“We should be indeed purely, simply, and wholly at one with the Eternal Will of God, or altogether without will, so that created will should flow out into the eternal Will and be swallowed up and lost in it, so that the eternal Will alone should do and leave undone in us.  Religious exercises cannot do this, nor words, nor works, nor any creature or things, suffering them to be what they are, and enter into union with God.  Yet the outward things must be; and sleeping and walking, walking and standing still, speaking and being silent, must go on as long as we live…when God Himself swells in man; as we plainly see in the case of Christ.  Moreover, where there is this union, which is the outflow of the Divine light and dwells in its beams, there is no spiritual pride nor boldness of spirit, but unbounded humility and lowly broken heart; there is also an honest and blameless walk, justice, peace, contentment, and every virtue…Be well assured of this.”
-Johannes Eckhart (1260-1327)

This week we have been talking about the effects of a pastor’s resignation.  I mentioned earlier that there is often a feeling of betrayal when a pastor leaves.  It is something that cannot be helped.  Often it is the youngest church members that have the hardest time understanding it.  Especially when a pastor loves the kids of the church.

One of our 9 year old members has the feeling that I am leaving him.  He is a sharp and perceptive young man that presented to his mother a very profound thought way beyond his years.  He asked her, “I thought he was the shepherd of the flock and was here to stay with us and watch over us.  Why is he leaving us if he is our shepherd?” I have thought several days now about this question and how to reply. 

A pastor is a shepherd to the flock of God.  The flock in which God calls Him to.  The truth be told, he is only a shepherd working under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Though we are supposed to shepherd the flock of God, we are in submission to the Great Shepherd.  Even though God calls pastors to individual flocks, He sees things from a wider perspective, meaning the whole body of Christ.  The flock as a whole.  The shepherd (pastor) serves in the field that God desires.  Now the fact is, the sheep of the flock a pastor serves in love him and as Jesus said, “know His voice.”  No matter how difficult, there are times when the Chief Shepherd asks the under-shepherds to change fields.  Because God has specific callings and plans for each under-shepherd and because the Chief Shepherd knows what is best for the flock, He shapes the will of the shepherd.

The Apostle Paul, who challenged every pastor to shepherd the flock of God, moved around to different fields.  He was not betraying them but was doing what was best for the flock.  We may not understand these things but we must keep our eyes on the Chief Shepherd.  He will never disappoint.

There is nothing like packing to move that causes you to realize how fast time goes.  I had the “privilege” of packing Josh’s room.  Josh is a packrat.  He saves everything! 

As I was cleaning his room I was getting on to him for being a junk collector but the further I went, the more I reminisced.  Going through his school awards.  Looking at the crafts he has made.  Picture he has drawn.  Then I went to the closet.  When we moved to Nederland Josh was about 5’2″ and 110 pounds.  Now he is 5’10” and about 210 pounds.  I looked through the closet and saw all the clothes when Josh was little and wondered where has the time gone.

I sometimes wish we could go back in time and relive some of the moments.  I am now thinking about how I can slow down time to keep Josh young a little longer.  We cannot stop time but we can cherish the moments when our kids our growing up.  I am determined to make more memories with our family.  Something that we can always remember, no matter how old we get.

From the latest dollar bill we see that even George Washington is worried about the economy.  I wonder if he would vote for the bailout.

A pastor’s resignation has certain effects.  We will look at 2 parts on this subject.  Part 1, the effect on the church.  Part 2, the effects on the pastor.  We are not looking at the resignation in a church that is going through division and hardships.  There are different implications in those situations.  We are looking at the effects of a resignation when the church is doing well.

The number 1 feeling that surrounds the resignation in the church is disappointment.  When the pastor is loved and valued, the resignation causes disappointment and hurt.  Many do not understand why.  “Why now?”  I know that the sense of feeling deals with what will happen after the pastor is gone.  Will the church continue to go forward?  Will we lose people in the process?  People place a lot of trust and hope in the pastor and when he resigns they wonder what will happen.  I am a firm believer that if God leads a pastor to a new ministry then He already has a replacement for him.

The other feeling during resignation is betrayal.  Even though the pastor is following God’s will, it leaves the feeling that the pastor has betrayed His flock.  In fact, the resignation hurts the church family.  There is no easy way telling them.  There is no easy way to let them down. 

The last feeling of resignation is insecurity.  The congregation that is being left without a pastor, might feel like they are not “good enough” for the pastor to stay.  They are left wondering, “what did we do wrong?”  Could we have done something to keep our pastor?

