Throughout the past couple of weeks we’ve navigated making hard decisions and how to weigh your options to make the best decision possible. We’ve looked at how other people react and what questions you answer. And we did all of it based on the idea of a pastor receiving a call to a new church. Although many of the points are relatable across situations.
Today we look at what happens next? I mean what happens after you make your decision and make it public? What do you do? How do you do it?
The short answer is you move forward. Whichever direction you choose, whether it’s staying where you are or making a necessary shift, you just go and don’t look back.
The temptation will be in some cases to play the whole what if game? You know the what if I made the other decision? What if I chose the other option? What if I went through the other door? But that game won’t really benefit you at all. It won’t do you any good to sit and ponder over and over again something that just wasn’t meant to be.
The best thing to do now that you’ve made your decision is to move ahead with whatever transition plan you’ve established. If you’re staying then you need to transition back to the vision of the group you’re leading, or cast a new one. If you’re leaving, then make the necessary shifts to get packed and move on.
Do not linger in this process as it only makes things harder. Especially if you’re leaving a place where you are fairly well connected, you want to make sure to take time for healthy farewells but make it swift.
In my case, I decided that it was clear that I needed to stay where I am. That decision really didn’t have anything to do with the other church. It was all about what I really believed was still here in front of me. But as I made the decision, I alerted the other church and all the other necessary people. I made my announcement. We prayed for the new friends I made throughout this process. And now we get back to work. I won’t forget the people I encountered along the way. And I won’t stop praying for them, but I know that I am not the one God called to be their pastor.
The long and short of things is that we move on. We hit the ground and get back to work. Cherish the steps along the path. Hold the friendships close. But there is something in front of you here that needs done. Now’s the time to get to it.
Now as you’re moving forward, look for the next decision that needs made and you start the process all over again using what you learned about yourself in this process.