We guide mission-driven organizations through leadership transitions
A fresh approach to handle team transitions and terminations with grace, so your community multiplies, not divides.
✔
PROTECT
YOUR PEOPLE
✔
PRESERVE
YOUR PURPOSE
✔
PLAN FOR
WHAT’S NEXT
Most organizations wait too long to make a change.
Not out of neglect, but out of love - for the mission, for their team, and for the one who will face the transition.
But waiting doesn’t make it easier. It makes it more complex.
Whether you're facing founder succession, a staff reorganization, or the slow tension of unclear next steps, one thing is clear: Without a plan, transitions become distractions.
How does Ministry Transitions work with church leadership to ensure a healthy change?
We specialize in compassionate support that helps close the gap between the “desired outcome” and the “actual outcome” in ministry transitions. When we do this well, it will multiply, not divide the church. (x NOT ÷)
Ministry Transitions provides comprehensive services, so the outgoing leader and their family can thrive in their next season, whatever their calling.
CAREER
COACHING
COUNSELING
“Wish I found you sooner.”
The sentiment we hear most frequently - whether from former pastors or board members - is a profound wish for a different past, one where our guidance could have made the transition smoother, less painful, and more constructive.
At Pastoral Transitions, we strive to alleviate regret by offering timely, compassionate support to guide individuals and communities through the complex maze of leaving ministry - turning hindsight into foresight for a better tomorrow.
Listen to the Life After Ministry podcast on Apple, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
We can begin helping you navigate this path right away. Here’s how…
-
Schedule a call to get started.
Schedule a confidential call to talk to someone on our team over the phone or Zoom to assess your needs.
-
Together, we create a roadmap.
We talk with your leadership while supporting your outgoing leader (and their family) as they begin a new season.
-
Make a healthy transition.
The best outcome is one where your organization feels supported and loved as the family of God.
Check out our growing network of ministry partners!
What are the challenges facing outgoing ministry leaders and their families?
-
Trauma
A wide range of emotional, spiritual, and relational trauma is experienced by the pastor and family members.
-
Loneliness
Leaders and their family lose relational and spiritual support from members of their community.
-
Finding a new job
The average ministry leader takes a year before finding a new job, and they frequently switch fields.
-
Unemployment benefits
Pastors are not usually eligible for unemployment benefits, and many church leaders do not know this.
-
Financial devastation
Transitioning out of ministry causes financial hardship for pastors and leaders, resulting in housing relocation.
-
Spiritual deconstruction
Coming out of church or parachurch ministry, leaders experience spiritual deconstruction, and their future ministry suffers.
“Jesusʼs most pressing concern before leaving the earth was our unity. He was looking ahead, to every generation of believers. And as he prayed, he made it clear that our witness as his body in this fractured, messed-up, chaotic world would depend on our love for another.”
— Ed Galisewski, A Simpler Faith: Hope For Those Who Struggle With Church
What are the challenges facing ministry leadership in transitions?
-
Modeling Poorly
How we care for our people, and especially outgoing pastors, serves as a model for how the church should treat one another.
-
Loss Of Trust In Leaders
If there is a loss of trust between leadership and its members, it can be difficult to ever regain that trust.
-
Division In The Body
When a ministry leader moves on for whatever reason, there is potential for taking sides and division. Leadership has to do this right.
-
Loss Of Giving
When people are upset with how leadership handles a situation, it will often lead to a lack of giving, followed by leaving.
Dedicated to serving the Kingdom of God, wherever help is needed.
Churches + Denominations
Christ-Centered Nonprofits
Christian-Owned Businesses
Missions Agencies
Christian Higher Ed
Read our latest blog posts…
Stay connected on social…
Our goal is to help your ministry transition well. Why?
It enhances
unity.
Our goal is to help ministries achieve the best possible outcome during times of change. By caring well for your outgoing leaders and their family, we're confident your members will feel thankful for the best possible outcome of what is usually a difficult situation.
It models the
love of Jesus.
Ministry Transitions provides a roadmap to help leadership model love and the fruit of the Spirit - even in the midst of conflict. Our resources encourage, equip, and enable church leadership to part with their pastor that brings honor to God during times of change.
It breeds a healthy ministry transition.
We want to see departing leaders succeed in their next chapter – and we believe that with our help, they will. Our goal is to make sure the outgoing leader feels a sense of commitment, restoration, and love from their community.
Transitions in churches frequently result in church division and long-term animosity for, and from, the pastor and their family. This guide highlights five essential steps that, when implemented, minimize the negative impact of transition and preserve unity in the church.