Moving On: Grief in Ministry Transitions

Any ending of a ministry involves a unique and complex mix of grief for all involved. The pastoral relationship ends, and all that it was must be reworked and re-storied as it moves from present reality into memory. Moving On is full of good advice and personal stories about a wide range of ministry transitions. Ministers and lay church leadership teams will find in this book practical guidance to help them work through ministry changes with honesty and good grace. Ministers are professional experts on grief. Holding others through endings, dying and bereavement is a core part of the job. However, attending to our own grief and transitions is easier said than done. It helps when we apply what we know about grief to ourselves and our own families. Grieving well releases fresh energy and joy, to be available to new communities and contexts. Grieving releases us more fully into God's life-long call, through different seasons and expressions of ministry. This book reflects upon the experience of the pastor as he or she works through the process of 'moving on' from a ministry. It explores the complex and compound nature of grief, especially when a ministry has been conflicted and when the decision to leave was difficult. It offers a wealth of experiences from a breadth of cultural contexts, from nearly 40 contributors. The grief of ministry transitions is addressed in prayer and liturgy. There are tools and resources as well as discussion about church processes and policy related to endings such as resignations and retirement. Poems by New Zealand writer Ana Lisa de Jong add further depth to the book.