Should I stay or should I go?

What a great question to wrestle with! When I first started in ministry, a dear friend said to me, “Make sure this is what you are called to do, because there will be days that your calling is all that you’ve got!” In ministry? Seriously? Okay, okay, all sarcasm put aside, you know what I am talking about. Ministry has it’s “bumps in the road” just like any other profession, but which “bumps in the road” are worth riding over and which ones would cause you to change direction? I’m not talking about the curriculum you are using isn’t meeting your needs, or volunteers aren’t showing up on time, I’m talking about whether you should stay in your position, or leave for another position at another location, are you tracking with me? I know, I know, you have never talked about this out loud, right?

There is a song by the group “The Clash” that says; “If I go there will be trouble, if I stay there will be double.” Leaving any position will cause trouble because change is difficult, but would you be hurting the church and causing more trouble if you were to leave or would you be causing more hurt and pain in your family should you choose to stay? Why do you feel led to consider a change?

Have you been released from your current position because you did what God ordained you to do there? I have a great friend in ministry who considers herself a change agent. She has taken two churches from an unstructured ministry approach to a structured, strategic, vision led, team approach. She has a specific skill set that once her job is accomplished it is no longer her job to do. When she successfully transitioned her last church I thought she would never leave, the ministry was healthy and thriving because of the changes and strategy she implemented. Obviously that was not the case. She is currently taking another church through a similar process and I am in awe of her god-given abilities and her strength to leave a healthy ministry to do it all over again.

Do you find yourself in a similar situation? Have you done what God has called you to do at your current location? If your answer is yes, it’s time to go, if not, see His vision to completion. But, maybe that’s not you. Maybe, just maybe you are considering a job change because you feel like you just don’t fit there anymore. Yes, I said it people, it happens sometimes

There are several reasons it may be “time” to consider a change
1. Integrity is lacking in the leadership around you and above you.
2. Unity has left the building. Can anyone say “silo”
3. Vision is non-existent or irrelevant.
4. Encouragement…what encouragement?
5. You love the people you serve and, well, you have to love the staff.
6. Other staff members joke about “drinking the punch”
7. You don’t want to be there anymore.

If (some) of those statements are resonating with you, you’re not alone, but what should you do with it? The best advice I could give someone is TALK IT OUT with someone close but NOT in the church. Some leaders fear controversy and will use anything as an excuse to not deal with an issue. Don’t let that be you, talk to a friend about how you are feeling.

If the issue(s) can be resolved, stay, if not, it’s time to create an exit strategy. Should you stay? Should you go? Only you can answer those questions based on God’s timing. Take the time to explore wherever the God ordained bump in the road is taking you. Leaders understand that timing is everything.