What being laid off from working at a church taught me about myself

Just about two weeks into 2017, I was laid off from my staff position as a ministry assistant at a church I had been a part of (both staff and non-staff) for almost 8 1/2 years. It was quite

a shock and very unexpected when I heard the words, “ Your season of ministry at the church has come to an end.” Being laid off is not fun. I was assured that it wasn't for anything I

did or didn’t do. There wasn’t any conflict of disagreement with the senior leadership. Nothing like that. The time just came for my season to end and space needed to be made with a lot of

staff and ministry changes. So, naturally, I was hurt and had questions and had no idea what was next. Now, almost two months later, I’ve had a lot of time to think, pray, ask God questions,

and seek counsel from people who are close to me and people I respect. This was actually a really good time of growth amidst the hurt and confusion. There was also a supernatural sense of

peace through it all. There isn’t any other explanation for it. God has been with me and my wife through these past months and it has been amazing. I know that he prepared her for this

season even before I got the news that I was laid off. For that, I am very grateful. As I have been praying about what’s next, whether it’s another full-time vocaional ministry job or a

“secular” job, God has allowed me to see that I have held vocational ministry up on a pedestal and idolized it. I came to a place where I wouldn’t be okay with anything other than that. But,

through this experience, God has allowed me to see that my heart and my priorities were misaligned. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do feel called and do believe I have giftings for pastoral

ministry as a vocation. I have been affirmed by many close to me in that regard. However, this is not God’s plan for me at this time in my life and that’s totally okay with me. So, now I’m

just walking through this season open-handed into whatever God has next. My family and I are still a part of the church and still very close with the leadership. Our community is there and

there really isn’t a reason to go elsewhere. We’re here until God says otherwise. So, that being said, I’m hopeful and excited for this new journey as I will be headed back into the “real

world” working for a great company here in Chattanooga. I will be joining he team at Southtree as the Customer Service Coordinator. This job came at the perfect time and I’m very excited for

the opportunity. This journey of losing my job and being unemployed for a couple of months had taught me and my wife a lot about prayer and trust and faith. This is just a great picture of

God’s faithfulness and proof that no matter what your situation is, he’s the master planner, and he wants you to hold fast to himself. Try it and see what happens.