Ministry Transitions

Ministry Transitions: Exchanging BBQ for Snow Angels

C.S. Lewis once stated that he became a Christian “kicking and screaming.” In all honesty, I

always felt the same way about becoming the senior pastor of a church. Why? Self-doubt,

fear of failure, and a mix of Satan’s whispers, I’m sure.

With that said, here I am 11 months into my first pastorate. Not an expert. Not a mentor.

Not deflated or overwhelmed like I thought I’d be either. Because of this, I have taken

some time to consider why my greatest fears have not been realized this far into my

transition. Here’s what I have come to realize and maybe you can relate.

1. God’s Moving

I could compare my moving to that of Abraham leaving his family behind in Ur but that

might be overstating it just a bit. With that said, my move was from south of the Mason-

Dixon line to north of it for the first time in my entire life, including my 12 years of full-

time ministry.

It is in this transition that those whispers of Satan began (and probably not the ones you

would expect…and neither did I): “They won’t have sweet tea,” “They won’t understand

when you say ‘y’all,’” and, most importantly, “You won’t be able to relate to them or them

to you.” And yet I felt God’s moving through the entire process from the late-night Zoom

calls with the Pastoral Search Committee, to the travels back and forth to meet and preach

at the church, and even all the way up to the vote.

Through it all I was learning something very important: when your prayer is for God to

open or close a door according to His will, either answer can result in thanks to Him. And,

in my case, leaving the transitional door open was His answer.

2. God’s Family

This might sound a bit cliché but through this process I learned that God’s family is not

bound by geographical or regional lines. The accents might be slightly different, but the

hearts of God’s people are always the same: centered around the same Christ, filled with

the same Spirit, motivated by the same mission.

One of the most humbling things in my life to date was to have one church family help load the moving truck and the church family on the other side of the move help unpack it.

Humanly speaking, it would make sense that the ministry you’re leaving and the people

involved would be angry and disappointed while those on the opposite end do not know you well enough to sacrifice the time and effort required. Yet, God was once again teaching me that when it involves those the Spirit is actively indwelling, human logic does not enter the equation.

3. God’s Peace

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7

We all know the verse, don’t we? But have you ever felt it? Have you ever truly

experienced such peace?

I wouldn’t be completely honest in saying that I felt this peace at every moment during

this ministry transition. The Saturday night before my last time to preach during the

candidating process, I began to be anxious allowing fear to creep in. The reality of the

potential move and changes for my family and me hit while lying in bed alone as my family

remained hundreds of miles away. Yet, in that moment of anxiousness, God brought peace.

A peace in reminding me of His moving in my life and circumstances to get me to this

point. A peace in the encouragement and inspiration I had encountered in the new faces

that for some unknown reason seemed like old friends. And, let me just say, when it comes

to giving this peace, God works in very specific, sometimes humorous ways.

Being a man of small frame, the first words I ever heard walking into my very first youth

pastor role in Texas was, “If you come here, we’re going to fatten you up.” Ironically

enough, the church I served in Alabama said the same. Knowing this, I walked in to

candidate at this church to become the pastor and wouldn’t you know that someone here

wanted to expand my waistline also? Coincidence? Probably. Or maybe a “dry fleece, wet

grass” eyewink from God that He alone knew what would bring me peace about the

decision.

Not specific enough—how about this? Being from the south and never living in the

northern half of the country there were some doubts (albeit silly ones previously

mentioned). Yet, in this very church, God had provided people from the same area where

my wife grew up in Georgia, a lady vocally excited about the idea of having a southern

pastor, and He even allowed the founding pastor to end up in my hometown.

God’s peace does pass understanding!

These are crazy, unimportant things that I wouldn’t even consider praying for and God provided them in the details, nonetheless.

Do you find yourself in the midst of transition? Do you wonder if God is moving you?

Maybe He is. But maybe He’s not. Maybe He just wanted you to read this so you could

remind yourself how God has already moved, provided through His family, and given you

the peace initially to find yourself where you are—the very place He may want you to

remain.

One Big Idea: No matter the circumstances, God’s moving, family, and

peace are always bigger than your fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.