Influences of cultural norms on succession planning and knowledge transfer practices of Protestant ministers: A qualitative stud

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of cultural norms on the succession planning practices of Protestant ministers who voluntarily relocated from other countries to become leaders of culturally diverse U.S.-based congregations. Using semi-structured interviews, six Protestant ministers who relocated from other countries were queried about their perception of whether cultural norms influenced their succession planning practices in their U.S.-based congregations. Results showed that culture had a significant negative impact on their efforts to recruit leaders through evangelism but less of an impact on the knowledge transfer/discipleship processes. Further, evangelism was affected by societal influences whereas discipleship was affected by the attitudes of congregants. The small sample size limits the generalizability of the results. However, these findings are useful to consulting professionals dealing with succession planning from an international perspective and church leaders who anticipate relocating from another country to the United States in the future. Keywords: Succession planning, cultural influence, knowledge transfer, Protestant ministers.