{"id":31930,"date":"2022-09-10T15:49:39","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-healthy-responses-to-unexpected-changes-in-ministry\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:49:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:49:39","slug":"5-healthy-responses-to-unexpected-changes-in-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/5-healthy-responses-to-unexpected-changes-in-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Healthy Responses to Unexpected Changes in Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"
Na Urchin photo – Pexels <\/p>\n

By Fran Trascritti<\/em><\/p>\n

When I served on a church staff some years back, my senior pastor shared the news with the church that he was being called to another ministry.<\/p>\n

Of course, I was thrilled for his new calling, but I was also grieved. I was losing a friend, a mentor, and a father figure. I knew I would miss his wise instruction and counsel.<\/p>\n

Yet, a part of me also worried about the church, because I knew things were going to be different. Needless to say, it was a mix of emotions for me, and I wasn\u2019t sure how to respond!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it: Very few of us love unexpected changes. No matter what your role is as a church leader, it is important that you are able to respond to new situations in a Christ-centered way. But how does a leader recover from the sudden turn of events and begin this process?<\/p>\n

Here are five principles to keep in mind as you prepare yourself in order to respond to changes:<\/p>\n

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1. Remember God\u2019s character. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

You might be surprised by a change, but God is never surprised.<\/p>\n

Proverbs 5:21 says, \u201cFor a man\u2019s ways are before the LORD\u2019s eyes, and he considers all his paths.\u201d Along with being reminded of God\u2019s infinite knowledge, don\u2019t miss the fact that He is also loving and faithful, always present in times of need (Psalm 46:1).<\/p>\n

Leaning on God\u2019s goodness, especially in the difficult times, is soothing to the soul.<\/p>\n

2. Pursue God\u2019s wisdom. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

With any change, the threat of conflict is real, and often the first impulse is to go into \u201cfix it\u201d mode.<\/p>\n

Instead, consider a very important step: Turn your attention to the Word of God. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:14a in the midst of struggles, to \u201ccontinue in what you have learned and firmly believed.\u201d<\/p>\n

By spending time in God\u2019s Word, you can have clarity and godly wisdom in the midst of change. This wisdom will greatly impact what you do for your next steps.<\/p>\n

3. Pray to God fervently. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Along with seeking wisdom through the Word is the need to come before God in prayer.<\/p>\n

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We are instructed to \u201cpray constantly\u201d (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but sometimes we can find ourselves being impatient, missing out on the privilege we have in appealing to the Lord.<\/p>\n

Charles Spurgeon once said in his sermon, \u201cPray Without Ceasing,\u201d that prayer is \u201ca most sweet and precious permit to the believer to pour out his heart at all times before the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opportunity to pray fervently to the Lord is a delight for God, so spend time asking Him to lead, guide, and equip you to serve Him through the difficult times ahead.<\/p>\n

4. Seek godly counsel. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

God has given you a gift of brothers and sisters in Christ, and this gift shouldn\u2019t be overlooked. Within the church, you will find wisdom, fellowship, love, encouragement, and good, godly counsel.<\/p>\n

Go to them! Proverbs 15:22 says, \u201cPlans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Communicate God\u2019s direction. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t underestimate the importance of communication. Whatever you do, it needs to be communicated clearly, appropriately, and often.<\/p>\n

To communicate effectively, it may take multiple methods and occasions for a message to get through. This is vital, because \u201cthe tongue of the wise brings healing\u201d (Proverbs 12:18).<\/p>\n

A church in the midst of change can greatly benefit from your wise, prayer-filled words that come from the counsel of the Word and godly saints.<\/p>\n

When we talk about unexpected change, it\u2019s not a question of \u201cif,\u201d but \u201cwhen\u201d it will happen. Let me encourage you to prepare your heart now as it will help you respond with godliness and grace, building up others and helping the church reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

FRAN TRASCRITTI (@frantras)<\/strong> pastored churches for over 23 years and now serves with the Explore the Bible team at Lifeway.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com<\/div>\n
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Change: Biblical Truths that Bring Security<\/h2>\n

FIND OUT MORE <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What Do Pastors Believe About the End Times? What Do Pastors Believe About the Book of Revelation? 3 Ways to Reach Non-Religious People in Your Community <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Na Urchin photo – Pexels By Fran Trascritti When I served on a church staff some years back, my senior pastor shared the news with the church that he was being called to another ministry. Of course, I was thrilled for his new calling, but I was also grieved. I was losing a friend, a … Continue reading “5 Healthy Responses to Unexpected Changes in Ministry”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31930\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}