# Leadership Handoff Quick Card — April 2026 > **Note (April 2026):** Earlier drafts referenced a "Ministry Coach" role that was not approved. References have been removed. At Mayflower, ministry teams work with the board (elders, deacons, or trustees) that oversees their team or group; that board is the team leader's first call for supervision, succession, and leader development. MAYFLOWER CHURCH **Leadership Handoff — Quick Card** *A one-page reference. See the full Leadership Handoff Guidelines (April 2026) for detail.* **FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES**

**1** **Stewardship** The team belongs to Christ. Hand it back in good order.

**2** **Team First** Measure success by how the ministry continues.

**3** **Notice Is a Gift** 60–90 days where life allows. Bylaws govern officer terms.

**4** **Document It** Write it down before you need to. Don’t leave knowledge in your head.

**5** **Bless and Release** Step back. Pray. No back-channels. Trust the Lord.

**PLANNED HANDOFF — When you know it’s coming** **1. Talk to your supervisor first.** Senior Pastor, board chair, or Servants Council — before telling the team. **2. Name a target date.** A handoff without a date drifts. Pick a realistic last day and work backward. **3. Identify a successor.** Bylaws govern officer roles. For ministry teams, work with the board (elders, deacons, or trustees) that oversees your team. **4. Build a handoff document.** Use the checklist below. One to three pages. **5. Run a transition window.** Final 4–6 weeks: shadow → co-lead → watch them lead. Clean last day, not a slow fade. **6. Communicate.** Coordinate with your supervisor on what gets said, when, and to whom.

**UNPLANNED HANDOFF — When life intervenes** **Prepare now (in normal seasons)** **•** Keep an up-to-date handoff document on a church-shared drive your supervisor can access without contacting you. **•** Make sure at least one teammate knows the rhythms well enough to keep the lights on. **•** Keep contacts and credentials list with the document, not in personal files. **In the moment** **•** Contact your supervisor as early as possible — Senior Pastor, deacon, board chair, or another elder. **•** Authorize an interim point of contact (assistant leader, co-leader, or one named by elders/Servants Council). **•** Where bylaws govern (officer seats, pastoral vacancy, treasurer succession), follow the bylaws. **•** Care for the leader stepping back. They should not have to manage the handoff alone.

**WHAT GOES IN THE HANDOFF DOCUMENT (1–3 PAGES)**

□ Mission and scope. What this team does at Mayflower; what falls in and out of the role.	□ Annual rhythm. Predictable beats mapped to the church year (services, events, evaluations, budget).
□ Team roster. Members, gifts, seasons, pastoral notes a successor should know.	□ Recurring tasks. Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual responsibilities — with how they’re actually done.
□ Tools and credentials. Systems, shared resources, who holds the keys. Note where passwords are kept — don’t paste them.	□ Key relationships. Vendors, partner ministries, denominational contacts, and any sensitive history.
□ Open items. Anything in flight that the successor will inherit.	□ Lessons learned. What’s working, what you’d change, what you’d warn the next leader about.

**FIRST CALL → Talk to your supervising leader before anyone else.** Senior Pastor, the relevant board chair, or the Servants Council — depending on your role. You do not have to walk this alone.

□ Mission and scope. What this team does at Mayflower; what falls in and out of the role.	□ Annual rhythm. Predictable beats mapped to the church year (services, events, evaluations, budget).
□ Team roster. Members, gifts, seasons, pastoral notes a successor should know.	□ Recurring tasks. Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual responsibilities — with how they’re actually done.
□ Tools and credentials. Systems, shared resources, who holds the keys. Note where passwords are kept — don’t paste them.	□ Key relationships. Vendors, partner ministries, denominational contacts, and any sensitive history.
□ Open items. Anything in flight that the successor will inherit.	□ Lessons learned. What’s working, what you’d change, what you’d warn the next leader about.