Before You Go - What’s Motivating Your Move?

Understanding your motivations for a potential church transition is essential for making a wise decision that aligns with God's purpose. We discuss the significance of identifying healthy and unhealthy motivations and offer actionable steps for self-reflection and discernment.

• Exploring the importance of reflecting on motivations before transitioning 
• Highlighting healthy reasons for moving on 
• Cautioning against running from challenges 
• Addressing the complexities of burnout in ministry 
• Encouraging self-reflection through writing down motivations 
• Seeking feedback from trusted mentors and friends 
• Emphasizing the need to evaluate efforts within the current role 
• Stating that clear motivations lead to confident decisions

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hey there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I'm Todd Rhodes, co-founder over at chemistrystaffingcom, and I'm so glad you're here. We're starting our series. Actually, we started it yesterday on Wade Hodges' new book. It's called when to Leave, and today we're diving into a crucial question that really every pastor and church leader must ask before moving on to a new role, and we talked about this a little bit yesterday. But here's the question what's motivating your move? Now, this series we started yesterday, going for the next three weeks or so, is inspired by a book written by Wade Hodges a while back. It's called Before you Go Questions Every Pastor Must Ask Before Moving On to a New Church, and I really think this series stay tuned, listen, subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any episodes but I really think this series if you're contemplating a move in 2025, I think this series will help you identify some of the driving forces behind, maybe, if you should move, why you should move, where you should move, all those things, and today we're talking about the motivation behind your move. End of this episode, you'll have the tools to really dig a little bit deeper into your motivations and assess whether or not they're hopefully leading you in the right direction. Okay, so we talked about this yesterday a little bit.

Speaker 1: 1:34

Transitions in ministry are significant, and many times they're fueled by a mix of emotions. Some of these motivations are really healthy and God-honoring. Others stem from frustration or fear, or even restlessness, and that's one of the things that Wade emphasizes is the importance of examining your why before you make a move. So here's some common motivations for leaving where you are and, like I said, maybe you're considering that, but it's the start of the year. You always reflect at least I do at the start of the year what's God have for me this year, and maybe you're thinking 2025 might be the year that God's calling me to go do something else. So here's some common motivations for leaving where you are and going somewhere else.

Speaker 1: 2:24

First is just maybe you feel called to a new opportunity. Maybe there's just a crystal clear sense of calling, and that's actually one of the healthiest reasons to transition. When God opens a door, it's worth exploring. So maybe there's an opportunity out there and you're really excited about it and you want to investigate it. That's a great reason. Maybe, though, maybe you're running from some challenges. Be honest, are you thinking about leaving because the current role is maybe tough. Maybe you're running into some problems that don't solve themselves and it often means that if you don't solve them where you are, unfortunately they may resurface in your next position. So be careful about that.

Speaker 1: 3:11

Maybe you're seeking some personal growth. Growth is a valid reason to want to move and we talk to a lot of candidates that say I just feel like I can't go any farther where I am. I feel like God's calling me to do something new where I can grow a little bit more than what I am. I feel like God's calling me to do something new where I can grow a little bit more than what I am. You need to make sure that the new role truly offers those opportunities to stretch and develop your skills.

Speaker 1: 3:34

Another reason could be maybe you're escaping burnout. Burnout's real. We've talked about that many times here on the podcast and sometimes stepping away is just absolutely necessary for your health. But if you're thinking this, ask yourself have I addressed before I just up and leave have I addressed the root causes? Or am I just thinking that a new role will fix everything, because it's between you and me? A lot of times it doesn't. Maybe you just want a fresh start, and sometimes a fresh start is necessary, but just make sure and ensure that it's driven by discernment, not just a desire to escape your current discomfort.

Speaker 1: 4:16

Understanding your motivations helps you make a decision that's grounded in wisdom and not just emotion. So here's the bottom line for today your motivation matters. It shapes how you approach any kind of transition and whether or not it will be successful. So here are some steps I would love to have you take. If you're in this mode right now and if you're not, take some notes here. At some point you probably will be in this mode. First of all, write down your why At some point you probably will be in this mode.

Speaker 1: 4:46

First of all, write down your why. I mean take time to listen, to list out your reasons for considering a move and be really brutally honest with yourself and pray for clarity. We talked about the importance of prayer yesterday on the podcast. Ask God to reveal any blind spots in your motivations and to align your desires with his will and talk to people that you really trust. Chances are, at this stage you can't really talk to too many people in your church, but maybe you've got some other ministry colleagues from other churches. Maybe it's a college roommate, maybe it's your counselor. Give me a call. I'd be happy to talk with you, but share your reasons with your mentor or your trusted friend, because a lot of times they can see blind spots that you don't see and they can offer some perspective and help you work through and evaluate your why.

Speaker 1: 5:37

And then here's something that I want you to consider today as well have you done all that you can? Where you are, I mean leaving. Well, often means leaving at the right time and for the right reasons. So here's what I'd love to have you do. If this is really you're like Todd, this is where I'm at, this is what this is what's in my head. I would ask you to take, I ask you to take 30 minutes. I would just yesterday. I would ask you to take 30 minutes and continue to look at what you wrote down yesterday. If you did, if not, start on a brand new piece of paper, write down your motivations for leaving, why you would leave, identify which ones feel healthy to you and aligned with God's calling, and which might seem a little bit sus, might need a little bit more reflection. And I think this whole series is going to be how do you leave once you decide to leave.

Speaker 1: 6:30

If you're wrestling with your motivations for leaving, I'd love to hear your story. You can email me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Your journey matters. This is what I've given my life to and my ministry for is helping people just like you If you're going through a hard time to try and work through that and find a great place for you to serve in your next ministry role. So I'd be honored to walk alongside you. You can email me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom.

Speaker 1: 7:03

And if you would like to download a copy of Wade Hodges book it's called Before you Go, you can just email me. Podcast at chemistry staffingcom. Podcast at chemistry staffingcom. This book, it's absolutely free. It's a PDF. It's packed with insights to help you navigate the season with wisdom, and I'm here with you along the journey here on the podcast. All right, thanks for joining me today. Remember understanding your why. It's one of the most important steps in making a healthy transition and when your motivations are clear and when your motivations are aligned with God's purpose, you can move forward with confidence and peace. Take care, I'll see you tomorrow right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Have a good one.