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How to Know When It’s Time to Call It Quits

leaving the ministry

Summer has come and it feels like everyone is on the move. Almost every day I hear of another church staff member leaving their current role and transitioning to a new assignment. At the same time a week seldom goes by that a pastor doesn’t ask if I know of any available children’s, student, worship or connection pastors. (If they could find someone to lead all four that would be awesome.) So how about you, is it time for you to be leaving the ministry you’re at and starting again in a new community?

Time to Be Leaving the Ministry You’re In?

The answer is probably no, or at least it’s not yet time to be leaving the ministry you’re currently in. Many times we move from one role to another for less than healthy reasons. We might be frustrated with leadership, tired of conflict or feeling stuck in our current role. Each of these points to unresolved issues within ourselves that need to be dealt with before we pull up stakes and move on. I have made the mistake of leaving a role because of internal issues I didn’t see or didn’t want to work on. Unfortunately when I got to my next job it turned out that I brought all of my baggage with me.

Don’t leave your current role because you’re struggling with the people you work with or because you don’t feel fulfilled in your role. A wise man once said, “How long are you going to work on what’s not the issue before you work on what is the issue?”

There are times, however, to polish up the resume and go ahead and pursue leaving the ministry. Below are five situations I’ve experienced, or walked through with others, that point to a date with a realtor:

YOU FEEL A CLEAR CALL FROM GOD TO A NEW SEASON

Everyone feels called to do something else when things are tough, but that isn’t necessarily a sign that its time to move on. A clear call, however, is a feeling that just won’t go away. You go to sleep at night thinking about your next assignment and you wake up in the morning stuck on the same thought. Your spouse is onboard, your trusted friends and mentors are on board, and you have an internal peace that now is the time. 

Leaving Seacoast Church was an incredibly tough decision. I loved, and love, the church. I had great relationships with the leaders. Almost everything I knew about ministry I learned while working at Seacoast. But Sherry and I knew that it was time for a new chapter, and everyone we talked to agreed that we were hearing from God. That may be where you are today.

YOU DO NOT RESONATE WITH THE CHURCH CULTURE

Sometimes you might not fit in a particular church culture. Often it is hard to tell from the outside what the culture is like, and once you are on staff you feel trapped. In those cases it’s important to ask a couple of questions:

  1. What does God want to change in me through this culture? God may have you right where you need to be to shape your character into who he created you to be. Just because the culture is difficult doesn’t mean God isn’t using it to transform you.
  2. Am I in a position to change church culture? God may have you where you are to help bring health to a culture that is unhealthy. I remember having this discussion with a friend who was in a very challenging culture and considering a move. As we talked he realized that he had been brought to the church for such a time as this. He ended up staying and he has had an incredible impact on the culture of the church.

YOU DISAGREE WITH THE OVERALL DIRECTION OF THE CHURCH

This is one of the most significant reasons to consider leaving a church. You may be in an environment where leaders are making very poor, even sinful decisions, and the church may be headed in a direction that you cannot support. The first step, of course, is to talk with the leaders to try to understand or resolve the issues you are struggling with. If, however, you cannot get peace about what is being done and the direction being taken, it is time to leave.

Do not stay at a church you don’t believe in, following leaders you don’t support, just to collect a paycheck. You and your family will be much better off if you commit to leaving the ministry and get a job at Walmart. God is not calling you to be inauthentic in ministry, and he is not calling you to sow discord. There are times when the best thing you can do is to simply get out.

YOUR ROLE IS TAKING A SIGNIFICANT TOLL ON YOUR FAMILY

There came a time in the life of my family that I had to pursue leaving the ministry and step away from it. Unhealthy patterns in my leadership and relationships, combined with resentment building in my wife’s heart toward ministry and toward me, almost destroyed our marriage. After months of discord I realized it was time to step away.