Phil Kniesel on His 6 Year Succession Journey, Evangelism That Comes From the Heart, and Empowering the Next Generation of Pastors
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Jason is joined by Phil Kniesel this week, Lead Pastor at Hope City Church in Edmonton. In the conversation, they reflect on Phil’s succession journey from leading a young adults ministry to transitioning into the lead pastor role over a six-year time span.
Phil shares about some of the fears and insecurities that come with a transition like this. Will the staff trust you, how will the congregation respond to a new primary teacher, what is the vision going forward; these were all questions he had to wrestle through. He talks about how his former lead pastor supported him in this journey, bringing him in early to begin giving him opportunities to lead in new ways and test the waters. This was also important to Phil as he loved his Young Adult job and wasn’t certain on what the next steps would look like.
As he stepped into the lead pastor role, he moved their church towards a new multi-site direction to better reach different neighbourhoods throughout their city. Alongside this, an emphasis on evangelism has become more prominent as they seek to continue to be outward-minded in their mission and discipleship.
Part of reaching their city has looked like empowering more of their young leaders to step into significant roles within their church. Phil says that a huge focus of his these days is pouring into the younger staff and entrusting them with decisions and responsibilities in the wider church. As a benefactor of the care of his senior leader, he wants to now be that for others.
We hope this conversation with Phil encourages you in your work as a pastor!
Phil Kniesel
Phil is the Lead Pastor of Hope City Church in Edmonton, a multi-campus church with campuses throughout the city. He is their primary communicator and brings vision to their staff and direction.
Phil has been married for almost 22 years and has two teenage daughters - 14 and 16 years old. One of his biggest passions is helping make Jesus make sense to others; helping people understand that following Jesus is the best decision of their life.