Walking Away

Feeling frustrated? Run down? Dealing with creative differences? Spiritually unsatisfied? The list can go on and on when it comes to walking away from your role in church. Whether you are on staff or a volunteer, serving can be exhausting and full of challenges. It can become so overwhelming that we are left with no other recourse but to throw up our hands and say “I quit”. So, what is the right way to do this? Is there a right way? It would be great to say that one should never leave their position and that with every challenge will come a great success. Sadly this is often not reality and what we are faced with is an attempt to balance personal happiness with the needs of our church.

I believe the first thing to recognize when you are dealing with feelings of walking away, is to know that you are not alone in these feelings. Every single person who has ever served in their church has wanted to walk away at one point or another. It is our human nature to become frustrated and complacent in what we do. I have found in my years of ministry that it is critical to have someone within your congregation that you can trust and speak openly with. Many times having this person will help resolve the issues that you experience. I have always found that person to be someone who serves and/or leads in separate ministry within the church. Having someone to talk to in a separate ministry is great because they can bring fresh eyes to your situation and help you walk through the issues. The only word of caution I would have towards speaking with people in the church is not to put the church in a bad light and keep drama out of it. Regardless of the situation it is so important to keep your head high and treat all those around you with respect and dignity.

If walking away from your position is where you believe God is directing you, I think it is important that you take these steps before taking action:

•Read your bible and have devotional time
•Pray and seek God’s direction
•Talk to those close to you and have them pray with you
•Speak with your Senior Pastor and/or Church leadership

Now I know that the fourth bullet up there is sometimes not always possible, and probably the hardest part when it comes to leaving. When I left my previous position of 10 years, speaking with my Pastor was the last thing I wanted to do. I was convinced that he would try to talk me out of it and I would stay out of guilt. To my surprise (once I mustered up the courage to sit down with him) he was very supportive of my decision and understood that God was calling me out. Was he happy? No, not really. But, he supported me and in turn that support made the transition much easier.

This thing called ministry is not easy…..never has been, never will be. There will come a time in each of our journeys that we feel the call to walk away. Hopefully that call is from God and it is to move you forward in your ministry calling. If it is a call to leave from something else I’d like to encourage you to find the “why”, seek out the reason and try to work it out within your church. Should you need to go than that is okay, but I believe you will regret the decision if you don’t do it the right way. Burning bridges is never a good idea and only puts the ministry you have dedicated yourself to in a tough position.
One of the best things about The Church Collective is that you have a built in support system right here. Each of us has been where you may be and can easily relate to most situations within the church. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on our community boards if you need some encouragement or prayer over your position in your church.

I’d like to lift up a prayer of encouragement to all who read this. May God continue to bless you in your walk and may He guide in you in the calling that is on your life. In times of trouble or frustration I pray that you may seek Him first and that blessings are poured into your ministry. We are honored to serve such an awesome God and to be in ministry together. Amen.