Dr. Peter Bunton on Succeeding at Succession

In this episode, Dr. Peter Bunton returns to the studio to talk about his book titled Succeeding at Succession: Founder and Leadership Succession in Christian Organizations and Movements. Peter and Larry delve into a range of topics, such as founder syndrome, mission drift, and routinization. Drawing from his extensive research, personal experience, and insight, Peter provides practical wisdom on how to approach succession in a healthy and honoring way.

Quotable Quotes:

• “Sometimes founder succession can be a bit more difficult than other kinds of succession.”
• “In a Christian movement, or church network, it’s not a business. We build with relationships. It’s not a bureaucratic function.”
• “Succession is inevitable.”

Highlights:

• Mission drift happens when an organization shifts away from its founding purpose.
• In a succession process, routinization—although often needed—has the potential to become overly bureaucratic.
• A denomination often starts out as a movement but can gradually shift into routinization.
• Many founders struggle to release their ministry or organization to a new leader.
• It is important to respect and honor the culture you are working with and navigate the succession process accordingly.
• Take time to make tacit (unspoken) knowledge spoken.

Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• “Larry Kreider & Merle Shenk on Their Succession Plan”
• Succeeding at Succession: Founder and Leadership Succession in Christian Organizations and Movements by Peter Bunton
• Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras 

Related Resources:

• 60 Great Founders: So That’s How They Started! by Geoffrey Hanks
• “Overcoming Fears in Leadership Succession” by Peter Bunton
• The Christian Leadership Alliance named Peter’s latest book, Succeeding at Succession, as one of “12 insightful books on managing risk and leading wisely” in winter 2023 

For more information about Larry Kreider, his books, daily devotionals, small-group resources, or other teachings, visit larrykreider.com.