This week I’m putting my series on pastoral succession on hold, and want to let pastors know of an opportunity that is coming up this fall.

I’m pulling together two leaders for one-week of training for lead pastors. We are limiting this to 25 pastors, and the slots are already filling up. You are going to want to learn from these leaders:

Bryant Wright -- he started Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in north Atlanta more than 30 years ago. Even though he’s in great health, he initiated a succession process this year and will be stepping down as senior pastor this fall. Here is why you want to sit in a room with Bryant…

• He was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention and brings unique insight as a leader who sees the value in a denomination, but is more interested in Kingdom work.

• He has transitioned a traditional church into a multi-generational church that offers excellent experiences for those who prefer modern or traditional worship.

• He has been mentoring pastors and their wives for decades.

• He is going to talk about his succession process on a gut level.

• He is also going to talk about finishing well. Regardless of your age, how do you put practices and habits in place now so you can finish well?

• You’ll hear from him about the demands of ministry on families, and how to safeguard your marriage.

Eric Geiger -- as Executive Pastor at Christ Fellowship in Miami, he helped the church grow from 1000 to more than 8000 attenders. He then served as Senior Vice President at LifeWay Christian Resources where he led a staff of 4,000 in providing tens of thousands of churches trustworthy and transformational resources. Eric has authored and co-authored nine books, including the best-selling church leadership book Simple Church, which has influenced thousands of churches. Eric now serves as the Senior Pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, California. Here is why you want to be in a room with Eric…

• He knows what it is like to have followed a founding pastor.

• He literally wrote the book on Simple Church.

• He is known as a leader who is great at hiring quality staff members and building a fantastic culture.

• He is a strategic leader--and understands the importance of having a strong staff culture.

• He has worked with and trained thousands of church leaders.

In addition to these two leaders, William Vanderbloemen will be talking about succession, culture, spotting talent, and trends he sees in the church today. I’ll be teaching about leading volunteers, working with narcissistic leaders, and leading change. These sessions will be interactive--we will be able to address your issues and learn from others in the room. I can guarantee you will leave with new friends and cohorts in ministry that you will gain from for years to come.

It’s going to be an amazing week that you don’t want to miss. Again, we only have room for 25 leaders. You don’t want to wait to sign up.