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In episode two of Simple Succession, Rusty George interviews Cal Jernigan and Sean Palmer about leading healthy church transitions. Cal recounts his decades at Central—joining in 1987, becoming senior pastor in 1999 after an interim, and handing leadership to Sean in April 2025—explaining how the pressures after 2020, a failed successor situation, and personal fatigue accelerated the timeline to avoid harming the church. Cal describes why the board, not the outgoing pastor, should choose the next leader, how elders evaluated candidates, and how clarity on dates, roles, compensation, and expectations built trust. Sean shares why he made a second “follow-a-legend” move, what he learned from an earlier difficult transition, and how transferred trust, honoring the outgoing pastor, relationship handoffs, and a defined one-year transition helped the church stay stable while gradual changes began.
Creators and Guests
What is Simple Faith with Rusty George?
Rusty George is the Lead Pastor at Church360 in Grand Prairie. Under his dedicated leadership, Church360 aspires to flourish as a vibrant community committed to guiding individuals in their journey to discover and follow the path of Jesus.
Beyond leading Church360, Rusty is a global speaker, leader and teacher focusing on making real life simple. Rusty has also written several books and can be heard weekly on his podcast, Leading Simple with Rusty George.
Aside from being a loyal Chiefs, Royals, and Lakers fan, Rusty is first and foremost committed to his family. Rusty has been married to his wife, Lorrie, for over twenty-five years, and they have two daughters, Lindsey and Sidney. As a family, they enjoy walking the dogs, playing board games together, and watching HGTV while Rusty watches ESPN on his iPad.