Mastering Transitions

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Sometimes the church that seems the perfect fit doesn't want to try us on. And sometimes the church that seems wrong turns out to be ever so right. A call to a specific church can be as mysterious as a call to ministry.
—Ed Bratcher

After finishing two years of advanced research at Louisville Seminary, I was contacted by several churches, one of which particularly attracted me. So I sent my résumé, held conversations with the church, and talked with people who knew something about it. I anticipated eagerly the possibility of going there. But they didn't choose me as their pastor.

Eventually, a church in Manassas, Virginia, called me. At first, though, I wanted nothing to do with it. Marjie and I had seen the tremendous pressure on the lives of the many professionals in the community, and we said, "No way!" We'd never lived in a community like that. Add to that the lack of unity in the congregation, and I didn't think I could pastor effectively there.

But Marjie and I were part of a support group in Louisville at the time, and when we told them about the church in Manassas and all our reasons for turning it down, the group was unanimous: "As we see you and your gifts, we think you can minister there. We encourage you to consider going." So we did.

Sometimes the church that seems the perfect fit doesn't want to try us on. And sometimes the church that seems wrong turns out to be ever so right. A call to a specific church can be as mysterious as a call to ministry.

Although God's leading is difficult to determine in such matters, it's not impossible. When we consider prayerfully the following factors, I believe we can get a better handle on where God is calling us.

During my ministry, I found that when my own church ...

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