10) The BackPage: Will Your Event Still be Around? —

This week, I’m speaking at a special week of missions in Oregon. The event, held at a church camp named, Wi-ne-ma, is perhaps one of a kind. Never before have so many people impressed me so much with their interest, prayers, and passion for missions. They’re asking personal questions that *so* indicate their interest.

But the question I’d like us to face is this: how can we make sure we’re “passing the torch” to the younger generations? At this particular event, which ends up attracting 500-600 people each summer, organizers plan a ton of events for younger participants. They include sand-castle-making contest, a golf outing, volleyball contests, and tons more.

Is it working? Over all, yes. There are literally scores of young people here, of all ages. Of course, time will tell whether or not they have enough to maintain the “tipping point” in favor of meeting each year. At this point, it definitely appears the answer is yes. But it’s a close enough horse race that it reminds me to remind all of us — we *have* to begin thinking about keeping the dream alive. We have to constantly be re-inventing ourselves. We have to keep searching for what makes us relevant. Because the day we stop being relevant, we will have already died a slow death.

Information of this type is often listed under the theme of succession. But I’m not so sure we should limit it to that. The truth is, sometimes a particular dream might fail because stakeholders, as a group, fail to involve younger generations in planning meetings. Even if the head-man finds a substitute at the right age, if the event or group doesn’t affiliate enough layers of younger participants, the fire will be gone.

What’s your favorite resource on succession planning? What book or paper have you read on “passing the torch” to future generations? What practice or principle helped in your case? Those are the questions we have to start facing. Unless /until we ask them, we remain silent at our own peril.

For books on the subject, one need only go so far as…

Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity and Building Talent from Within