Well, my dearest friend in the world's "dream job" turned out to be too good to be true! Her senior pastor of about a year has become extremely impossible to work for - very abusive to his staff (verbally, emotionally, and borderline physically!). I'm not sure what's going on in this guy's head, but much of his staff has quit already. She needs to get out of there...and fast.
So...she and her husband are looking for a new place to minister! They'd like to stay in the Wisconsin district - they've also looked at some in Illinois (there's a church only 5 miles from my church that's hiring a YP that she's sent her resume to - of course, that would be the best case scenario, lol!).
I told her I'd put my feelers out and see what I could find out for her. My heart just aches for her and her husband (and their unborn baby - yes, she's 2.5 months pregnant on top of it all!) - after the horrible church we all ministered in together, we had hoped that we all had landed dream jobs...and it did seem like it for awhile for her...but this senior pastor is not acting like a man of God in the slightest, nor is he who he presented himself to be when he hired her. I don't have time to get into everything he's said and done - but like I said, they really need to get out of there!
Please pray that God will open a door for them, and give them peace as they're trying to get out of where they're at. They live in a parsonage, so they don't feel like they can quit until they've found a new place to go. And if you know of anything (they're A/G, and prefer to be in an A/G church, but I think they'd look at any full gospel church as long as they didn't make her give up her credentials!), please let me know!
My question would be - does she fully intend on YP'ing FT after the baby is born. This is going to be on the mind of every Sr. Pastor interviewing her. They do not want to hire someone who is going to be gone in 6 months. Is she resolutely committed to continuing in ministry? I have heard you talk about your best friend many times and she sounds like a fantastic girl that I'd have no problem giving the names of people I may know who are looking for a YP but I honestly wouldn't want to give my friends the name of somebody who might quit on them in 6 months...even for motherhood. I hope you understand...from a Sr. Pastor's perspective, that's a nightmare for both them and the youth...
So let me know what her longer term intentions are...and if she's committed for the long haul, I'll be glad to pass her name along to anyone I know.
Also has she thought of posting on the job site for the A/G? The AG Jobs? The thing is, I think you can post on there but not include your name and they have some other way of contacting you. I am not sure how it fully works because we've never posted but we have gotten some people off there that we interviewed for positions in the past. She may find some very good leads there.
Has she confidentially talked to her DYD to find out about YP openings?
Yes, she absolutely plans on continuing in the ministry after the baby is born. We're talking about someone who can't do anything BUT ministry - if she could just land an interview with a senior pastor and spend just 5-10 minutes talking about her passion for youth ministry, he or she would be absolutely salivating, lol! Of course she and her husband realize that they are going to have to make adjustments to their life once they become parents (duh!), but they're definitely the "We need to make the baby fit into our lives" vs. the "We need to quit our lives and completely focus on nothing but the baby" type of couple!
Her DYD has given her a few leads, which she has followed up on...I told her I'd check things out with any connections I had as well!
More than anything, they really need prayer right now - it's frustrating for little old "Type A" me to not be able to do anything BUT pray, but I know that is the very best thing!
puppetmaster wrote: Yes, she absolutely plans on continuing in the ministry after the baby is born. We're talking about someone who can't do anything BUT ministry - if she could just land an interview with a senior pastor and spend just 5-10 minutes talking about her passion for youth ministry, he or she would be absolutely salivating, lol! Of course she and her husband realize that they are going to have to make adjustments to their life once they become parents (duh!), but they're definitely the "We need to make the baby fit into our lives" vs. the "We need to quit our lives and completely focus on nothing but the baby" type of couple!
Her DYD has given her a few leads, which she has followed up on...I told her I'd check things out with any connections I had as well!
More than anything, they really need prayer right now - it's frustrating for little old "Type A" me to not be able to do anything BUT pray, but I know that is the very best thing!
alrighty...sounds great - if I hear of friends who are looking I'll let them know about her, or contact you with info on places she might want to send a resume. And we'll be praying...
Thanks for your prayers, everyone! Definitely keep praying, but I got an e-mail from my friend yesterday saying that she has been feeling much more at peace over the past few days. I know a large portion of it has to do with the fact that a whole bunch of people are covering them in prayer (If you're A/G and in the south, you may have already gotten a call from her mom or someone who knows her, LOL!!).
Seriously, though - I'm really struggling with the whole, "Not my will, but yours be done" thing. I want them to go where God calls them; I just want God to call them somewhere close to me!! I am trying not to pray selfishly, and to trust Him to sustain our friendship...pretty much, I'm in the same boat I was at this time last year. Only this time it's their calling I'm praying for instead of ours! As Rich Mullins sings, "Surrender don't come natural to me..."
Faith and patience are definitely two virtues that God is still at work on in me!
