Best Jobs for Former Pastors:
The 3-Step Process To Finding The Right Fit When Transitioning From Ministry
Best Jobs for Former Pastors:
The 3-Step Process To Finding The Right Fit When Transitioning From Ministry
Fast Track to More Interviews: Proven Strategies for Leaving Vocational Ministry and Landing Corporate Jobs
Read Time: 3 minutes
Read Time: 3 minutes
LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH
LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH
Overview
Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! Today, we’re talking about how to find the best jobs for pastors (or anyone) leaving ministry. This is the same three-step process that everyone in our Job Clarity Intensive and Interview Accelerator goes through to get clarity for their next role in a week or less! So let’s dive in.
Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:
Mindset Shift: Best jobs for people leaving ministry.
Strategy Shift: What jobs could I possibly do as a former pastor?
Do This Right Now: Start here for your ministry career change.
Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
Overview
Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! Today, we’re talking about how to find the best jobs for pastors (or anyone) leaving ministry. This is the same three-step process that everyone in our Job Clarity Intensive and Interview Accelerator goes through to get clarity for their next role in a week or less! So let’s dive in.
Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:
Mindset Shift: Best jobs for people leaving ministry.
Strategy Shift: What jobs could I possibly do as a former pastor?
Do This Right Now: Start here for your ministry career change.
Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Best jobs for people leaving ministry.
🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Best jobs for people leaving ministry.
So what are the best jobs for pastors (or anyone) leaving ministry?
Well, we do have to define “best.”
So what is “best” for you?
Is it that you get a job quickly?
Is it remote or hybrid, or in person?
Is it paying you a certain amount
Is it a specific level of healthcare coverage?
Is it a specific type of organization?
Likely, it is a combination of those. Right?
We would define “the best job” as the one in which you are
Doing work that uses your experience, skills, and wiring
That aligns with your vision of the future for your family and community
Is in alignment with your values about work
Once you can get clear on those three things, the “best job” really starts to reveal itself.
So how do you actually do this? Let’s break it down.
So what are the best jobs for pastors (or anyone) leaving ministry?
Well, we do have to define “best.”
So what is “best” for you?
Is it that you get a job quickly?
Is it remote or hybrid, or in person?
Is it paying you a certain amount
Is it a specific level of healthcare coverage?
Is it a specific type of organization?
Likely, it is a combination of those. Right?
We would define “the best job” as the one in which you are
Doing work that uses your experience, skills, and wiring
That aligns with your vision of the future for your family and community
Is in alignment with your values about work
Once you can get clear on those three things, the “best job” really starts to reveal itself.
So how do you actually do this? Let’s break it down.
♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: What jobs could I possibly do as a former pastor?
♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: What jobs could I possibly do as a former pastor?
Most people start their search in the order of 1, 2, 3 in the list above. But the best way to do it is in a different order:
Start by creating your vision.
Then discover the jobs that align with your skills, experience, and wiring.
And then determine what your work values are.
Most people start their search in the order of 1, 2, 3 in the list above. But the best way to do it is in a different order:
Start by creating your vision.
Then discover the jobs that align with your skills, experience, and wiring.
And then determine what your work values are.
Finding Your Vision
Finding Your Vision
We break vision down into 2 major components: personal and professional.
They are linked, but most non-ministry jobs are segmented by time (professional = 9:00 am-5:00 pm and personal = 5:00 pm-9:00 am).
You can break personal down even more by family, community, finances, and even time.
Ask yourself, what do you want to be true of each of those things - specifically, what do you want to be true about yourself?
Start with this exercise of picturing that three years from now.
Then do it for 10 years from now.
If you get into a job that doesn’t align with this vision, you’ll wonder why you are headed in a direction that you don’t want… or whose vision you are actually fulfilling.
We break vision down into 2 major components: personal and professional.
They are linked, but most non-ministry jobs are segmented by time (professional = 9:00 am-5:00 pm and personal = 5:00 pm-9:00 am).
You can break personal down even more by family, community, finances, and even time.
Ask yourself, what do you want to be true of each of those things - specifically, what do you want to be true about yourself?
Start with this exercise of picturing that three years from now.
Then do it for 10 years from now.
If you get into a job that doesn’t align with this vision, you’ll wonder why you are headed in a direction that you don’t want… or whose vision you are actually fulfilling.
Clarifying the Job Type
Clarifying the Job Type
Now, about work that uses your experience, skills, and wiring.
You want that not just because you want to enjoy your work, but because if you don’t want to start over, you need to show that you’ve done the same (or similar enough) work before.
Your focus here should be on the functions of the job that overlap between your current job (and past jobs) and the possible jobs for the future.
The functions of the jobs are what you do day to day, every day.
