May 17, 2024
ATLANTA — Fortune 500 companies looking for quality business leaders are finding that pastors make topnotch managers, motivators, and multitaskers.
That’s according to Todd Linder, founder of Launch Point, an Atlanta-based firm that has carved out a niche in the business world nationally by helping pastors transition from churches to the secular marketplace.
A significant increase in the number of pastors leaving ministry opened the door for the new venture.
The Barna Group, a research organization that monitors cultural and religious trends in America, has been warning for years that pastors are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with ministry, finding that more than 40% have considered leaving the ministry over the past year alone.
In 2015, 72% of pastors told Barna researchers that they felt “very satisfied” with their jobs. In 2022, that number had dropped to 52%.
"That’s an eye-popping 20-point drop in just six years,” Barna said. "The number of pastors who feel burnt out, lonely or unwell is growing.”
Linder, who had served seven years on staff at an Atlanta megachurch before founding Launch Point, said a strong work ethic among ministry leaders make them ideal for the business world.
“People in ministry are really, really hard workers,” he said. “They’re constantly working understaffed and underbudgeted. They’re scrappy. The ability to learn on the fly, to influence people, and to get things done is just part of their job description.”
Launch Point exists specifically to help ministers who have made the always grueling decision to transition into secular jobs.
Pastors who have given their entire lives to ministry can feel like they’re going into a strange new world, one that may not understand the value of their vast experience and their seminary degrees.
“These are people who have talent to bring into the marketplace but who are overlooked because they have the word ‘pastor’ on their resumes,” Linder said.
Andrew Lisi, who transitioned from administrative pastor to financial planner, said the change simply requires ministers to reapply their skills.
“It doesn’t change who I am in Christ,” he said in a YouTube discussion with Linder. “I am a disciple whether I am a pastor or a financial planner. I am a child of God whether I’m a church planter or a teacher. Those pieces do not change.”
Linder said having been a pastor should never be seen as a liability on a resume.
“You want people in the marketplace who can get things done, who are solution-bringers, not just problem-pointer-outers,” he said. “That’s who people in ministry are.”
In Linder’s new role, he said he has heard a variety of reasons why ministry leaders transition into other roles.
“One of the biggest reasons is finances,” he said. “Their families are growing. They have tapped out in their earning potential. They look around, start adding things up, and see that, at this rate, they’re not going to be able to send their children to college.”
For others, the point of transition comes amid disagreements within the congregation or denomination, or when a spouse feels like it’s time for a change.
“They deal with it for a long time, and, then, something big happens, the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” Linder said.
Linder said Launch Point is working with 15 ministers as of today who are moving through the transition pipeline, preparing to land in secular positions.
“I would tell people, don’t try to make this transition alone,” Linder said. “On the personal side and spiritual side, it’s a really, really big decision to move out of ministry, so don’t do that in a vacuum. My hope is that, in the long run, people who need to make a transition because that’s God’s call for them, that we can be a help for them.”
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Reach Todd Linder at todd@launchpoint.co
