Changing Seasons

We all know the cliché, “change is hard.” It’s true! Whether it’s moving to a new city, or starting at a new school, or going to a new church. Yet, change and transitions are also an opportunity to model our faith to those around us.

My church is embarking on a journey of pastoral transition. One of our pastors is coming back from a leave of absence, and will take over the day to day operations of our church. She and her husband will serve and lead our community as co-pastors. Our founding pastor is remaining on staff, but will transition into the role of Networking Pastor, where he will focus more on building up churches and networks throughout the city of Seattle.

Personally, I’m excited for the opportunities this creates for our church to impact not just our neighborhood, but many neighborhoods across our city. And I’m excited for the ministry and discipleship opportunities we’ll be launching this spring and summer as our co-pastors take on their new roles. As an elder at our church, I’m excited to see God providing the leadership, people and gifts our church needs to grow.

My greatest dream for this process is that we take every opportunity with each other to model grace and patience. Transitions are hard. Getting settled into new rhythms always feels like it takes longer than it should, and there are always unforeseen challenges that come up. How our church and our leadership walk together is an exciting opportunity to model God’s presence in our community.

Since we just started this process, I don’t really have any profound insights to share with you. But I’m excited for what God has in store for our church, and I would love your prayers for us. What about you? Does your church have any experiences with change and transition? Do you have any advice for us?