Most people prefer spring to winter (unless they’re a hockey fan!). We enjoy the excitement of beginnings, not the melancholy of endings. Starting a new job or business feels far more exhilarating than hitting our twenty-year work anniversary.
Yet I’ve learned that it takes just as much faith and courage to end something as it does to start it. It takes faith to venture into the unknown and try something new. It also requires faith to walk away, especially when everything is going well.
Through the years, I have witnessed leaders who boldly followed Jesus as he led them to many great achievements. They dared to trust God, and God richly blessed them. You would think that after many years of faithful obedience, they would trust Jesus in any situation. Unfortunately, many don’t.
One of the dirges of leadership are those people who cling to a position even after God has released them from it. It’s clear to everyone around them that they can no longer serve effectively, but they refuse to relinquish control.
Perhaps a pastor founded a church thirty years ago. He started from scratch and developed a strong congregation. But after three decades, he has lost his vibrancy and creativity. He often preaches the same old sermons and relies on tired, threadbare cliches. People love and appreciate him, but they roll their eyes when he starts in on a story he has told countless times before.
Why do leaders struggle to move on? Some fear that they have nowhere else to go. If they have led their church or organization into the doldrums, they are unlikely to receive many other job offers. Some leaders find their identity in their leadership role. If they are no longer a CEO or pastor, they lose sight of who they are. Still others worry that they can’t afford to retire. So they continue on at their post, even though they have become more of a hindrance than a blessing.
In order to navigate endings in a God-honoring manner, consider several important truths.
First, the Jesus who led you to your current assignment is the same Lord who will lead you away. You can trust him.
Second, God will always have a new assignment for you (until he takes you home). It might not be as prominent or pay as well, but anything God gives you to do is significant.
Third, the organization you lead isn’t yours. It’s God’s. You may stay for a time, but you will eventually leave. Problems arise when you start viewing the church or organization you serve as yours. You are a temporary worker.
Fourth, prioritize the wellbeing of the organization over your own success. Ask yourself, “What is best for this organization?” One day, the answer to that question might be to retire or move on. It’s hubris to believe that no one can do your job as well as you can, especially as you age.
Fifth, keep the next generation in view. The best leaders develop and welcome their replacements. Once they see an Elisha walking by, Elijahs know it’s time to move on.
I was the president of the Canadian National Baptist Seminary and College for 13 years. I loved the job, the location, and my colleagues. For more than a decade, I knew I was exactly where God wanted me to be. One day I realized there was an Elisha in the area. He was a younger man who had skills I lacked, skills the school would soon require. The seminary trustees supported me. I was in the most influential position I had ever had. But I dared not stay too long. I left a few months later. My successor is still there and doing an excellent job.
Sixth, remember that you are not your job. You are a beloved child and faithful servant of the King. Your job title might change, but your identity in Christ never will. If you keep that truth in mind, you will have an easier time when it is time to surrender your position.
Seventh, as the old preaching adage goes, it’s better to leave people longing than loathing. Leave before people start hoping you will. I have been fortunate enough to walk away from every one of my jobs while things were going well. It’s far better to leave at the height than at the depths. Leave things better than you found them. Many leaders have unraveled years of progress because they stayed too long.
Eighth, demonstrate your trust in God. Aging leaders who stubbornly cling to their positions demonstrate a lack of trust in their Lord. Leaders should leave their post gracefully, trusting that the same God who led them to that role will guide them to their next one.
It’s typically easy to demonstrate courage early in life. When we’re young, we have little to lose. As we age, we tend to worry more about the future and what it holds. Hopefully your walk with God has taught you to demonstrate even more courage and faith now than you did at the outset of your leadership journey.
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