How to Know When It's Time to Go

Written by Calvin Wittman

Knowing when it is time to leave a specific ministry assignment is often difficult to discern. From a human perspective we can all find reasons why we should leave or why we should stay. While all of us would love for God to send us a written message from heaven with clear instructions, unfortunately He simply does not work that way. So how can we know when it is time to go?

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God usually works in the positive instead of the negative. He usually shows us where He wants us to be instead of where He does not want us to be. Simply put, it is usually time to leave when God shows us that He has another place for us to go, another assignment which supersedes the current one. The issue, then, is not “Should I leave,” but rather, “Should I go?” What each of us should look for is a compelling sense of call, an overwhelming certainty that God is calling us to a new place of service.

What are some of the things we should look for, questions we should ask ourselves, as we seek to confirm that God is calling us to a new location?

1. Is the new assignment in line with your gifts?
Is this something God has made you to do? Has He prepared you for this new assignment? While God often stretches you when He moves you, He is not the author of chaos.

2. What does the body of Christ say?
Every pastor should have some godly people to whom he can turn, men who know him and know God. Men who will be honest with you even if it hurts. What do these men say about your possible move? God often speaks to us through the wise counsel of others.

3. What does your wife say?
It is very rare that God will send you to a place where you wife does not share your sense of call. Remember that God instituted the family before He instituted the Church. God made her to complete you not to compete with you.

4. What does the Spirit of God say?
To put it another way, in spite of all the external realities, do you know God’s peace? The peace of God is always a barometer to the will of God. If you have no peace about going you should probably stay put.

5. What does your heart say?
Why would you want to go to a new place instead of staying where you are? Is it human ambition? Is it because you don’t want to have to do what it will take to stay where you are? Is it wanderlust? If you are not honest with yourself you will not be open to the honest counsel of others. Many pastors have gone to new assignments for the wrong reasons, only to realize too late that they should have stayed where they were.

Being certain of God’s leadership is paramount. Know before you go, it will save you a lot of grief.

Dr. Calvin Wittman is pastor of Applewood Baptist Church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. He is a former missionary to Spain, and holds degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Seminary (MDiv), and Southern Seminary (DMin). He is also a veteran of the United States Navy and has worked as a news anchor on both television and radio stations in Texas.

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