by Mike Allen

Have you ever thought about what not to do or how not to begin a new ministry? The difficulty is that the wisdom often follows the time of transition and is absolutely worthless because it is no longer needed. My thoughts are a bit more of a humorous look at some of my own personal experiences in my recent transition to the position of pastor at our church.

Schedules and time frames are pretty much a guarantee of how things will not progress. God has interesting ways of not being bound by time. While there were times when I wondered if the five-year plan would be more like fifteen years, God has seen fit to shorten the schedule to a mere two years. God’s ways truly are not our ways. I thought I was ready, but now I realize that I am nowhere near ready.

Attempt to take over right at the beginning of the school year. Timing is the first, second, and third most important thing! I would have never chosen this particular timing however. I find it easy to blame God for His bad timing of my “takeover.” I needed at least the three summer months to get things shipshape. It is amazing how often God refuses to work within the scope of my planner. He must not have the latest version of Outlook to keep up with me! Again, I am reminded that His way is perfect. This is in addition to the fact that there is absolutely no good time to take over a school. It also is a great reminder to be thankful for a godly, wise school administrator.

Look for an opportunity to do jury duty. This was the last thing that I would have chosen at the beginning of the school year, but God had different plans. I needed to be in the ministry first hand, after all I am the “new boss.” In my mind, there is no way that the ministry can function without me. By the way, who has ever heard of a Baptist pastor actually getting assigned to a case? We are usually the first to go. However, God gave me opportunity to minister to several fellow jurors in small ways. Surprise, the ministry continued on in spite of my absence, and I was reminded that the ministry is God’s no matter where I am. Does this mean that in order to stay out of the way I should spend more time golfing?

Try to remove and replace at least one-third of your staff. In addition to our pastor retiring, God saw fit to move out eight other staff members this summer. Three of these changes took place within the last three weeks before the start of school. This can create some anxious and desperate times. We began praying eight months ago about dropping one staff member, but obviously our groaning was interpreted in a much different way. The greatest thing about this transition of staff has been to see God’s faithfulness, grace, and provision. I am thankful for the veteran and new staff that God has given us.

Encourage church members to leave while the getting is good. With our change, God has seen fit to move several other families on to other ministries. In all, we have had thirty members (including the before-stated staff) leave our church. This is not a good way to start. People began asking what was wrong with our church and wondered if they should join the ones leaving because of the problems, whatever they were (there were none that I was aware of). One pastor mentioned about taking over a church of three hundred and having them all leave only to have one thousand come to find out why they left; I am currently waiting for the one thousand to show up. At times, God has to do some dismantling before He can build what He desires. This does not make it easy to bear, but it does give us something to look forward to.

Encourage church members to quit all of the ministries that they possibly can. When people love their pastor, they find it difficult to give up ministries that they have dreaded; but, when the new guy arrives, these same people find it to be a fresh opportunity to give up these ministry burdens. I do not blame them. Many of them have been overworked and involved beyond what God ever intended. It has caused us to do some re-evaluation and praying. Does God want us to continue these ministries? Does God have someone in the background that is going to step forward? Will people consider me to be a failure if more people quit? I am thankful for the ones who have responded to the Lord and are involving themselves. Have no clear vision or plan for the future. It is amazing that when you are second in command you are full of ideas; but, when it is your turn, there is nothing on the radar screen. What happened to all of the ideas? How can I be an effective pastor and not have any clear direction? People ask, “Pastor, where are we going?” I can only respond “I do not know, but get on the bus. When we get there, I will let you know.” This does not give the sense of confidence that people are looking for, but it does put us in a wonderful place of looking to Jesus. I want a clear vision of who Christ is for now. I am confident that when He is ready for us to move on, we will be the first to know.

The ultimate lesson to be learned in times of transition all throughout our lives is to rest in God, His plan, people, and purposes. I am sure that all of us can relate to these experiences, and some may have worse situations that they have found themselves in. The greatest truth is that we can always rest in God. It takes nothing beyond faith in His promise to simply abide. I love what Hebrews states about those who enter into rest must first cease from their work. I desire that God use me and our church, but He desires that I wait upon Him. I will have no popular book to write on how to grow through transitions, but I am confident that God will reveal Himself to us.