Communicating a Leadership Transition for Prominent Christian Ministry

After having led one of the world’s largest Christian ministries for nearly two decades, a ministry president decided to step down. As the ministry’s board of directors began the search for his replacement, they asked Guardian to spearhead communication efforts around both the departure of the current leader and the announcement of the new one. When sharing this crucial information with key constituents including donors, staff and news media, they wanted to honor the work of the outbound president, emphasize the continued work of the ministry, and demonstrate faith in the future president.

Since we wanted to answer as many questions as possible in whatever we communicated, our first priority was to help the ministry identify any possible question that could be asked about the transition. By creating a transparent response, we were able to address employee concerns and encourage confidence in the organization’s decision process and outcome. To keep the messaging of the outgoing president’s departure consistent, we prepared announcements and supporting materials to share with traditional media and directly with the public on social media. We also coordinated with international offices so the entire organization understood the timeline of the announcement, and was equipped with talking points to explain the transition process and answer staff questions.

We helped craft an honest and thoughtful response that answered more detailed questions ... to communicate the integrity of the process and promote unity within the ministry.

Following the announcement of the new leader, key media placements helped build donor and public trust in the president-elect, but some staff members expressed disappointment over the choice. While confident in their decision, the ministry deeply desired to engage staff and address their legitimate concerns. We helped craft an honest and thoughtful response that answered more detailed questions about candidate criteria and the hiring process to communicate the integrity of the process and promote unity within the ministry.

Despite the worldwide pandemic, the global ministry was able to seamlessly—and virtually—transition between presidents. On the whole, staff and donors expressed confidence in the organization’s leadership and in their continued support of the ministry’s mission.