Well, it's official now. This morning I announced my resignation from my job as associate minister at Adrian Christian Church. Here's the statement I made at church this morning:

I've decided that it's time for me to move on to something else. When Paul first talked to me about coming here as a youth minister I told him that I didn't think youth ministry was something I would really like or be good at. But we all agreed to give it a try. After two years I think I can safely say that I was right. It's not that I think I've wasted my time or wasted the church's time. I think our youth ministry has come a long way in these two years. I love all of the kids, but the bottom line is, I don't love the job. And the kids deserve someone who has a passion and a gift for youth ministry. So, effective September 19, I'll be getting out of the way.

I should make a couple of things clear. First, I will still be a member of this church. We're not moving or leaving the church. Second, Sara will keep her job. Third, I'm not leaving because of any problems in the church. Things are going great here, people are getting along, new things are happening, and despite all that, I'm ready for a break and ready to do something I'm more suited for.

You might wonder what I'm going to do now. Well, I wonder about that, too. Working with technology has been something that I've gravitated toward, even here at the church. I feel like I'm good at it and I plan to make a career out of it. And there are lots of new jobs being created in that field, they're just mostly in India. As for my involvement in the church, it's going to be scaled back quite a bit for now. I'm going to try to find my place as a volunteer, and I think some time off will help with that. I do intend for the website to continue to be timely and useful, so I'll do what I need to do to help out with that.

I believe that this move is the best thing for my family, for my faith, and in the long run, for the church, too. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you for making this the best job I've ever had.

I would appreciate your prayers while I'm making this transition and looking for a new job. I'm really looking forward to just being a member of the church and not being in charge.