Before You Leave: Don’t Look

This is part of a blog series titled: Before You Leave 

About four months into my first ministry job straight out of school a larger church called me and asked if I was interested in interviewing for a similar position at their church. I turned it down immediately but it created a problem for me in ministry.

For the record I did not deserve a job offer at the time and am not sure how I made it to on their list. This happened a few other times over the next couple of years and I allowed it to translate into pride.

Not surprisingly as this pride welled, the inquiries stopped coming in, and I began to think fairly seriously about quitting.

I started to daily look at online job boards. Positions that I had no business considering because of fit, health of both the church and myself, and my lack of experience were the ones that caught my eye.

Of course on a website every church looks great. The other reality is that while some healthy communities used online tools to find their next hire, most of these churches use these tools because they can’t find anyone to apply. If you want to work at a church that has had a vacancy for a reason for some time then you are probably braver than I am.

So in those times when you start to feel desperate and you want to look and create a way out, don’t look.

Counter-intuitive. Frustrating. But exactly what you need to do.

It may be time to leave, but I firmly believe that it isn’t up to you the timing and the next step.

Your frustration is probably justified and things probably aren’t healthy, but that doesn’t mean ministry still can’t occur. In fact you are probably standing in front of a great opportunity to lead. When you spend all your energy looking for something else you miss this chance to grow, develop, and more fully serve.

Tell close friends and mentors that you are thinking about looking elsewhere, but don’t let this keep you from fulfilling the calling that is right in front of you.

Besides if you can’t do your current job, why would someone hire you for a different one.