All of these feelings are a natural result of losing a pastor.  Of course people are disappointed.  As a matter of fact, I would feel as if I had failed in ministry if the people were not a little disappointed.  But if God is in it, those feelings will be resolved when the new pastor arrives.  As for betrayal, it is a common feeling.  I know it probably feels like a husband who has gone to find another wife.  The feeling of betrayal may be a result but we must remember that a pastor must follow the will of God.

Finally, every congregation will feel the insecurity.  Words cannot take those feelings away.  This is only resolved when the church realizes that God orchestrated the events surrounding the resignation and that it was not because the church was not “good enough” but rather when someone follows the will of God it has nothing to do with the congregation’s insufficiency.  The church must realize that the pastor loves that congregation very much and it hurts him also.  When we are separated from those we love and care for, it should never be easy.

Now, I realize that this whole process hurts and it leaves us with many questions.  I do not have all of the answers but I believe that God will help the church through it.

For the next couple of days I would like to look at the process of resignation for the pastor and the questions that arise when he resigns.

Sunday morning I tendered my resignation and it shocked our congregation.  Why did it shock them?  Because we are not experiencing problems in the church.  There is a great support for the ministry of our church.  Now there are always small things but nothing that would cause a resignation.  On top of that there is unity within the body.  The church is experiencing growth.  Not tremendous growth but steady growth.  We just hired a youth pastor and the youth group is growing. So why resign?

Here is my philosophy.  I would rather go out on top, rather than in decline.  I have taken churches where the pastor did not leave much for an incoming pastor.  Either there was a rift in the body or a long-term decline.  I would rather leave a church when the church is more appealing to a pastor.  Not to mention, I believe that if we begin to lose our effectiveness we should consider the question, “Is my time up?”  We do not like to look at that question because it is often a harsh evaluation.  Furthermore, it might mean we have to leave a place of comfort and familiarity to launch into uncharted waters, but we must do what is best for the church, not just what is best for ourselves.

So back to the original question, why did I resign?  I honestly believe that God is leading me to a new place of ministry.  I sensed within my spirit in August that my time was winding down in Nederland and that a transition was coming.  I am losing my effectiveness in the church and I believe that God has already prepared the heart of my successor.  Churches do not like to think of this especially if they like the pastor they have.  But if God has someone else to carry the church to the next level then these things must play out.  I resigned because I believe it is God’s will. 

It was one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made because of the comfort I have here.  My family is close by, now it will be an eleven hour drive from them.  I have a routine.  I have a great love for our church family and from our church family.  We have been truly blessed, but God’s will must be followed.  I intend to follow Him where He leads.  That place is Rogers First Assembly in Rogers Arkansas.

Today was probably the hardest day in my ministry career.  After 5-1/2 years in Nederland, we are leaving.  At the conclusion of this morning’s service I shared with the congregation that God was leading me to another place of ministry.  It is not always easy or comfortable to follow the will of God but it must be done.  In these years at Nederland we have formed many great relationships with our church family.  We have had many great times together and have also endured hard times together.  It is through times, good and bad, that we have grown closer together.  So, to part ways is difficult but we know that God has His hand in it.

I will write more about the transition and the resignation process in the days to come.

If there is one thing that is certain is that things are never certain.  We are watching things unfold in our economy that makes us nervous.  The most prosperous nation in the world is watching our financial institutions spin out of control.  The only answer:  a government bailout.  I am not here to talk about the political aspect of this but, I am here to say that if we do not fix the underlying problems of greed, there will only have to be other bailouts.  What I would like to prove, however, is that these financial institutions are not secure.  Our economy is not secure.  The dollar is not secure.  The stock market is not secure.

We must have investments, it is wise stewardship of what God gives us.  We should seek to save and gain increase as long as we do not become full of greed.  The pursuit of wealth and gain can lead us to focusing only on that and putting our pursuit of God to the side. 

The truth of the matter is that in this world, nothing is secure.  Our finances could be gone tomorrow.  In a neighboring city next to us, they were almost completely wiped out in Hurricane Ike.  As you drive through you see people’s possessions stacked next to the road.  Our possessions are not secure.

Jesus spoke of this in His sermon on the mount:
 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

What are we laying up for?  Are we seeking to build our kingdom here with no thought for our eternal kingdom?  Where is our heart?  God wants to bless us, but if our hearts are bent on gain, we will be misguided.  Jesus is cautioning people to not get wrapped up in the pursuit of prosperity.  In fact, He reminds us that those things are not secure.  They fade, rust and get stolen away.  We should rather, seek to lay up treasures in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Work for His glory.  Seek to grow closer to Him and give your life away for the glory of His Kingdom.

Friend, the only thing sure in this life is Jesus Christ.  The Bank of Heaven will never go under and God will never need a government bailout.