After a lot of thought and prayer I made the decision to resign my position at church. After a very difficult summer this decision was a very personal one for my wife and I as we decided it was best to search for a church closer to our families back home. With the church beginning to make plans for 2011 I decided that it was in the church’s best interest if they knew to start making plans without me rather than throw those plans into disarray in a few months or whenever I find another job.
I have a couple of prospects but nothing definite at this point so it is really a leap of faith because right now I’m jobless and homeless at the end of the year. I know that our families will take us in if need be but obviously that is the last resort that no one prefers. So I would ask for everyone’s prayers in this regard and I’ll be certain to post an update when I know more about my future.
The reaction to my resignation was expected. There was a lot of shock and sadness. Unfortunately there is no good way or time to make such an announcement. What I didn’t expect was some of the encouraging things that people said after the announcement. Because my reasons for leaving are mainly personal I wasn’t leaving because of discouragement. But some of that encouragement would have helped a lot over the past few months.
For those who didn’t know, October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Every pastor gets discouraged about their job because there are always going to be weeks where attendance is down or they wonder if their sermon reached anyone. Don’t wait until your pastor is beaten down and discouraged to offer support. You may think that your pastor knows that he is appreciated but he really needs to hear it and from as many people as possible. He needs to know that he is making an impact and not just wasting his time.