Is MY Ministry Over?

What happens when my career has an unhappy ending?

One Pastor’s Unhappy Ending!

“Is MY Ministry Over?” This was the question that I was facing after a ministry career full of fruitfulness and some success, experienced an abrupt and significant disruption. I was pastoring a large multi-site church with three campuses and 50+ staff when it became apparent that I was no longer going to be the senior leader of that organization. For 25 years my career track had been “up-and-to-the-right”, having pastored several churches where the weekend attendance was north of 1,000.

It seemed that my career path had prepped me to lead people, manage systems, and marshal resources at a high level. Suddenly that season was over and I was left with the unanswered question… “Is MY Ministry Over?”

It would be six months before the mental fog would clear completely and a year of meeting with an amazing counselor before I would consider myself healthy, but it was a singular conversation with a pastor friend, within the first week of the crisis, that would be the first step in charting a new trajectory for my ministry engagement.

I asked him the question that was pounding in my head…"Is MY Ministry Over?” In answer to that question he said many things, many good things, many spiritual things, but what I heard, and remembered were two lines: 1) You are too talented not to work again…and 2) ministry can be fruitful again, if you are willing to accept that it will look different than it has.

The crazy thing is that within eight weeks I had three offers, all churches that had significant size and resources… But I couldn't shake the thought that there was fruitful ministry waiting if I was willing to do it in a different context. After a season of anguish, prayer and fasting, my wife and I asked a new question… “What if we tried to build a church that we would want to attend, even if I wasn’t the pastor?”

That question led us on a journey that would include partnering with a large multi-site church in order to plant a church at 56 years old. I had been the lead pastor in four churches, helped launch four campuses in a multi-site environment, and had resourced the planting of several international churches but had never planted a church myself.

What happened next is a story for another day but four years into this ministry redirect, we have successfully launched a church, grown it to 250 and launched a second site which is now running 150. What a crazy ride and one that more seasoned and gifted pastors might consider if they have an unhappy ministry ending later in life.

If you wonder if this might be you here is a profile of those who might find success in planting missional small churches.

The Profile of a Founding Pastor in a Missional Small Church

In a time when many church leaders measure success by size and scope, there is a growing movement of seasoned pastors embracing something smaller, leaner, and more intentional—a missional small church. These churches aren’t marked by massive crowds or sprawling campuses but by deep community engagement, spiritual vitality, and strategic impact. At the heart of many of these movements is a unique kind of founding pastor—one with a distinct blend of experience, humility, and leadership acumen.

This kind of pastor doesn’t typically emerge from seminary with youthful zeal and a five-year plan to plant a megachurch. Instead, he often arrives with grey hair and scar tissue. He has led before—sometimes successfully, sometimes painfully—and now seeks something different. Whether it’s after a fruitful career in a large church setting, or following an unexpected and painful ministry transition, this pastor sees the small church not as a step down, but as an opportunity to return to the essentials of the gospel and spiritual leadership. For him, smaller is not less. It is more focused. More agile. More personal.

His past experiences—good and bad—have forged wisdom. He knows what works and what doesn’t. He has seen the power of systems when they serve mission, and the harm they cause when they serve only maintenance. He brings with him not only theological depth but organizational clarity. He can build infrastructure with simplicity and sustainability, applying the same strategic thinking he once used to lead larger ministries. He is fluent in systems—financial development, ministry alignment, leadership pipelines, and community outreach—and can right-size them for a smaller context. He can see the whole field, and knows how to prioritize what truly matters.

But what makes this pastor especially unique is his ability to attract others. Leaders follow him—not because of a title, but because of his track record, authenticity, and vision. Donors trust him, not for flashy campaigns but for tangible results and spiritual integrity. Volunteers respond to his leadership because he’s been in their shoes, and he’s not above rolling up his sleeves to join them. He doesn’t have to prove himself anymore. That’s the very thing that makes his leadership compelling.

He’s not driven by ego, but by calling. He doesn’t need the platform; he desires the presence of God among people. His goal isn’t to recreate what once was, but to pioneer what could be—faithful, contextual, and effective ministry that punches above its weight. His church may not be large, but it is strategic. It serves its city in real ways. It develops leaders who carry the DNA of multiplication. It gives generously. It reaches people who thought the church had nothing left for them.

This is the kind of pastor who helps a small church outperform its size. He is not building an empire; he’s cultivating a movement. And while he may not trend on social media or speak at national conferences, his fingerprints will be on the kind of transformation that lasts—quiet, steady, and faithful.