“Why Are You Leaving Ministry?” Crafting Your Ministry Career Change Story for Marketplace Success.

“Why Are You Leaving Ministry?” Crafting Your Ministry Career Change Story for Marketplace Success.

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH

LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH

Overview

Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! In today’s episode, we’re talking about your story. You have a great ministry background, but how do you explain that experience so that it makes sense? How can you tell your story so that people want to hire you? We call this the Throughline Story. Let’s dive in.


Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:

  • Mindset Shift: Telling your ministry to marketplace story.

  • Strategy Shift: How to explain your transition from ministry.

  • Do This Right Now: Put your pastor transition story together.

  • Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors..

Overview

Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! In today’s episode, we’re talking about your story. You have a great ministry background, but how do you explain that experience so that it makes sense? How can you tell your story so that people want to hire you? We call this the Throughline Story. Let’s dive in.

Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:

  • Mindset Shift: Telling your ministry to marketplace story.

  • Strategy Shift: How to explain your transition from ministry.

  • Do This Right Now: Put your pastor transition story together.

  • Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors..

🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Telling your ministry to marketplace story.

🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Telling your ministry to marketplace story.

Your story is the most important thing about you.


I believe this so deeply because I have seen it over and over and over and over again. Your story can get you in the door. 


Your career story may actually be the thing that helps you get into the interview process, and the job offer, even if…


  • You don’t look like the right fit on paper

  • Your experience is “non-traditional”

  • You don’t feel like you’re qualified.


Check out this interview I did with Anna, who went from the lead pastor’s Executive Assistant to lawyer - purely because of her story.

What Anna perfected, and what we’re going to talk about today, is your Throughline Story.

Your story is the most important thing about you.

I believe this so deeply because I have seen it over and over and over and over again. Your story can get you in the door. 

Your career story may actually be the thing that helps you get into the interview process, and the job offer, even if…

  • You don’t look like the right fit on paper

  • Your experience is “non-traditional”

  • You don’t feel like you’re qualified.

Check out this interview I did with Anna, who went from the lead pastor’s Executive Assistant to lawyer - purely because of her story.

What Anna perfected, and what we’re going to talk about today, is your Throughline Story.

What is your Throughline Story?

What is your Throughline Story?

Your Throughline Story is your story explaining why your next step makes the most sense to potential employers, recruiters, friends, or anyone else for the specific organization and job type that you are applying for.


You’ll use this when someone asks you the question, “Tell me about yourself.”


This is also a fantastic resource to weave into your cover letter (we talked about that in the newsletter last week), your LinkedIn about section, and to have memorized for interviews.

Your Throughline Story is your story explaining why your next step makes the most sense to potential employers, recruiters, friends, or anyone else for the specific organization and job type that you are applying for.

You’ll use this when someone asks you the question, “Tell me about yourself.”

This is also a fantastic resource to weave into your cover letter (we talked about that in the newsletter last week), your LinkedIn about section, and to have memorized for interviews.

♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: How to explain your transition from ministry.

♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: How to explain your transition from ministry.

There are three reasons to share your Throughline Story:


  1. So that you can communicate effectively that you are qualified.

  2. So you can bust objections against your ministry experience.

  3. So you can build trust that you are the right person to hire.


Great, so now how do we do this?


Here are the 4 steps to creating your Throughline Story.

There are three reasons to share your Throughline Story:

  1. So that you can communicate effectively that you are qualified.

  2. So you can bust objections against your ministry experience.

  3. So you can build trust that you are the right person to hire.

Great, so now how do we do this?

Here are the 4 steps to creating your Throughline Story.

  1. Where you are going next in your career

  1. Where you are going next in your career

You want to write this out. Start by jotting down ideas, more than anything structured. List out:


  • What interests do you have that are pulling you in a direction towards the organizations or industries that you’re interested in?

  • What skills do you want to continue to develop/refine in a new environment, and how can you use them to help an organization that operates differently from where you are now?

  • What values do you hold that draw you toward the organizations and the job that you are pursuing?

You want to write this out. Start by jotting down ideas, more than anything structured. List out:

  • What interests do you have that are pulling you in a direction towards the organizations or industries that you’re interested in?

