5 Questions Before a Ministry Move

Most of us don’t begin a new ministry position believing we will only stay for a few years. Our intentions are noble to plant our lives for the long haul. But after exhausting our good ideas we often get bored, our ministry initiatives get stale, our congregation gets restless, and we get busy looking for another ministry opportunity somewhere else.

If the choice to stay in your present ministry position or leave for another one is within your control, then you should be asking some fundamental questions before considering a move.

·      Has God released me from my call here?

Another place of ministry may seem more convenient, appealing, challenging, fulfilling, and rewarding. But until God releases you to go there…stay here.

·      Am I running from something?

God didn’t promise you’d always be happy, revered, loved, appreciated, or followed. So, if you are running from ministry or relational dysfunction that hasn’t been resolved here, what makes you think it won’t follow you there?

·      Am I running to something?

If you are interested in another ministry just because it’s bigger, better, more prestigious, or prominent, then your motivation might be ladder climbing instead of calling. If greener grass is the new you are running to, then you’ll inevitably be disappointed and so will they.

·      How might it impact my family?

Only considering your own ministry desires, needs, and wants without recognizing how it might affect your family is not a calling, it is conceit. If your ministry frequently moves your children away from their friends and foundations, then how can you expect them to even like church when they are no longer required to attend?

·      Am I ready to leave well?

If you go out swinging when you leave here it will follow you when you get there. Leave with Ephesians 4:29 on your lips: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”