{"id":1715,"date":"2020-10-07T12:23:14","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T16:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?post_type=resource&p=1715"},"modified":"2020-10-07T12:23:14","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T16:23:14","slug":"when-its-time-to-leave","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-its-time-to-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"When It\u2019s Time to Leave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
In replanting, we have a recurring theme. We say the four things you must do as a replanter is preach, pray, love and stay.<\/p>\n

Each of these is important for its own reasons, but you\u2019ll hear us often say that the last one is key. Church replanting is not fast work. It takes time. And it takes a pastor who will stick around through some really hard days.<\/p>\n

But times and situations do arise when it\u2019s time to leave. The key for pastors, then, is recognizing those times and not pulling the trigger too soon or \u2013 in some cases \u2013 too late.<\/p>\n

Let me preface this by saying I believe our default position should be to stay. The old saying, \u201cGrow where you\u2019re planted\u201d is really, really good advice. God has placed you in the church where you are serving, in the community where you serve, and in the neighborhood where you live for a purpose. So we should assume that, until the Lord makes it abundantly clear it\u2019s time to go, we are meant to be right where we are.<\/p>\n

So, what are some situations when it makes sense for a pastor to leave his current church?<\/p>\n

\u2014 When your mental, spiritual, physical, or emotional health are at stake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest, pastoring is hard work. It can be emotionally and physically draining (especially in 2020). Pushing through this is part of the perseverance part of ministry. Don\u2019t leave just because things get difficult. But there are times when, for the sake of your own health, it\u2019s probably wise to step away from that particular church. And there are times when stepping away from ministry as a whole for a season is appropriate.<\/p>\n

\u2014 When the state your family is at stake. <\/strong><\/p>\n

There is always another man who can accept a call to pastor the church. There is no one else who is called to be a husband to your wife and a father to your children. Ministry is important, but your family is more important.<\/p>\n

Again, I don\u2019t think the default position is, \u201cWell, this is hard on our family, so we need to leave.\u201d But there are times when a church becomes so toxic that it may be actively harming your family. If your church refuses to allow you to place family first, or if some are actively attacking your wife and children, it might be time to move on for the good of your family. It\u2019s important to remember that you, as a pastor, can always find another church to serve, but if you lose your family, you lose your ministry too.<\/p>\n

\u2014 When God makes it exceedingly, abundantly clear that He\u2019s calling you elsewhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hesitated to put this one on here, but I think it is important to not only give negative reasons to leave a church. Sometimes, God really does open the door to a new season of ministry. But, once again, I believe these times are rare.<\/p>\n

As I look back on the 15 years I\u2019ve served in full-time ministry, I see one church that I left for the first reason I mentioned above. I was at the end of my rope, and I was quickly approaching the place where I needed to leave that church or I would probably leave ministry altogether. I also can see at least one church that I left too soon. I\u2019ve been guilty of accepting a position just because it was a bigger church with a bigger salary (BTW, two years later, I found myself in the position I just described. I learned a major lesson there).<\/p>\n

Before I moved to my current position as pastor at First Baptist Church in Alamogordo, New Mexico, I was serving as pastor at a church in Clayton, New Mexico, that we absolutely loved. I was beginning to feel a bit restless, but I was not actively looking to move. Then FBC Alamogordo was brought to my attention out of the blue.<\/p>\n

During this season, I had a mentor share a great piece of advice with me: \u201cIf it\u2019s time to go, God doesn\u2019t need your help to make that happen.\u201d So I didn\u2019t send out a truckload of resumes. When I began to feel restless, I started praying a lot. If we were meant to stay in Clayton, I told God I was content with that; if it was time to go, I prayed that God would make it very clear. Over the course of a couple of months at the end of 2015, He did just that.<\/p>\n

So, pastor, I always will encourage you to find every reason to stay at your current church. Make staying your default position. But sometimes it becomes clear that it\u2019s time to go.<\/p>\n

One final note of encouragment: if you\u2019re on the verge of leaving for one reason or another, don\u2019t make this decision alone. Seek input from fellow pastors, mentors and, of course, your wife. If you need someone to talk through a really tough situation with, please reach out to the Replant Team at replant@namb.net. It would be our joy to talk and pray with you through an especially difficult season of ministry.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In replanting, we have a recurring theme. We say the four things you must do as …<\/p>\n

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