The Great Exchange - Passing the baton between generations of World Shapers - by Terry R Bone

Thanks to the kindness of a friend and colleague of IPC's we are delighted to be bringing our readers access to this further free resource!

Here is an introduction written by Terry...

This book is about making great transitions in life.

There is something called an exchange zone in track and field relay races. It’s a well-marked space on the track in which the baton must be passed from one runner to the next. In that zone, a lot has to happen in a short period of time. This seemed to me like the perfect metaphor for transitions. We all pass through ‘exchange zones’ in life. These are meant to be a place where desires are fulfilled and destinies are transferred. Time spent in exchange zones is brief compared to the entire race. We ought to know what to do before we get there as there’s rarely enough time to adequately absorb all we need to know once we get there. As the saying goes, ‘we must take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime during the lifetime of the opportunity’.

As a Life Coach and Leadership Consultant, I often walk with people through some of the most important transitions of their lives. Typically these are talented young leaders in the ministry or business world who are looking for both a plan and a person to walk with them while entering the next phase of their life calling. My wife, Melissa, and I have also written and spoken extensively on the topic of ‘family blessing’, the practice of giving Spiritual blessings to the ones we love most.

At some point I realized that a common challenge was present in every situation. Parents who desire to pass on Spiritual blessings to future generations, leaders of a ministry or business who want to set up the next leader for success, and aspiring leaders waiting for their turn to shine, all need to master the art of transition. This involves more than just different people ‘taking turns’ doing the same thing. A successful transition includes a baton transfer. In real life, the baton represents the transfer of knowledge, wisdom, authority and even Spiritual gifts between current leaders and those who are called to be next in line.

So I created a couple of messages on how to ‘pass the baton’ between two generations of leaders. Everywhere I shared these messages, people kept asking for the notes. It was time to start the process of writing a book. I spent a couple more years making additional notes and collecting quotes. I sought the perspective of some outstanding young leaders within my community in order to broaden my perspective. I also served as an Interim Pastor for several churches in the midst of leadership transitions.

After all this, I hired a writing coach who helped me to distill a thousand pages of loosely connected notes into a more concise and compelling for-mat. I trust that the result is an easy to read book that addresses important questions on this important topic.

If you find yourself currently in an exchange zone, may you receive practi-cal guidance as you read the pages that follow. If not, then now is the right time to bank this knowledge for a future date. Either way, I pray the Holy Spirit will illuminate the truths you need to ensure that you make a great transition when the time is right.

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