Simple Faith with Rusty George

In episode 5 of Simple Succession, Rusty interviews search-firm leader and former Presbyterian pastor William Vanderbloemen. William shares how a corporate CEO succession completed in 90 days versus a church search that took years sparked his “holy discontent,” leading him to start Vanderbloemen Search in 2008; the firm has since completed about 4,000 church searches and helped move succession conversations from “the parking lot to the boardroom,” including through his book Next: Pastoral Succession That Works. They discuss asking the right questions rather than using cookie-cutter models, whether a church needs a “software update” or an “overhaul,” generational and birth-rate dynamics creating a coming succession wave, and how getting succession wrong is costly. William highlights lessons from Willow Creek’s complex transition, warns against boards overcorrecting into micromanagement, emphasizes succession as an ecosystem change, and says many train wrecks trace back to forgetting the pastor’s spouse; he cites Mariners Church as a model, calling for humility, prayer, wisdom, and long-term preparation like cultivating younger donors. Check out free succession resources at pastorrustygeorge.com.