Handle and advise conflict (this is some of what HR does)
Create relationships with new people who express interest in the organization and how it might serve them (this is what salespeople do)
Plan events (this is what Event Planners do)
Organize complex details for travel (this is what Executive Assistants do)
Lead meetings (you don’t even need a team to do this, you could just have great presentation skills to communicate effectively what you’re working on)
I’ve written a couple of newsletters on how to do this in Best Jobs For Pastors: What Jobs Can Former Pastors Do After Leaving Ministry? and 6 Steps To Finding The Right Corporate Job Title After Leaving Ministry.
Now, about work that uses your experience, skills, and wiring.
You want that not just because you want to enjoy your work, but because if you don’t want to start over, you need to show that you’ve done the same (or similar enough) work before.
Your focus here should be on the functions of the job that overlap between your current job (and past jobs) and the possible jobs for the future.
The functions of the jobs are what you do day to day, every day.
Handle and advise conflict (this is some of what HR does)
Create relationships with new people who express interest in the organization and how it might serve them (this is what salespeople do)
Plan events (this is what Event Planners do)
Organize complex details for travel (this is what Executive Assistants do)
Lead meetings (you don’t even need a team to do this, you could just have great presentation skills to communicate effectively what you’re working on)
I’ve written a couple of newsletters on how to do this in Best Jobs For Pastors: What Jobs Can Former Pastors Do After Leaving Ministry? and 6 Steps To Finding The Right Corporate Job Title After Leaving Ministry.
Understanding Your (work) Values
Understanding Your (work) Values
We define values as “what is important to you about the way you and others work within an environment.”
One of the reasons you might be leaving your current job is that you have a misalignment of values. Though it’s hard to say you are leaving a ministry because you disagree with the culture (sometimes).
How people work, how meetings are run, how complaints are handled, how people are celebrated, how decisions are made.
These all will either align or be misaligned with your work values.
If you can define what those things are that are important to you, you’ll quickly be able to identify whether a specific job fits you or not.
(This is also a good measure of whether a workplace will fit you, not just the job.)
We define values as “what is important to you about the way you and others work within an environment.”
One of the reasons you might be leaving your current job is that you have a misalignment of values. Though it’s hard to say you are leaving a ministry because you disagree with the culture (sometimes).
How people work, how meetings are run, how complaints are handled, how people are celebrated, how decisions are made.
These all will either align or be misaligned with your work values.
If you can define what those things are that are important to you, you’ll quickly be able to identify whether a specific job fits you or not.
(This is also a good measure of whether a workplace will fit you, not just the job.)
QUICK WINS
QUICK WINS
✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Start here for your ministry career change.
✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Start here for your ministry career change.
Start with your vision for the future. Do the exercise to figure out where you want to be three and 10 years from now.
Go through some of the exercises from the other newsletters listed above.
Start connecting with people who can help you get a job! (Process for that HERE)
Start with your vision for the future. Do the exercise to figure out where you want to be three and 10 years from now.
Go through some of the exercises from the other newsletters listed above.
Start connecting with people who can help you get a job! (Process for that HERE)
🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP
🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP
I heard nothing… I saw they reposted it, so I sent my new resume and cover letter last night and a Loom video introduction this morning. Four hours later the HR manager replied and asked for screening interview tomorrow!
I heard nothing… I saw they reposted it, so I sent my new resume and cover letter last night and a Loom video introduction this morning. Four hours later the HR manager replied and asked for screening interview tomorrow!
🤝 WHO WILL HIRE ME?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
🤝 WHO WILL HIRE ME?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
Because of the time sensitive nature of job postings, we post these in the newsletter only.
Get the newsletter, along with 694+ others, every Friday morning.
Because of the time sensitive nature of job postings, we post these in the newsletter only.
Get the newsletter, along with 694+ others, every Friday morning.
Rooting for you! 🚀
Rooting for you! 🚀
Todd Linder
Founder and Head Coach // Connect with me on LinkedIn
Todd Linder
Founder and Head Coach // Connect with me on LinkedIn
How we can help you:
How we can help you:
The Ministry To Marketplace Interview Accelerator: Join 97+ others that have successfully transitioned from ministry into marketplace jobs that value their experience. The Interview Accelerator will give you our proven step by step process, coaching, and community to getting more interviews for jobs that value your ministry experience and support your family. Let's hop on a call!
The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz: Join 500+ other ministry to marketplace job seekers that have taken our 60-second (FREE) quiz to find out what is hindering your job search. You'll get a video and PDF results report straight to your inbox that will identify where you are, and what you need to focus on right now to get results. Take the FREE quiz here.
The Ministry To Marketplace Interview Accelerator: Join 97+ others that have successfully transitioned from ministry into marketplace jobs that value their experience. The Interview Accelerator will give you our proven step by step process, coaching, and community to getting more interviews for jobs that value your ministry experience and support your family. Let's hop on a call!
The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz: Join 500+ other ministry to marketplace job seekers that have taken our 60-second (FREE) quiz to find out what is hindering your job search. You'll get a video and PDF results report straight to your inbox that will identify where you are, and what you need to focus on right now to get results. Take the FREE quiz here.
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