  • What skills do you want to continue to develop/refine in a new environment, and how can you use them to help an organization that operates differently from where you are now?

  • What values do you hold that draw you toward the organizations and the job that you are pursuing?

  1. Where you are now in your ministry job

  1. Where you are now in your ministry job

Think through your interests, skills, and values again. Answer questions like:


  • Why did you take your current job? 

  • Why do you work at your current place of employment?

Think through your interests, skills, and values again. Answer questions like:

  • Why did you take your current job? 

  • Why do you work at your current place of employment?

  1. Where have you been in your job history

  1. Where have you been in your job history

Think of this as your journey from the beginning of your career or even thinking about your career, like odd jobs in high school or your college degree, to where you are now. Do the following:


  • Outline the steps from where you are all the way back to when you first remember making a big life decision in alignment with either the interest, talent/skill, or values.


Make these “where you come from” stops in the journey a bit shorter. We’re looking for quick highlights of why you chose that thing, and then move on to the next stop.

Think of this as your journey from the beginning of your career or even thinking about your career, like odd jobs in high school or your college degree, to where you are now. Do the following:

  • Outline the steps from where you are all the way back to when you first remember making a big life decision in alignment with either the interest, talent/skill, or values.

Make these “where you come from” stops in the journey a bit shorter. We’re looking for quick highlights of why you chose that thing, and then move on to the next stop.

  1. Now put them all together in a different order

  1. Now put them all together in a different order

Where I am now is… (what you developed in point number 2 above)


  • How I got there was… (what you developed in point number 3 above)

  • Which leads me to my next step, moving towards… (what you developed in point number 1)


Write it down and try to make it a story that you can tell in 1-2 minutes MAX.


Quick additional note of encouragement.


If you are saying this out loud or creating this and don’t feel confident, that’s okay to wrestle with. But don’t stop there.


Work backwards from your emotions. What thoughts are leading to those feelings? And then what beliefs (about yourself, others, the world, or God) are leading to those thoughts?


It is important to share this confidently. Good interviewers will be able to sense hesitancy.

Where I am now is… (what you developed in point number 2 above)

  • How I got there was… (what you developed in point number 3 above)

  • Which leads me to my next step, moving towards… (what you developed in point number 1)

Write it down and try to make it a story that you can tell in 1-2 minutes MAX.

Quick additional note of encouragement.

If you are saying this out loud or creating this and don’t feel confident, that’s okay to wrestle with. But don’t stop there.

Work backwards from your emotions. What thoughts are leading to those feelings? And then what beliefs (about yourself, others, the world, or God) are leading to those thoughts?

It is important to share this confidently. Good interviewers will be able to sense hesitancy.

QUICK WINS

QUICK WINS

✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Put your pastor transition story together.

✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Put your pastor transition story together.

  1. Write the three parts of your Throughline Story.

  2. Put it all together in the updated order.

  3. Practice sharing the story so that you’re ready for your next coffee, lunch, or interview where you would need to share it!

  1. Write the three parts of your Throughline Story.

  2. Put it all together in the updated order.

  3. Practice sharing the story so that you’re ready for your next coffee, lunch, or interview where you would need to share it!

🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP

🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP

A friend reached out to me offering to hire me. The goal was going FT in January 2026… one month later, I’m already being offered FT work starting November 1. Todd’s program made all the difference in helping me find ways to be intentional and top of mind.

A friend reached out to me offering to hire me. The goal was going FT in January 2026… one month later, I’m already being offered FT work starting November 1. Todd’s program made all the difference in helping me find ways to be intentional and top of mind.

🤝 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 787+ others, every Friday morning.


Subscribe here.

Because of the time sensitive nature of job postings, we post these in the newsletter only.

Get the newsletter, along with 787+ others, every Friday morning.

Subscribe here.

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:

  1. ​The Ministry To Marketplace Interview Accelerator:​ Join 104+ 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!

  2. ​The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz​: Join 700+ 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.​

  1. ​The Ministry To Marketplace Interview Accelerator:​ Join 104+ 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!

  2. ​The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz​: Join 700+ 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.​

Was this forwarded to you? Get this newsletter into your inbox, along with 787+ others, every Friday morning. ​Subscribe here.

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