4. You have prolonged inner feelings of dissatisfaction.
You just can’t get your heart into this ministry any more. You have lost focus and passion.
Deuteronomy 32:11 teaches that an eagle “stirs up its nest” when it’s time for a baby eagle to get out and fly on its own. Sometimes the Lord stirs up our nest, urging us to move out.
5. The salary offered by the church cannot sustain you or insults you.
While salary is not the primary motivation for preaching, it is still a factor. You have a responsibility to provide for your family.
Plus, salary is often a tangible indication of appreciation. Maybe a promised increase never materialized. Or your salary is significantly reduced because of shrinking offerings. Or a decade has passed since your last raise.
If so, consider moving.
6. A promising door has opened.
I’m referring to an opportunity that you didn’t manipulate behind the scenes. You did not hammer doors down or pressure people into submitting your name as a candidate.
But a door has opened and you identify with Paul’s Macedonian call: “Come over and help us.”
7. You are genuinely convinced that the present ministry will do better in the long run.
One reason I left Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky. when I did was because I sensed that if I stayed much longer, the church would lose the opportunity for Dave Stone and Kyle Idleman to lead them. These men were both capable and eager to lead.
It would have been unfair to ask them to wait any longer. I concluded that the church would do better in the long term if I stepped aside.
