In his article “Leaving your ministry: Seven steps to get it right”, author John Wideman discusses important things to remember when trying to decide if it is time to leave a ministry. The article was originally written for Children’s ministry workers, but these principles can apply to leaders in any facet of ministry and work in the church. Unfortunately, this is a reality that all leaders will probably have to face during the life of their ministry. It is very rare for a person to stay at the same church or ministry for their entire career, so it is important to know how to make that transition as smooth as possible. Wideman’s first step is the most crucial for leaders in this situation. He advises that leaders need to “listen to the right voice.” If we feel that we are called to step out of a ministry, we need to make sure that it is God’s voice that we are listening to, not just our own. There are times when God calls us to go, to move on to something else that he has planned for us, but we need to make sure that this is what God is actually calling us to do. One of the worst things that can happen to a ministry is for a leader to abandon it and to move on, especially if they are claiming to do so in the name of God. As leaders, we need to be careful in how we handle these transitions, and do so with grace.
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ReplyDeleteJoel, this was a great no nonsense article. The point that made the strongest impression on me was, number three, “go with your mouth shut.” Under that point he advises “not to fellowship with people you have never had fellowship with before you resigned.” This point made me chuckle, how true it is that some people are always digging for the dirt. In fact, a morbid fascination for what is wrong with the world is not far from anyone of us.
ReplyDeleteThe second point that I think I will remember is to leave in such a way that you could be invited back. There will doubtless be times and places where this seems impossible, but if we listen to God’s voice in the moment, we will leave in a way that loves and respects others, not taking out our personal hurts in a damaging way.
The third point I found helpful, was to always make the most of vision now. It is easy to get caught up thinking about what might lie ahead or to get stuck thinking about what difficulties have happened in the past, but the reality is we need to stay focused on the present, in times of transition as well as times of stability.