth-century Southern Baptist churches, the church’s membership rolls boasted nearly 3,000 names, but Sundays told a different story. Barely a fraction of those members showed up. White suspected as much, and when he decided to test his hunch with attendance cards one winter Sunday in 1948, he confirmed it: 763 people, in total. The numbers weren’t just inflated—they were a mirage.
But worse than the numbers was the shadow cast by his predecessor. Dr. John Compton Ball had pastored Metropolitan for an astonishing forty-one years. He was beloved, a patriarch of sorts, tied to the congregation across generations. He had baptized their children and buried their grandparents. And now, though officially retired, he lived directly across the street and had no intention of letting go.
The Problem of Letting Go
Ball’s presence wasn’t just felt—it was palpable. He retained his role as pastor emeritus, a generous salary, and a seat at the deacons’s meetings. More troubling, he seemed to relish reminding the congregation—and White—of his continued influence. During services, Ball expected recognition, sometimes demanding to sit on the platform where the pastor traditionally sat. He even justified it by explaining, “People say unless I’m seated on the platform, it just doesn’t seem like Metropolitan.”
White tried to manage the situation tactfully. He chose 1 Corinthians 2:2—Ball’s inaugural sermon text—as his own first sermon to demonstrate continuity with the past. He praised the church’s history under Ball, declaring that Metropolitan had been built on “Jesus Christ and him crucified” and promising to carry that legacy forward.
A Light on the Hill
Caleb Morell
This engaging Capitol Hill Baptist Church biography shares the real-life stories of ordinary people in an extraordinary place, revealing how God works through faithful church bodies.
Yet, Ball’s interference escalated. During one of White’s early Wednesday night presentations, while outlining a few priorities for the church, Ball asked to address the congregation. “Well,” he said, “you have heard our pastor’s suggestions. He is a young man and unknown to most of you. You will not feel free to go to him with your most personal problems, but I want you to remember that I still live across the street. You can always come to me.”
One Sunday after service, Dr. White walked to the vestibule to greet members and visitors, only to find Dr. Ball at the center of a jovial group of congregants, holding court. As White approached, the laughter died, replaced by an awkward hush. Every polite inquiry White made was met with stiff, monosyllabic replies, and as he walked away, he could feel the conversation reigniting behind him. “This does something to a man,” White later reflected, the ache of those moments still palpable. “I think it’s bound to.”
For K. Owen White—who would later shepherd First Baptist Church of Houston through the turbulent waters of racial integration and ignite the “conservative resurgence” in the Southern Baptist Convention with his 1962 article “Death in the Pot”—nothing compared to the grueling ordeal of his pastoral transition at Metropolitan Baptist Church. Reflecting on the experience, White admitted, “Probably the most difficult experience I have ever had. Mrs. White said my hair turned gray within the first six months.”
When Patience Runs Thin
White’s initial strategy was patience. He tried to mollify Ball, occasionally calling on him to close in prayer or publicly recognizing his contributions. But Ball wanted more. He continued attending deacons’s meetings. He conducted weddings without informing White. He fumed when his name was left off a church advertisement. And all the while, his presence undermined White’s authority.
After more than a year of navigating these tensions, White reached his breaking point. At a private meeting with the deacons, White laid out the situation: Ball’s behavior was stifling the church’s progress and making it impossible for White to lead. To White’s relief, all but one of the deacons sided with him. They assured White of their support and confronted Ball, insisting that it was time to step aside.
To his credit, Ball relented—mostly. While there were minor tensions in the years that followed, the worst of the power struggle had passed. With Ball no longer meddling, White was finally free to lead. During his five-year tenure, the church thrived, baptizing nearly 1,000 new members.
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What We Can Learn
Pastoral transitions are fraught with difficulty, compounded by the length and public prominence of the outgoing pastor. The experience of K. Owen White at Metropolitan Baptist Church, though humorous in retrospect, is a cautionary tale for churches navigating pastoral transitions.
Lessons for Retiring Pastors
A retiring pastor’s influence can either strengthen or undermine the transition process. The role of a retired pastor is not to remain in the spotlight but to encourage and support their successor. Retiring pastors should be intentional about fostering unity by directing the congregation’s focus to trusting God under the new pastor’s leadership.
Lessons for Incoming Pastors
When Mark Dever arrived at Capitol Hill Baptist Church half a century later, Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s son-in-law wisely told him that for the first five years, “it was the other man’s church.” For incoming pastors, stepping into the role of a shepherd can be daunting, particularly when following a long-tenured and beloved leader. Success requires a combination of respect for the past, clarity in leadership, and patience.
Honoring the outgoing pastor’s legacy is essential for building trust with the congregation. White, for instance, emphasized continuity by preaching 1 Corinthians 2:2 (Dr. Ball’s inaugural sermon text) and expressing his appreciation for the church’s history and values. Yet respect for the past must not come at the expense of leadership in the present. When the former pastor’s actions undermined the church’s unity, White wisely confronted the issue.
Lessons for Elder Boards
One difficulty in Metropolitan’s case was that the church lacked a biblical plurality of elders. In what was fairly typical for the time, John Compton Ball was the sole pastor and expected the deacons to follow his leadership. A plural eldership.
A church’s board of elders (or leadership team) has the most critical role to play in ensuring a healthy pastoral succession. Their actions—or inactions—can either alleviate or exacerbate tensions during transitions. Most importantly, the elders have a responsibility to protect the new pastor’s ability to lead effectively, as White’s deacons did when confronting Dr. Ball. Elder boards should first and foremost set clear expectations. Churches should establish a written succession plan outlining the retiring pastor’s responsibilities (if any) and setting boundaries to prevent overlap with the incoming pastor’s role. By providing structure, the elders can set both pastors up for success and avoid the relational and organizational pitfalls that plagued White’s early years at Metropolitan.
Conclusion
Pastoral transitions are among the most delicate moments in a church’s life. Retiring pastors, incoming leaders, and church leadership teams each have a vital role to play in ensuring a smooth and God-honoring transition. When approached with humility, wisdom, and trust in God’s sovereignty, these transitions can strengthen the church for generations to come.
Caleb Morrell is the author of A Light on the Hill: The Surprising Story of How a Local Church in the Nation’s Capital Influenced Evangelicalism.
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