Transition - resignation

Continuing my transition saga...

 

Receiving the call to my new ministry was exciting, but also terrifying. Now I actually had to accept the call, and in doing so end a relationship with my current congregation. I needed to inform them of my decision, and reveal the relationship that had been developing behind the scenes.

 

As I stated at the time, giving my resignation was not easy. I'm not sure it ever is easy for a pastor, unless things have degraded to the point that leaving is nothing more than relief. Nevertheless, I was more and more convinced that this was the right decision, but putting belief into practice is not always easy.

 

Finally the dreaded Sunday came. Just prior to dismissal I had the congregation sit down for a "special announcement". Very carefully I read through a multi-page letter that I composed, explaining my struggle and search for God's will, and encouraging them as a church to move forward. Copies of the letter were made available for everyone before leaving.

 

People were shocked, not expecting that they would be subjected to something like this when they came to church on this particular day. Some were visibly stunned. Some cried. Several stated their support, saying that they were not surprised and saw this as part of God's bigger plan. A few waited for a few days, and either phoned, e-mailed, instant-messaged or dropped by to express their support and feelings.

 

I mentioned to my family prior to resignation Sunday that the congregation's response to my announcement would likely be similar to any grief reaction. People would experience natural feelings like shock, denial, anger, bargaining, etc. and we needed to be sensitive to their processing of all this in the remaining months (and, of course, recognize our own grief feelings). For the most part people have been working through it quite well, although a few individuals have experienced more pain than others.

 

Because of the good relationship I have with the church I decided early on to give 90 days notice, even though I was obligated to provide only 30 days. I sincerely believed (and now affirm) that in our particular case a 3-month transition would be in the best interest of the congregation at this time. They have truly appreciated this.

 

So, what does one do as a resigned pastor for three months? More on that in another post ...

 

On a related note, pray for the church this weekend. They are already candidating someone. I will also comment at a later time on how this impacts the whole transition experience.