Article by: Nicole Monteleone, Director of Outreach

The church is a family. This truth is experienced nowhere else like in a city where almost everyone is away from home and biological family. The church is filled with the people that have helped you grow spiritually, celebrated with you when you got baptized, got a promotion, or got engaged, and comforted you when you experienced loss. The church, especially in Boston, becomes your family away from family. This makes moving away difficult for all involved.

As a city church, we’ve (sadly) had a lot of experience saying “Goodbye for now!” - because for Christians, it’s never goodbye forever! These experiences have helped us to develop a list of pro tips to help you finish your time in Boston strong. Finishing strong will help you close this chapter with grace while beginning your next one with godly intention. 

1. Tell your friends and church leaders.

The first step in finishing strong is to let your friends and church leaders know you’re leaving Boston. (The best way to start this process is to fill out the alumni survey!) 

In Acts 20, Paul gathered the Ephesian church together to let him know he was leaving to go to Jerusalem: 

“‘I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there… Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.’ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.” 
- Acts 20:24-25,36-38

Paul told the Ephesians that he was leaving, because he cared about them. It was a hard piece of news to take, but it was a step of love. Try letting people in when you know you’re leaving. Start with your pastor, ministry leader, community group leader, and a few friends. Let them help you, guide you, and encourage you as you leave. 

2. Leave your ministry better than you found it.

If you served on a ministry team at Renewal, you have helped to advance the Gospel in the city. Your impact will continue even after you leave. Magnify this impact by taking an intentional step to finish your time in your ministry strong. 

Here are some examples of steps you can take to leave your ministry in a position of strength, so it can continue to seamlessly and effectively reach people for Jesus:

1. If you are a leader, consider helping train up and find a successor. If you are a team member, recruit someone to fill your spot on the team. 

2. If you are in a position of leadership, write down processes or procedures that aren’t already written down. This will help a new volunteer transition easily into this role and keep the ministry moving forward smoothly. 

3. Does anything in the ministry need attention? Is there broken equipment or projects that are still a work in progress? Complete any open projects and replace anything that is missing or broken. If there is no time to do this, make sure someone knows what needs to be done before you leave.

Your impact does not end when you leave, especially if you take intentional steps to finish well and leave your ministry better than you found it! 

3. Resolve any conflicts. 

The Church is meant to be a unified body. Conflict threatens the unity of the body and, therefore, is important to be resolved. The Bible gives insight for handling disputes within the Church in a couple of areas. Here’s some instruction from Jesus: 

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.” 
- Matthew 18:15-16 (ESV)

Jesus encourages us to confront each other with love - not to sweep conflict under the rug. If you have an unresolved dispute, try having a one-on-one conversation with the other person. If that doesn’t work, reach out to a pastor, elder, or other church leader for support in solving the issue.

4. Spend time with friends. 

Transitions can take us out of the present and into the future. A lot of energy is spent on all of the new to come, and it can be easy to neglect your current community. Do your best to spend time with your friends before you leave. 

Consider this. The night before Jesus was crucified, He spent time eating dinner with His 12 disciples.

“When it was evening, He reclined at table with the twelve.”
 - Matthew 26:20

This was the night before the most excruciating, painful event in history. Yet, Jesus spent time with His followers, eating with them and giving them final words of encouragement and caution. How can you spend time with and encourage your friends before you leave?

5. Say “thank you” to anyone who has had an impact on your life.

Group leaders, ministry leaders, and other church leaders love to invest in others. However, they don’t always know the full extent of their impact for Christ. Is there a leader who has had a special influence in your life? Consider letting them know! You will make their day! 

A “thank-you” card, short conversation, or even a text message are some easy ways that will encourage and bless the leaders in your life. 

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

6. Reflect.

Taking time to reflect is a great way to close a chapter and begin a new phase of life. Set aside time to honestly ask yourself questions about your personal, professional, and most importantly spiritual growth. Evaluate where you are at so you can take intentional next steps to grow.

Here are some examples of questions to ask yourself. Did you grow in faith more or less than you had hoped? If more, what prompted this growth, and is it something you can continue? If less, what steps can you take to double down on your spiritual growth? 

Did you serve in an area you are passionate about? Did you feel connected to the community? You may not have accomplished as much as you’d hoped when you came to Boston, but don’t beat yourself up! Praise God for what He has done, and ask Him to help you take steps forward to become more like Jesus. 

7. Find and commit to another local church. 

Our final tip is to find and commit to another local church. Hopefully while at Renewal, you’ve seen the blessing and benefit of being involved with a local community of Christ-followers who encourage you and help you grow. This community won’t disappear, but it will be farther away, and you need a place to make local, healthy relationships. 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 
- Hebrews 10:24-25

Do not give up on meeting with other believers! You need this community in your life to continue to grow as a fully formed disciple.

Thank you for being a part of Renewal! You have helped to make Jesus Famous, People Whole, and Boston new. We are going to miss you!!

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[Thank you for reading! If you are looking for a church in Boston or churches in Boston please consider giving Renewal Church a try!]