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    Is it Time to Leave?  Assessing your Giftedness

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    John suggests asking these three questions to help determine whether it is a green light for a possible ministry move in this area:



    1.  What are my two primary spiritual gifts, and to what degree am I using them?



    2.  How often do I use natural endowments and skills in my present work?



    3.  How does my leadership style match the style of the congregation?



    "The degree of giftedness fit is an essential signal for transition guidance.  If harmony exists between our personal giftedness and congregational expectations, this red light signals the benefits of remaining.  Our most fruitful ministry may be just ahead in our own back yard.  But if the church seems to require gifts and abilities that are not our fgorte, pursuing a new direction is probably a good decision."



    What do you think?  I'm thinking that personality and gifted ness are two very important things to size up before you take on a new ministry.  Sometimes this is just not possible (people AND churches tend to put on their best face; and act more like they'd like to be than what they really are during the interview process).  Have personality and giftedness caused you to move on?  Are you in the perfect fit where your personality and giftedness are the perfect fit for your church?  How does that feel?  I'd love to hear your comments...



    And for tons more on this subject, pick up a copy of John's book. It's worth every penny!



    Have a great day!



    Todd


    This week, we’re continuing our series on "Is it time to leave?", based on John Cionca’s book "Before You Move: A Guide to Making Transitions in Ministry". This week we’ll talk about how your giftedness might help determine whether or not it is a good time to move on.  John writes, "Congregations, like people, move through life passages.  Similarly, at each stage leadership needs to change.  During the birth of a church, for example, an evangelist/planter is usually called.  Down the road, a builder/developer may beter advance the work.  During yet another stage, a gifted administrator may be needed to update its organizational structure and operations.  Later, a dynamic visionary can revitalize a plateaued work… To some degree, all of us must stretch beyond our comfort zones...Nevertheless, your spiritual enablements and skill developments can produce greater fruit in one type of congregation that in another."


    pastor moving


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    Comments

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    1. Marty Akins on Tue, November 09, 2004

      I wholeheartedly agree in every respect.  Sometimes we outgrow an “assignment” and sometimes it outgrows us.  As long as the “fit” is there and both you and the church are experiencing growth, you may be right where you should be. Often staff move because it is easier to move than grow!


      I am new to my church (1 month and counting!) and my “picture” has only been confirmed that they needed who I think I am and that I am following the Lord’s leadership.  We are experiencing some growth already and I am more fulfilled than I have been in several years. We are praying for God’s blessings and for a lengthy and fruitful ministry.

    2. al on Tue, November 09, 2004

      I agree that our personality and our giftedness should fit with the personality and the need of the church.  However, I also believe that we can grow with a church to be what it needs for the future.  Too often, pastors leave rather than grow as was mentioned above.  Churches face pastoral change about every three years because that is the usual amount of time it takes for us to do everything we have done before or know how to do. While every church experiences a spurt of growth whenever a new pastor comes, it is really only the result of a new face being present and people checking out the “new kid on the block.”  Often those people have come from a different church where they have been unhappy or frustratated.  When they get unhappy with you, they will move on to the next place. 


      Growing is hard but I have found two effective ways of continuing to grow which I believe have helped me stay in my present church for almost 17 years.  The first is reading books.  It sounds simple but I am amazed at how often in talking to other pastors I find that they are not reading.  I mention books in particular.  Some have told me they read magazines and internet artilces but in reading a book rather than a five minute article, you are forced to focus on one theme for an extended period of time giving you opportunity to process the information effectively.  The second way I have had opportunity to grow is through continuing my education.  After having been out of school for about 20 some years, I decided to return to take my Masters degree.  I have been working on it for 7 years now and am almost done.  Fortunately, a school just a few hours away offers modular courses.  I complete one or two a year.  It has forced me to read books I would not choose to read and to learn about topics I would not have chosen to study.  My church helps with some of the cost which has been a great blessing. 

      If you don’t grow, your church won’t grow.

       

    3. ann on Tue, November 09, 2004

      We just left a ministry, after 15 years of service.  In my opinion, we should have left sooner!  I understand you should grow with your ministry.  But also the church needs to grow with you and follow you.  That was always our hope.  Now I wonder if we did not waste our time with a fellowship that was not a good fit.  Perhaps, after three years of ministry each of us should evaluate whether we are the Shepherd for this fellowship instead of sticking it out for the long run.  One should be able to evaluate whether the people will follow your leadership and Bible teaching by then.

      So now I am for shorter times!  Get on with it ASAP and stay if you are in sink with the church and leave if you are not.

       

    4. Victor Gonzalez on Wed, November 10, 2004

      Interesting comments in ministry transitions.  I am about to make one, after working in our church for more than 25 years, I realized that my vision for the church is taking me to a new direction.  After being a part of the church board as an elder, I found that my gifts and perception of the ministry were demanding for a change to fulfill personal ministry goals that no longer coincide with the visdion and direction of the church that I co-funded.  Instead of standing in the way of the church board and senior pastor.  I decided with my wife to seek another church were my vision can be nourished and eventually became a reality. It reminded me were the instance were Paul and Barnabas decided to go different ways (Acts 15:39) because of a disagreement.  God used both of them tremendously.  My point is, that sometimes you will disagree with you fellow brothers and sometimes for the benefit of the church, is better to step out the way. Any comments I will appreciate.

    5. Bernie Dehler on Wed, November 10, 2004

      Todd says:


      “Are you in the perfect fit where your personality and giftedness are the perfect fit for your church?  How does that feel? “


      Sounds like the wrong expectatrions, for expecting everything to be rosy.  Truth is, humans are hard to get along with.  Let’s try to overcome it with the power of the Holy Spirit and brotherly love.  It’s too easy, in the flesh, to have a personality conflict.  Deal with it instead of running to look for your match.

      God will also stretch us, to aquire new gifts or to go deeper in our gifts—this is also stressful.  Deal with it, instead of shunning it.


      ...Bernie


      http://www.FreeGoodNews.com

       

    6. Raymond E. Wiggins Sr. on Tue, November 30, 2004

      Perhaps our present organizational structure is one of the primary culprits to the ceaseless transitions in our ministries. 

      I have often wondered how, in the first church in Jerusalem, twelve-plus apostles (governors), prophets (guiders), evangelists (gatherers), pastors (guarders), and teachers (grounders), could all work together for a number of years “under the same roof” and all their “needs” were being met (Acts 2:44-47), but, it is very difficult, if not impossible, get two or more equally gifted leaders to work together today to bring the churches to the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ?”  (Acts 6:2; Acts 15:22,32)


      The Lord set these giftings in the church to complete each other not compete with each other nor work in “isolation” of each other. (Eph. 4:11)

       

      Much of our “stress” in ministry is because we won’t “let” Christ be the Head of the Church as we say He is.  Jesus is the Chief Apostle, the Chief Prophet, the Chief Evangelist, the Chief Pastor, and the Chief Teacher; as a matter of truth Christ is “all and in all.” (Acts 13:1)


      Is the present “pastoral structure” a result of Acts 20:29,30?

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