The purpose of this research was to articulate the process and principles of relay succession in the senior pastorate within the Church of God (COG). The research was accomplished through three phases and four case studies.

The first phase—define and design—sought to review the precedent literature and begin the development of a case study protocol with embedded interviews. The interview was subject to review by an expert panel and approved by the chairperson of the dissertation committee. The second phase—prepare, collect, and analyze—included completing the case study protocol, collecting data at each individual case study site, writing individual case study reports and analyzing the data. In the final stage, analyze and present findings, the researcher sought to complete a cross-case analysis and present the findings according to the research purpose in order to answer the four research questions.

KEYWORDS: Succession, Pastor, Church, Leadership, Relay, Case Study