One of the most critical times in the life of a Church or organization is the transition from one leader to another. Moses realized the importance of this transition as he prayed, “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:16-17).

We discover that the Lord selected Joshua to lead His people into the promised land. What might be some reasons why the Lord selected Joshua? Here are several possible reasons from the biblical record:

• Joshua had been Moses’ faithful understudy (Exodus 24:13, Numbers 11:28)
• Joshua was a proven leader in the crucible of adversity (Exodus 17:9-13)
• Joshua fully trusted God and was willing to take a stand for God (Numbers 14:30)
• Joshua’s life was characterized by obedience as he “followed the Lord fully” (Numbers 32:12)
• Joshua is described as “a man in whom is the Spirit” (Num 27:18)

This is a good set of criteria for us as we evaluate people for positions of leadership. We start with prayer and then listen to God. God may lead us to look for people who:

• have been willing to have been mentored

• have had some challenging ministry assignments

• have been faithful in trusting God

• have been obedient to His commandments

• walk by the Spirit

Moses then commissioned Joshua before the congregation and put some of his authority on him so that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him (Numbers 27:20). The book of Joshua is a great testimony to the effectiveness of this leadership transition. Whether you’re in the position of Moses or Joshua these are some great principles as the baton of leadership is passed on to the next generation.