Yesterday, I brought everyone up to date on what has been going on with us over the last 18 months. It has been a roller coaster ride of life. In those 18 months, we had resigned from two positions and moved to a new city. Our life was a mess and there didn't seem to be anything in site.
After we left Newburgh UMC, we had no idea what God wanted from me. I thought this would be the perfect church but now I wasn't sure. We were financially strapped from just moving and my wife was only making $120 a week, not enough for us to live on. I immediately began looking for local and regional positions. I thought maybe a new job would come fast but it never did.
I kept questioning God about why He was allowing this to happen. I kept thinking of what I could have done better or what I did wrong to be tested in this way. Didn't I follow where God had called me to? Was I supposed to move to Newburgh or was there another church that God wanted me at? How in the world would I pay our bills on what little was coming in? What was God really wanting me to do?
In all these questions, I began to think harder about becoming an ordained pastor. I had thought about the move from youth pastor to lead pastor before but didn't feel ready for it or that this was were God wanted me. I still felt called to youth ministry, so making the move didn't seem to make sense. The more doors closed on us moving to another ministry position, the more I realized that God was asking me to make the decision. I wasn't looking forward to the long road ahead to become an ordained pastor.
The path would take years and will require me to go back to college and get a Master's of Divinity degree. All I could think was ugh... But God continued to push me in that direction, so I made the move. I spoke with our district rep regarding the process and filled out the paper work. I had officially entered the process and was ready for what needed to be done. I hoped this move would lead me to a new ministry position, and it kind of did...
I know, I know, it has been a long time since I have blogged on this site. My life has been super crazy and I just haven't felt the need to write anything. I have a ton of ideas saved up and I am hoping to take another crack at this blogging thing.
I wanted to use this first blog to catch people up on what has been going on in my life. This will probably take a few blogs, so please be patient. The focus of this blog will probably change also. I will talk more about that later.
So what has been going on....
Over the last 18 months the life of our family has been a very crazy roller coaster. In March of 2011 we resigned from our position from Platte Woods UMC after almost 5 years of ministry. This is a decision that we felt God was asking us to make and after some needed push we did it. In our arrogance, we thought finding another position would be simple, unfortunately it wasn't. We looked for 7 months before we made the move to Newburgh and accepted a position at Newburgh UMC.
We were super excited about this move because we believed the church and staff were a good fit for us. We saw huge potential in the youth group and knew that this could be a long term position for us. Unfortunately, after just 3 months we were asked to resign for what was told us as "chemistry" between the leaders and I. I was floored. I had no idea this was coming and never expected it from this church. We knew that 3 months isn't long enough to get started much less make any significant progress but we accepted the reality of it and decided to move on.
So once again, less than a year later, we were on the look out for a new position. Again we thought there would be a quick resolution and we had a few bites right off the bat, but nothing came of it. We looked for youth ministry positions as well as secular work because we weren't sure that we wanted to move our kids after being here only 4 months.
We began to question God and how he could move us to a new location only to lose our job in 3 months. We had no idea what the plan was or where we would end up. The idea of moving again scared us because we had no financial means of doing it. We had already uprooted our family once that year and didn't want to do it again. We had no idea what God was wanting from us...
Leaving a youth ministry position is hard. No one will ever disagree with that. Starting a new position, is just as hard. No matter how the interview goes. No matter how much time is spent between the applicant and hiring committee. There will always be some pain to the transition. This isn't a bad thing. Actually it can be a good thing. New starts allow you to take a fresh look at what has been going on. Depending on the size of your church/group, you might be able to make change right way or you may need to take some time.
I just wanted to give all my fans out there an update on what is going on in my job search. I know there are a lot of people paying and wondering what is going on, so I figured I would let everyone know.
Most of my world knows that a couple weeks ago, I stepped down as youth pastor at Platte Woods UMC. I have begun the process of looking for a new position. I have done this once before, so I kind of "think" I know what I am doing. I know that many of my other youth pastor friends are looking, so I figured I would share how I am looking for a new job with the blog world.
First and foremost, I have been praying about this for a while. Even before we told people we were leaving, we have been praying. No matter what I am looking for, God has a place for me. We know that all our decisions are what He wants from us, so we have put this whole process in His hands.
What Am I Looking For?
I am a youth pastor. I know this totally, so I am looking for a youth pastor position. I am open to varying this to include young adults or maybe some family ministry but I am sticking mainly with youth ministry. I am looking for a position that will help me to continue to use the gifts that God has given me to build a youth ministry and the church.
The church I would like to be a part of will be serious about missions, its vision and reaching the lost. l want a church that is fluid in its processes, meaning willing to change what needs to be changed. I want to be a part of a staff that is relational and willing to help each other. I would like to be in a church larger than 800 in worship, but that isn't a big deal. Size has never really mattered to me. I just want a church that I can fit into.
How Am I Looking?
I really don't like looking for a new job. I don't know that anyone really loves it. I started this search off with having my resume professionally evaluated by an HR Manager. I also had several of my friends look at it to make sure that I was presenting myself correctly. I am happy with how my resume reads and what I have accomplished. I also created a default email that I use as a guideline when sending to churches. I try to change it up by focusing on what the church is looking for.
The church world is a small world and big combined. There are tons of churches and different denominations but if you know a group of people, your reach can be pretty big. I am connected with other youth pastors and churches through the UMC and Nazarene churches. I have have contacts through the NNYM and my involvement with SYMC as an Inside Track Team member. I have feelers out everywhere.
I am staying on top of the different job boards out there. There a few youth ministry specific lists out there, some ministry lists and then the denominational classified listings. I will list some of the main boards below...
Youth Specialties
Simply Tools
Youth Ministry Architects
Church Staffing
Where Am I Looking?
Moving to Missouri wasn't a big part of our plan when I was looking for a job last time. God had plans to bring me here and we are happy we did. This time we are kind of focusing our search on an seven hour driving radius around Nashville (where our families kind of live) and parts of Florida. We are open to move outside of this range but we would really like to be closer to family. This search includes the following states: Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
I am excited about the idea of moving to somewhere new. I know that God has a plan for us and I am glad I get to be a part. He did some amazing things while we were at Platte Woods. Platte Woods was my first full-time ministry position and I learned a ton. I am excited about being able to take what I learned and apply it to another ministry setting.
