Why I said no

As the year draws to a close i want to say why i turned down the church that offered me a full time position at the start of the year, since I've informed my reading public of why i left a perfectly fine ministry placement.

Let me be clear... They offered me the job and i said no.

Let me be even more clear... I said no well before the start of the year.

In the corner of my foundations of ministry PowerPoint printout are the words...
GOD
WIFE
FAMILY
CHURCH

For me, these are the priorities for my ministry life.

The equation is simple. God is first... Everything else is secondary.

My wife is my next priority... All else is will be put on the back burner for her welfare.

As you can probably tell, my family will come before ANY church i work for. My wife before my family and my God before my wife.

Anyway... back to the start of 2007.

I turned down the position because they called my bluff. Due to the living arrangements and the future plans that Ange and i have, i either had to withdraw my priorities for ministry, or exercise them in this difficult decision.

My thinking was pretty straightforward. I will, hopefully, be married for many more years than i will be in ministry. If i had to sacrifice one, to the advantage for the other... church is the first thing on the chopping block.