A clear plan, a humble posture, and one simple patio moment—that’s how a baton gets passed and a church keeps moving. We sit down with James Grogan, lead pastor of EastLake Church in San Diego, to explore what healthy succession actually looks like when a larger-than-life founder hands leadership to a different kind of leader, and why clarity and security beat charisma and ambiguity every time.
James traces his path from a vibrant Illinois pastor’s home to two summers of nonstop preaching reps, then into the diverse fabric of South San Diego. He shares why he paused planting to learn inside EastLake’s thriving culture—and how that decision compressed hard lessons into an apprenticeship that still bears fruit. We dive into the written, date-bound succession plan that worked because both leaders were secure: the outgoing pastor gave authority away freely, and the incoming pastor didn’t grasp for titles or control. The result was continuity, trust, and momentum.
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