When do you give it up?

I’ve been thinking that lately. When do you give it up. I mean, no matter what the “it” is, how do you decide?

Recently, I’ve really been contemplating when it is that I will not continue in youth ministry in the position I am in. As youth pastors, do we have a shelf life? Is there a good time to step away from the lead position?

I’ve always had in my mind that I would be doing this for ten years. I’m coming up to eight years this year.

Do I still feel called? Yes. Do I still care for students? Yes. Is my heart still in it? Yes.

I guess the debate becomes, do I leave while all of those answers are “yes.” I believe that I should. I do not want to leave a ministry that is unhealthy for someone else to fix. I want to be able to pass on the torch brightly lit.

I don’t think that many of us plan with the end in mind. It’s something that I’m beginning to do. What decisions am I making now, that will affect the next youth pastor? We all need to be asking those questions. I don’t believe that we do that enough.

It’s scary to think of any position, any job without yourself. But to ensure long term health, we need to get over our fears.