what does a mega-church do when she's lost her nationally-known pastor?

The Denver Post has an article on the biggest fall-out from Ted Haggard's sins: a flock has lost its shepherd. What happens to a church when the senior pastor is forced to resign? When that same pastor is a nationally-known figure who sometimes speaks with the President of the United States, who will be next?

Just as the country braces for societal changes with the aging of the baby-boom generation, the American success story that is the evangelical megachurch also sits at a crossroads, facing a future without the leaders responsible for its success.

"This will be an increasingly important question," said U.S. News & World Report contributing editor Jeffery Sheler, author of "Believers: A Journey into Evangelical America." "We are approaching a period in the next 10 or 20 years where, for reasons other than scandal, pulpits will be opening up. What will this bode for the ongoing vitality of these strong, growing churches? Will they survive?"

The short answer is ... it depends.

Because the megachurch is a relatively new phenomenon, no empirical study exists on what happens when a founder leaves.

But evidence suggests megachurches that have experienced regime change are less likely to grow and more susceptible to conflict, said Scott Thumma, a megachurch specialist and sociology professor at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Interesting... regime change. I didn't know that a church leadership could actually be considered a regime.

UPDATE: Some people looking to pastor a church stop by here - if they're savvy with the internets, that is.