You've been serving in ministry for over a decade. You're not just good at your job—you're really good at it. People seek your opinion, you know where everything is, and you can handle most crises with your eyes closed.
🎧 Listen to this episode:
But lately? You've been scrolling LinkedIn a little too often. Checking out job boards. Wondering "what if."
Here's the thing: you're not burned out. You're not angry at your church or disillusioned with ministry. You're just... restless. And if this sounds familiar, you're experiencing what I call the competence paradox.
The Hidden Prison of Expertise
Nobody warns you about this aspect of getting really good at ministry—expertise can sometimes feel like a prison. You've accumulated incredible knowledge, deep relationships, and institutional memory that makes you invaluable to your organization. You know how to navigate the church politics, manage difficult personalities, and solve the same recurring problems that pop up year after year.
But that same expertise that makes you so effective is also what makes you feel stuck.
The Drift Into Ministry Autopilot
Here's what happens when you master your role: you start drifting into what I call "ministry autopilot." You begin solving tomorrow's problems with yesterday's solutions. That creative spark that used to drive you—the one that had you dreaming up new programs and innovative approaches—gets buried under the weight of competence.
You catch yourself saying "we tried that before" more often than "what if we tried this?" The role that once stretched you now fits a little too comfortably. And perhaps most frustrating of all, everyone else sees you as the expert who has it all figured out.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)
Listen, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being excellent at your job. There's nothing wrong with having expertise and "knowing where all the bodies are buried," as we say in ministry. But here's the truth: expertise without growth isn't stewardship—it's just maintenance.
The Ministry Refresh Strategy
If you're feeling this tension between competence and restlessness, you don't have to choose between throwing away years of expertise and staying exactly where you are. Instead, consider these four refresh strategies:
1. Expand Your Role Sideways
Think about what's adjacent to your current responsibilities that could stretch you again. What areas are you not currently handling but could? What unknowns exist within your organization that could challenge you in new ways?
For example, if you're a worship pastor, maybe you could get involved in small group leadership development. If you're in student ministry, perhaps you could help with young adult transition programs. The key is finding areas that leverage your existing strengths while introducing new challenges.
2. Become the Mentor You Wish You'd Had
Your expertise isn't just for you—it's for the next generation. Take on that young staff member who looks up to you and formalize that mentoring relationship. Pour into someone who's where you were ten years ago.
Here's what's beautiful about mentoring: it will reinvigorate those feelings of purpose and growth in you while moving you out of maintenance mode. When you're helping someone else navigate challenges for the first time, you remember why the work matters.
Reflection Questions:
- What expertise have you gained that you'd hate to lose?
- What aspects of your current role make you feel restless or hungry for more challenge?
- Who in your organization could benefit from your mentorship?
3. Take On the Project Everyone's Avoiding
You know that initiative everyone keeps talking about but no one wants to tackle? The one that seems important but impossible? That might be exactly what you need.
Use your credibility and institutional knowledge to tackle something that really matters but seems insurmountable. This is where your years of experience become a superpower rather than a burden. You have the relationships, wisdom, and organizational capital to make things happen that others can't.
4. Create Your Succession Plan
Start training someone to do your job so well that you can evolve into whatever comes next. This might be the most counterintuitive advice, but creating a long-term succession plan can be incredibly refreshing and reinvigorating.
When you're actively developing others to handle your current responsibilities, it frees you to explore what God might have next for you—whether that's within your current church or elsewhere.
"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)
Reframing Your Restlessness
Here's something crucial I want you to understand: your restlessness is not a character flaw. Many of us feel guilty when we experience this kind of discontent, as if something is wrong with us for not being completely satisfied.
But often, that restlessness is God stirring you toward greater impact. Your church needs people like you who refuse to coast on past success. The kingdom needs experienced leaders who are willing to keep growing rather than settling into comfortable patterns.
Your years of experience have given you something precious: the ability to see what's possible and the skills to make it happen. Don't waste that on autopilot.
Your Next Step
If you're feeling this tension between expertise and growth, here's what I want you to do this week: have one honest conversation with whoever you report to about the kind of growth you're craving.
Don't ask for a new job. Instead, ask for input on how to evolve the job you currently have. Share what's stirring in your heart. Talk about where you feel stuck and what kind of challenges energize you.
Most senior pastors and supervisors would much rather help a valuable team member grow than lose them to restlessness. But they can't address needs they don't know exist.
This Week's Action Items:
- Schedule a conversation with your supervisor about areas where you'd like new challenges
- Identify one routine task you could approach differently to create space for growth
- Reach out to a mentor or peer to discuss your current season
- Write down three things you're grateful for and three areas where you'd like to see change
Your Experience Is an Asset, Not an Anchor
Remember this: your expertise and experience are assets, not anchors. You don't have to choose between honoring your accumulated wisdom and pursuing new growth. The best leaders find ways to do both.
Your church invested years in your development. You've invested years in learning your craft and building relationships. That's not something to abandon lightly—it's something to build upon strategically.
The question isn't whether you should stay or go. The question is how you can steward your gifts and experience in a way that brings glory to God and continues to challenge you toward greater impact.
"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14 (KJV)
If you're navigating this season of ministry life, I'd love to hear from you. What's stirring in your heart? How are you working through the tension between expertise and growth? Your story might be exactly what another ministry leader needs to hear.
Reach out anytime at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com. And if your church is looking to add staff this year, I'd be honored to help you find the right people for your team.
Your best ministry days don't have to be behind you. Sometimes they're just waiting for you to refresh your perspective and take the next faithful step forward.
