How to Stay Spiritually Healthy During Ministry Transition

Transitioning into a new ministry role is an extensive topic. Generally, when a transition happens in someone’s life, there is a specific reason for it. That reason can be either positive or negative. It could be in response to what is going on in your own life (family situations, personal growth, health decline, etc.). It could be in response to what is going on in your current ministry (growth necessitating you change roles, poor leadership or church culture, downsizing, etc.).

A transition can also be internal or external to your current ministry.

You may be taking on new roles and responsibilities in your current church. You may be moving to a completely different and new to you ministry across town or across the country. Either way, there are unique challenges and benefits inherently associated with the transition.

Regardless of the type of transition you may find yourself in, it will have unique challenges and blessings.

The Lord has brought me through a few ministry transitions, and I am grateful for the mentors God put in my life who walked beside me and gave me spiritual advice. I pray that some of these tidbits of wisdom will be a help to you as they have been to me.

1. Know before you go.

Before you make a move, identify whether it is truly time for you to transition or if you are supposed to say put in your role and be patient. It’s easy to look elsewhere when you are frustrated, but not every frustration is God’s directive to leave.

2. Be prepared for difficulty.

Recognize that during these times, you can (and likely will) be uniquely challenged, tested, and tempted.

- Who am I?

- What am I doing?

- What is my purpose?

- Am I a failure?

- Am I qualified?

- What if I fail?

- Why did this happen?

- What about (someone else)?

Daily revisit who you are in Christ and your original call to ministry.

You are more to Jesus than just what you do for Him.

Don’t forget why you do what you do - it’s very easy to lose your focus in the middle of the unsettling. Your assignment may change, but your calling remains the same.

3. Find a group of mentors who can help you.

Find someone with wisdom to cover the transition in prayer and walk through the transition with you - alongside of you. This person needs to be able to ask the hard questions, and you have to let them. Be completely honest with these people. You need to be open with someone who has wisdom and experience in order to work through a potentially complicated situation.

4. Leave because of a spiritually motivated and discerned reason.

Your transition won’t be spiritually healthy if you are leaving because of anger or bitterness toward a leader or a ministry.

5. Intentionally designate a time of release.

You need a time where, in your heart, you truly release your previous role, position, prerogatives, and responsibilities to another individual. And when you leave, leave. Don’t keep picking up the baggage. Putting your time, attention, energy, and passion in your last role/ministry will only pull away those resources from your new position.

6. Be aware of your spirit.

Don’t allow yourself to become overly-critical or cynical of a problematic place you may be coming from. Don’t become prideful over what you’ve achieved or where you have arrived. Your heart can be very deceitful and trick you into justifying your frustrations or ego.

7. Guard your heart against bitterness.

I’ve already touched on this, but I truly believe this is one of the most important parts of a transition. We can become bitter so easily when God moves us - bitter against ministries, leaders, lost opportunities...and even against God Himself. Please examine yourself for bitterness. Ask a mentor to help spot it in your life and deal with it immediately.

8. Love your family.

Be patient with, supportive, and understanding of your family and their needs. Lead them gently and softly. Remember that they are going to be dealing with the same transition but in their own way and on their own level. They need help from you. You can greatly build up or damage your leadership in your family during this time. Set the spiritual tone for them. Pray that your family will embrace the change that God is allowing and will trust Jesus completely.

9. Keep the “same team” mentality.

Have a focus on the Kingdom of God that is bigger than any singular earthly ministry. This is especially important if you are leaving a ministry under less than desirable circumstances to go to another ministry. It’s likely that they aren’t doing everything wrong, and it’s likely that you won’t do everything right.

Don’t talk down about former ministries or leaders.

Putting down former ministries and leaders will hurt you in the long run, even if it feels good in the moment.

10. Don’t overdo it.

When you step into your new role, don’t put unrealistic pressure on yourself or your family to perform. Transition is a process and it takes time. Keep walking with and depending on Jesus and allow Him to make you into what He wants you to be.

One Big Idea: Reflect, remember, and be thankful for the past, but don’t live there. Push forward for Christ.