Some ministers do not seem to struggle too much with deciding to move. They do it so often that they never unpack most of their belongings and have a discount plan with their moving company. You can count on these individuals changing churches about every 2-3 years or whenever they find an open church that appears to be a move up the ministerial ladder of success. I consider these persons to be hirelings, not pastors, and nothing I say in this post is likely to influence them.
For many of us, it is a struggle. We don't want to leave too soon and miss out on something God is planning for our church, and yet we don't want to stay when we have nothing more to offer. In yesterday's post I mentioned John Maxwell's book Good Leaders Ask Great Questions: Your Foundation for Successful Leadership
. As I was reading it today I came across a chapter that addresses this very issue. One of the things in the book that really connected with me was a statement Maxwell shared from Elmer Towns, co-founder of Liberty University, "Don't leave something; go to something."In about my 18th year as pastor of my bivocational church I felt that my time there was about over. There had been various times during those years when I had felt that previously and had even interviewed with a handful of churches, but after those interviews I just didn't feel called to leave when I was serving. All of those churches were larger than the one I was in, and several of them had much more growth potential than our rural church had, but I just didn't feel led to leave. This time was different. I knew my time there was over. What I didn't know was what my next place of ministry would be.
About a year later the Executive Minister of our region called asking if I would be willing to serve part-time as an interim Area Minister. The person in that position was leaving for another ministry. It was anticipated that the search for a new person would take about a year, and they needed someone to serve during that interim period. My duties would be limited since I was pastoring a church, but I would be able to do many of the tasks our Area Ministers were doing. After taking a weekend to pray about it and discuss it with my wife I accepted. Several months later the region began accepting applications, and I was told that I could submit one if I wanted to. At the end of that search process I was selected for the position.
Submitting that application was a scary moment. After serving the church for nearly 20 years I knew I could do that standing on my head. I didn't know if I could do regional ministry. I lacked the education and many of the experiences others on our staff had. I could easily fail, but I also knew God was calling me to this new role, and I had to accept it. Nearly 14 years later I am still serving in this ministry.
It was very difficult to announce my leaving to the church, but it was helpful to know that I was not leaving something; I was going to something. The church was as healthy as it had been in decades. We had a new fellowship building under construction that was being paid for in donations. Our mission giving was strong. There were no issues in the congregation. I wasn't leaving problems; I was going to a new ministry that God had been preparing me for.
As you consider making a transition in your ministry ask yourself if you are leaving something or going to something. If you are only wanting to leave, you may need to check your motives. If you are going to something, you may be on the right track for making such a transition.
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