What You Need To Know About Starting Over In Ministry

At a recent conference I ran into a friend of mine who had recently started over in ministry. We were both talking about our fresh start and came to the conclusion:

STARTING OVER IS HARD!

Even though we had both been in ministry for over a decade we both agreed some of those hardships we thought only rookies face, were still true for us veterans.

Last week, I completed my first full year of ministry at my new church. And while I’m proud of the growth we’ve accomplished I’ve been reminded:

Everything takes time so have faith in the plan

Just because you know what you want to accomplish doesn’t mean it’ll happen for you right away. If that was the case you could stare at the summit of Mt Everest and immediately find yourself there.

Building a dynamic and ministry takes time. If you lose sight of that principle you might find yourself making erratic changes. When we rush ourselves it’s easier to make mistakes. Instead we have to learn how to trust the plan by:

• Setting mini goals that you can use as milemarkers to determine whether or not you are heading in the right direction
• Sharing your vision with those around and getting their feedback and insight
• Collecting data that affirms or challenges that directions you’ve chosen

Your ministry will take a few years to grow. Don’t panic or fall into the comparison trap with the church down the road. Keep chugging away and trust God that He will get you there.

Not everyone who begins the journey with you will continue to the end

There are going to be people who are excited when you jump on board. They’ll work hard to make sure you are comfortable and well equipped. However, over time they might step away because:

• Their vision of the ministry might not match yours
• They are called in a different direction or move away
• The ministry moves in a direction where their gifts and talents are no longer needed

Your ministry will change, you will change and so will your volunteers if they want to continue to serve. If people leave the best is not to take it personally and remember that God brings people in and out of your ministry for a reason.

Just because you’ve done it before and succeeded doesn’t mean you should do it again

I saw a lot of success at my last church and could assume that it would follow me to this new one. Unfortunately, what works in one place doesn’t work everywhere else.

Sometimes you have to reinvent yourself and take a different approach. When starting over it’s important to learn the different dynamics, and cultures.

You’ll be able to make better decisions because of your experience, but don’t think things will go exactly how they did before. Remain humble and keep working towards your goals.

Building a ministry takes time whether you are starting with your first, second, third or tenth church. Trust God, invest in the people around you and grow as a leader. You’ll get there.

What have you learned about starting out for the first time or starting over?