Life After Ministry

Missionaries spend years preparing to go to the field, but few are prepared for what it feels like to come home.
After serving six years in Germany, Nate and Brittany Bruns share the unexpected challenges of returning to the United States, navigating reverse culture shock, raising third-culture kids, and rebuilding community.
Ultimately, they discovered God was calling them to live as missionaries in their own country. 
Their story offers practical encouragement for missionaries, churches, and anyone walking through an unexpected ministry transition.
Key Takeaways
Reverse culture shock can be more difficult than moving overseas.
Missionary transitions affect spouses, children, and the entire family.
God often prepares leaders for future seasons long before they understand why.
Returning missionaries bring valuable wisdom that can strengthen the local church.
Waiting on God is an active posture of trust, not passive inactivity.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Job loss, the desert season, and God's unexpected call to Germany
04:30 Reaching a post-Christian culture through relationships
07:15 When God said it was time to come home
11:15 Reverse culture shock and becoming strangers in your own country
16:00 Helping third-culture kids navigate transition
20:15 How churches can better care for returning missionaries
23:30 What America can learn from post-Christian Europe
26:45 Financial transitions and rebuilding support
30:00 Waiting on God and discerning what's next
34:00 The Bruns Tribe and engaging the spiritually disengaged
36:30 Encouragement for missionaries in transition
If you're navigating a ministry transition, we'd love to help. Start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Nate and Brittany's ministry at The Bruns Tribe.

Few ministry leaders expect the end of their pastoral chapter to unfold differently than they imagined. Yet for many, transition arrives carrying both grief and unexpected opportunity.
In this honest conversation, Scott Sauls reflects on stepping away after more than 30 years of pastoral ministry, processing the loss of a role he loved, recovering from work addiction, and discovering a new calling shepherding high-capacity leaders. 
Along the way, he offers wisdom about identity, friendship, reconciliation, and trusting God when the future feels uncertain.
Key Takeaways
Ministry transitions often bring grief and relief at the same time.
Work addiction can quietly shape a leader's identity and relationships.
Healthy transitions begin with embracing who you are apart from your role.
Every leader needs authentic friendships, not just professional relationships.
The gospel calls us to love across differences, especially when it's difficult.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Scott's ministry journey and pastoral background
02:20 An unexpected transition from pastoral ministry
05:00 Grief, relief, and leaving a church you love
07:00 Confronting work addiction through recovery
09:30 Is Scott still a pastor?
11:00 The birth of the Sycamore Community
16:30 Shepherding leaders outside the local church
18:30 The impact of ministry transitions on spouses and families
21:00 Loving across the lines of difference
27:00 The Mercy King and God's relentless love
If you're navigating a ministry transition, start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Scott's work at Scott Sauls.

Founder transitions are some of the most difficult moments in ministry leadership, but they don't have to end poorly.
After leading the church he planted for 27 years, Keith Spurgin shares the lessons he learned about succession, feedback, sabbaticals, and letting go with confidence. 
He also reflects on the leadership mistakes he nearly made during COVID and how stepping away for a year ultimately prepared both him and his church for a healthy transition.
Key Takeaways
Healthy succession planning begins years before the transition.
Founder transitions often succeed when leadership is shared rather than concentrated in one successor.
Sabbaticals create space for leaders to rediscover who they are apart from their role.
Feedback reveals blind spots that leaders cannot see on their own.
Legacy is built by preparing others to succeed after you're gone.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction and Keith's ministry journey
00:45 Nearly derailing a succession plan during COVID
01:45 Why handing leadership to a team changed everything
06:45 Building trust before succession
07:45 Why Keith stayed away for six months after stepping down
09:00 Lessons from an unexpected year-long sabbatical
15:20 Why every leader needs honest feedback
18:15 Processing life after ministry
24:00 The Growth Resourcing Group
26:00 Unknown: Finding Connection in a Disconnected World
27:30 Why Keith's next book is about finishing well
Preparing for a leadership transition? Start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Keith's leadership resources at Keith Spurgin.

