Responding Like Jesus When Your Church Kicks You Out

These seven responses can get you on the right track.
These seven responses can get you on the right track. (Flickr/Justin Cowart)

Unfortunately, pastors and staff members are forced out of churches every week. It's a pain that many in the ministry have felt at least once and maybe more. Today, we discuss how to respond when it happens to you.

Some highlights from today's episode include:

  • For the sake of your family, you can't have a victim mentality when you're forced out of a church.
  • If you're forced out of a church, take care of your family. Don't take it out on your family.
  • There's no perfect church because they're full of imperfect people.
  • You can't give up on churches just because one had toxic leadership.
  • When you're hurt deeply, one way to help the recovery is to remember how God has blessed you.
  • Self-pity can be toxic—just like bitterness.
  • Silence from your friends when you're being forced out of a church is often what hurts most.
  • Don't ever stay on the sidelines when someone is going through the same pain that you've been through.

The seven responses we discuss are:

  1. Take care of your family.
  2. Pray with specificity.
  3. Find a healthy church.
  4. Move carefully before taking another ministry position.
  5. Count your blessings.
  6. Become an advocate for other victims.
  7. Don't give up.

Click here to listen to the full podcast.

Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Previously, he served the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for 12 years, where he was a founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism.

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