Starting the new position tomorrow at Christ’s Church of the Valley as the Lead Next Gen. Pastor. I’m anxious but exited. I have been off for the best few weeks and let me tell you, time off is great! But with time off I have been able to do a ton of thinking. I have made two transitions from two teams in my ministry calling. One was “eh” and could have done a better job and one was so smooth. When the time does come to transition out of your current position I would hope you would do everything you can to make it a nice, easy, smooth transition for you and for the ministry you would be leaving.

Here are 4 easy things to remember when transitioning out and to transition out well:

  1. When the stirring rises, let people know. My first transition I didn’t tell anyone when I was feeling something and I feel like I hurt some people by doing so because it took them by surprise. The one out of Saddleback, the moment I had an inclination that this was happening from inside me, the next day I talked with Josh and told him what I was feeling and I didn’t know what it meant. To know that he was in this whole process from the beginning was an amazing feeling. We talked, we prayed, we maneuvered through it and it was such a weight lifted off my shoulders because I knew someone I trusted and looked up to, knew and was able to talk me through it.
  2. Talk the ministry up. Whether you are leaving on good terms or bad, in public you talk the ministry up. There is no point going down swinging. If you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say anything negative. But in public, to people, and to those who ask why you are leaving, let’s be people who build people up. It says in Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
  3. Their timeline is priority. If you want to leave the people you have been working with in a huge bind, only worry about yourself and get out of there. If your new position can allow for it, ask your supervisor what would be the best timeline for you to be out of your position so they can have enough time to begin to look and scramble to fill your spot. Do whatever you can to respect their timeline. CCV (Christ’s Church of the Valley) was so awesome in making sure Saddleback HSM’s timeline for me leaving was priority and man, it makes a difference.
  4. Set people up for when you leave. Don’t just throw up “deuces” and leave. Chances are you were responsible for a ton of important items. In the time you have left do your best to get another staff member or volunteer and train them in how you did what you did so when you leave, the ministry doesn’t leave with you. Set people up for success. Before I left, I had quite a few meetings with some teammates and walked them through my plans, my thoughts and any items to help them take on what I have been taking on. It shows respect and shows you care for the ministry as a whole.