Many leaders secretly believe their value comes from what they do. But what happens when the title disappears, the ministry ends, or life takes a turn you never expected?
In this deeply personal conversation, Steve Cummings shares his journey through ministry leadership, addiction recovery, job loss, financial uncertainty, and ultimately discovering a deeper identity as a beloved son of God. 
From sitting in rehab at age 55 to working at Home Depot and eventually launching Bringing Kingdom, Steve offers hope for anyone learning to trust God in a season they never planned for.
Key Takeaways
Your identity is not determined by your title, income, or position.
Hidden struggles become more dangerous when they remain isolated.
Recovery begins when honesty replaces shame.
God often uses seasons of transition to reveal deeper truths about who we are.
Ministry is not confined to a church building or nonprofit organization.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Friendship, ministry history, and Steve's background
01:30 Seminary, missed opportunities, and unexpected career turns
03:45 Building a career in nonprofit ministry
06:00 Hidden struggles, addiction, and personal collapse
08:00 Rehab, recovery, and discovering the deeper issues
11:00 Losing a ministry position and starting over
12:30 Working at Home Depot and confronting identity
16:00 Launching Bringing Kingdom
21:30 The Father Eclipse and understanding father wounds
28:00 Helping men discover their identity
31:30 Financial uncertainty, faith, and trusting God's provision
40:30 Is there life after ministry?
If you're navigating a leadership transition or difficult season, start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Steve's ministry at Bringing Kingdom.

Most leaders know succession planning matters. Far fewer know how to start the conversation.
In this episode, Gary Blackard, President and CEO of Adult & Teen Challenge USA, shares lessons from leading a national ministry, navigating leadership transitions, and helping people find hope in the midst of life's most difficult challenges.
From succession planning and organizational stewardship to addiction recovery and spiritual formation, Gary offers practical wisdom for leaders who want their influence to outlast their tenure.
Key Takeaways
Succession planning is an act of stewardship, not a signal that leadership is ending.
Leaders often avoid succession conversations because of fear, identity, or lack of self-awareness.
Hope is a critical ingredient in personal transformation and lasting change.
Healthy leadership begins with a strong private relationship with God.
Legacy is protected when leaders intentionally prepare others to carry the mission forward.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction and Gary's leadership journey
01:30 Transitioning into Adult & Teen Challenge leadership
04:20 The history and mission of Adult & Teen Challenge
09:40 Ministry leaders, addiction, and the importance of the private altar
12:00 Spiritual disciplines that sustain healthy leadership
15:20 Why hope matters during seasons of change
18:30 Facing the succession elephant
21:30 Why leaders avoid succession planning
27:00 Building a lasting leadership legacy
33:40 The Hope Within Reach podcast and helping families navigate addiction
37:00 Final thoughts and encouragement
Navigating a leadership transition or preparing for succession? Start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Listen to Hope Within Reach and learn more about Adult & Teen Challenge at Adult & Teen Challenge USA 

Success in ministry can hide struggles that few people ever see. 
While Will Acuff was helping build a nonprofit that would eventually launch thousands of entrepreneurs and transform communities, his family was walking through years of exhaustion, medical challenges, and uncertainty. 
The contrast forced him to confront a difficult question: what happens when the strategies that helped you succeed no longer work?
In this conversation, Will shares the lessons he learned through leadership succession, personal suffering, and the unexpected journey that led him to write No Elevator to Everest. 
For leaders facing transition, burnout, or uncertainty, this episode offers a hopeful vision for finding joy that is not dependent on circumstances.
Key Takeaways
Succession works best when leadership development starts long before the transition.
Healthy transitions require trust, coaching, and ongoing support after the handoff.
High-capacity leaders often struggle to acknowledge their own pain and limitations.
Joy is cultivated through intentional practices, not favorable circumstances.
Faithful leadership requires both knowledge of God and honest knowledge of ourselves.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Welcome and Will's ministry background
03:45 Launching Corner to Corner and helping entrepreneurs escape poverty
07:50 Why the Church should lead community transformation
11:10 Succession planning and transitioning leadership as a founder
19:55 Parenting through complex disabilities and chronic hardship
24:00 Creating a "joy lab" in the middle of suffering
29:00 The story behind No Elevator to Everest
31:00 Advice for burned-out ministry leaders
35:00 Finding joy in the middle of hard
35:40 Resources, book, and final encouragement
If you're navigating a ministry transition or leadership challenge, start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Will's work at Corner to Corner and his book at No Elevator to Everest.

