Transition - searching

Continuing on my transition journey...

 

With the decision clarified as to whether I was to stay at or leave my present congregation, the natural next step was determining where I was to go next. That was not clear. And, in many ways having a new calling would be a further confirmation that leaving was the right thing to do. If God wants me to move on I was convinced that a new ministry would be open for me.

 

So, the search process began. To be honest, my investigation of opportunities began without too much vigor. Perhaps it was my continuing struggle with the whole notion of leaving, but my search was never an aggressive pursuit.

 

Things have changed in the 6-7 years since I last went through this. Church of God Ministries now has their own version of "monster.com", providing a much more effective way for churches and ministers to connect with each other. Even just e-mail itself has revolutionized things. Nevertheless, the whole process is still somewhat awkward and far from as effective as it should be. (Also, see Church of God blogger Dustin Sells' reflections on "The Hiring Process in Churches", part 2, part 3, part 4).

 

In the end I only applied at a few churches and, of course, for the position I eventually accepted. In most cases, I had some very positive responses from the search committees. With one church in particular I ended up having some very serious discussions. However, there was a point in the process where it appeared that all doors were closed, and that a move might not be as imminent as I originally anticipated. Even the Area Administator position in the Pacific Northwest Association appeared out of the picture based on what was conveyed to me.

 

The entire search process is often a roller coaster ride. At times there is an enthusiastic optimism concerning some of the opportunties, but when things don't go as expected it is very easy to feel dejected and frustrated. It was very important throughout to remain spiritually grounded and to trust God's leading. I was praying a lot.

 

The emotional ups and downs can be exhausting, especially if it drags on. Fortunately I was not sensing desperation, but my heart goes out to ministers who have tighter time frames to find a new church. My last search experience was way too long, and I certainly did not want to go through that again.

 

It was at one of those low points that I got a call from the PNA asking if I was still interested in their position. They had come to a realization that their own search was not going as expected, and that after going back to square one and re-examining the applications my name was coming to the forefront.

 

A new courtship was about to begin. More in my next post...