CityLife Church, located in Melbourne Australia, had three Senior Ministers in the first 50 years of it's history. Richard Holland was the founding pastor and led the church for 20 years, followed by my father, Kevin Conner, who led the church for the next 8 years. I was the Senior Minister for the next 22 years before passing the baton in February of this year to Andrew Hill. [Read my announcement on 28th February 2016]
Like any relay race, passing the baton effectively is vital for any organisation, including a local church. I wrote about this a few years ago, in response to many people wanting to know what lessons we had learned from our leadership successions at CityLife. The book is called Pass the Baton: Principles of Successful Leadership Transition.
- You can purchase a paperback copy from WORD books or from Amazon in the USA and a few other countries.
- An eBook edition is also available via Kindle at Amazon.
This book outlines the story of the two successful senior leadership transitions that have taken place at CityLife Church – from Richard Holland to Kevin Conner and from my dad to myself. Also included are many practical principles for any leadership transition – in a church, a ministry, an organisation or a business. We have had very good feedback from many churches and leaders who have used the lessons from our journey to help them in their own transitions.
I pray that this book continues to be a help and a blessing to many churches and ministries in Australia and around the world. The revised edition has a number of edits and updates, including the fact that our founding pastor, Richard Holland went home to be with the Lord in 2008.
- Read a summary of one section of my book Pass the Baton, shared at an international leader's conference back in 2013.
- See also NEXT: Pastoral Succession that Works an excellent book by Warren Bird.
Recommendation for Mark's previous book Transforming Your Church:
- "Mark Conner is one of the finest leaders I know. He is that rare combination of a bright mind and a fully yielded heart. His observations concerning the shifts that must take place in order for a church to reach its redemptive potential are profound. And Mark’s insights are far more than theory. One visit to his church is all it will take to turn cynics into believers. The Church for the 21st Century will require a higher level of leadership than any other era in human history. Books like this one will contribute a great deal to the development of such leadership. I am deeply grateful to Mark for his friendship and the impact that he is having on churches and leaders in Australia, and increasingly all over the world." Bill Hybels [Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church]