Leaving ministry is rarely a simple decision. 
For many pastors, it comes after years of carrying responsibility, managing expectations, and trying to care for everyone around them while quietly neglecting themselves and their families. 
In this episode, Shawn Gwaltney shares the story of how ministry slowly became unsustainable, what pushed him toward transition, and how he eventually rediscovered purpose through business, mentorship, and helping others find clarity. 
This conversation offers hope for leaders wrestling with burnout, identity loss, and the fear of what comes next after ministry.
Key Takeaways
Ministry burnout often grows slowly through constant emotional pressure and unclear boundaries
Many pastors already possess leadership and relational skills that transfer well into the marketplace
Identity can become deeply tied to the title of “pastor,” making transition emotionally difficult
Healthy leadership in business still requires empathy, discipleship, and genuine care for people
Clarity is often the first step toward healing and rebuilding after ministry transition
Chapter Markers
00:00 – Shawn’s return to church and entry into ministry
03:20 – The pressures that pushed ministry toward burnout
07:20 – Choosing family over vocational ministry
10:20 – Systems pastors wish they had built sooner
11:20 – Transferable leadership skills pastors already have
16:00 – Wrestling with identity after leaving ministry
18:30 – Faith, wealth, and business ownership
23:00 – Helping pastors find clarity after transition
26:00 – Meaning, purpose, and life after success
28:20 – Shawn’s mission to help others grow
If you’re navigating a ministry transition, start a conversation with the team at Ministry Transitions.
And to connect with Shawn Gwaltney and learn more about his mentorship and business resources, visit Shawn Gwaltney.

The Church is carrying more tension than many leaders know how to navigate. Political polarization, fractured trust, rising anxiety, and unrealistic expectations on pastors are reshaping congregations across the country. 
In this conversation, Dr. Andrew Hale shares why he believes the Church is not collapsing but entering a moment of reformation. 
Together, we explore how ministry leaders can stop treating non-essential issues as ultimate ones, rebuild authentic community, and lead congregations toward healthier relationships rooted in Christ instead of cultural division.
Key Takeaways
Conflict in the Church is not new, but today’s divisions are being amplified by politics and cultural anxiety.
Many churches have elevated non-essential issues above the central mission of Jesus.
Ministry leaders are carrying unrealistic expectations while trust in institutions continues to decline.
Healthy churches create space for diverse perspectives and authentic relationships.
This cultural moment may be less about the collapse of the Church and more about a needed reformation.
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Andrew Hale’s ministry background and love for the Church
03:00 — Why churches are becoming more divided
07:42 — Organizational psychology and understanding conflict
09:16 — Essential vs. non-essential issues in the Church
16:18 — Declining trust in institutions and ministry burnout
19:12 — Have we placed too much pressure on pastors?
23:19 — Why this moment may be reformation, not collapse
27:24 — Political idolatry and the future of the Church
30:57 — Where to find Dr. Andrew Hale and his book
If this conversation resonated with you, we’d encourage you to take the next step. Whether you’re navigating conflict, leadership transition, succession planning, or simply trying to lead your church through a complicated season with wisdom and clarity, the team at Ministry Transitions is here to help. 
You can also learn more from Dr. Andrew Hale’s work on church health, division, and renewal at AndrewRHale.com and explore his book Mending the Fracturing Church wherever books are sold.