Thriving in Transition–

I will be the first to admit I have not always thrived in transition. Whether it’s settling into a new church as Children’s Ministry Director or going through changes in your church, transitions are hard. I have learned a few things over the years to help stay healthy in transitions. I am still learning to do these things well, but I hope they will resonate and be an encouragement to you wherever you are in transition.

Give Yourself a Timelines

Transitions can be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s helpful to make a timeline of when certain things in a transition might happen to help frame it in your head. Knowing something is a 3-week or 2-month project is helpful.

Read Your Bible

It is so easy to get swept up and stop reading your Bible when life gets stressful. Don’t do it. Keep reading God’s Word as a balm to your soul. Even if you only read a few verses a day to meditate on them. We need to be dwelling on God’s Word in all seasons of life.

Get into Worship

As I’ve talked to Children’s Ministry Directors over the years, this is the biggest struggle: getting into worship. You are short volunteers, or a volunteer calls in sick and you don’t have a replacement. In the weeks where you can’t get to service, listen to the sermon later, blast worship music at home, or catch an evening service elsewhere. None of these things should be long term, nor do they replace getting into worship, but they are good placeholders. Tell your pastor you’re having a hard time getting into worship, so he can support you. It’s important to get to worship.

Keep the Sabbath

It can be really easy to skip Sabbath. You have got so much to do that you don’t feel you can stop. Keep your Sabbath. Plan for your Sabbath before it happens; consider what you want the day to look like. I try to plan one small thing I can look forward to during my Sabbath. Sometimes I will even tell a friend or family member what my one thing is so they can keep me accountable. God calls us to do it and He will reward your time given to Him in rest.

Find a Prayer Partner + Confidant

Choose someone outside your church who can listen in confidence to your struggles, someone who can commit to being in prayer for you. I am thankful to have a couple of confidants who have given me a healthy perspective over the years. Sometimes we just need to talk through stuff with someone else and have a fresh perspective on our situation.

Get Away

I don’t know about you, but I live in the heart of a bustling urban community. Congregants live on my left and right. I chose to live in the same community as my church community. I chose to move into the neighborhood and do life with congregants. While that is awesome to do, it is still okay to have a break. Plan a few getaways during the year—this could be a day trip or an overnight. Getting away gives us rest.

I hope these ideas may be an encouragement to you as you navigate your respective transition. The CDM Children’s Ministry Team is here to support your ministry too, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you ever need to talk or need someone to pray for you.