Changes coming.

03Dec
by Jon Swanson

My  friend was telling me about his job change. He was leaving his warehouse job and signing up as a substitute teacher. He’s also enrolled in a program that teaches  college grads how to teach.

It’s a very cool thing.

He said, “Now I have to tell people that I’m quitting.”

I shook my head. I started to explain the difference between quitting and resigning. “Quitting,“ I said, “has a negative feeling. It means that you don’t want to follow through, that you are abandoning a commitment, that you are taking your ball and going home.”

“Resignation is different, “ I said. And then I choked up. It took me a couple minutes to start talking again.

As I told my friend, I wasn’t emotional about his decision. I realized that I was talking about my own decision. Three days from that conversation, on November 15, I was going to stand in front of our congregation and announce my own resignation as executive pastor. And I knew that I wasn’t quitting my calling. I was resigning my job.

1972293_10152358484922008_1734354355_nI’ve been in my current job for eight years. I’ve loved almost every moment of it. I’ve loved the staff and the elders I’ve worked with. I’ve learned more about leadership  from my boss than he realizes. I’ve treasured the opportunity to share life and laughter and tears with people.

But I also know that I need to spend more time and energy helping younger people understand what it means to be the church in settings closer to the size of living rooms and less the size of gyms.  Not that there anything wrong with churches gathering in gyms or movie theatres or auditoriums.

We just know (which is a quiet way of talking about quiet ideas from God) that the current phase of work is done and the next is coming.

Nancy likes the way that it happened for Abraham and Sarah. God told them to leave where they were and that they’d find out where they were going. We’re leaving. We’ll let you knew where we’re going.

When we find out.

17 thoughts on “Changes coming.”

  2. Becky McCray

    The turn of seasons is here. You’re tearing out the old crop, and making way for something new and amazing to grow.

    Like

  3. Rich Dixon

    You start taking this following thing seriously, and “all of a sudden” it takes you seriously. I wonder…how far will you get to step beyond your comfort zone?

    Like

    1. Jon Swanson

      Hmm. Is it a get to or a have to? But as I think about your comment, I think about a number of uncomfortable steps this year. With a death and running and Nepal and some other things, there have been stretches. Thanks for reminding me.

      Like

    2. David

      I seem to have been on the road all my life Jon! I never seem to know where I might end up from one month to the next. No different to our Christian journey really.

      Like

  8. Gary Mintchell

    Blessings on your new venture. I went through that sort of change almost three years ago. When you know it’s time, then God is whispering. People seem ready and even hungry for a return to the small fellowships where you get to know others with celebrations and teaching. Oh, and coffee 😉

    Like

  9. Jenni

    Jon, really eager to learn more about your investment in young people and living room churches. I coach church planters. Might we connect?

    Like

Comments are closed