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This series on forced exits has generated more feedback than any other I've covered in the six years I've been writing this column. I've learned that this subject is an open wound for many pastors and their families. (We're using forced exits to refer to either terminations or intense pressure to resign.) My hope is that this five-part series will help at least one pastor and church avoid the scars of a forced exit. Here are some practical suggestions:

Resolve conflict as soon as possible. Disagreement over ministry vision or expectations for the church can cause interpersonal relations to deteriorate. Disputes like these with the church board or a small faction of church members are why most pastors are forced out. In retrospect, almost half (45%) of ousted pastors think they could have done something to avoid being forced out. Resolving conflict was the primary action they wished they had taken sooner.

Bring in an outside professional. Churches and pastors who have brought in a mediator to resolve conflict have found this approach to be extremely beneficial. Nearly 9 out of 10 churches using this method found it to be very helpful (49%) to somewhat helpful (38%) in easing tensions.

With a third of all churches having forced out the previous pastor and a tenth of all churches being repeat-offenders (having a history of three or more forced exits), pastors searching for a new church need to enter their next pastorate carefully.

Ask questions. Pastors who have never been forced out of a ministry role tend to ask more questions when candidating. Hot-button topics were discussed more by candidates who were not forced out than those who were-in some cases by a ratio of more than 2:1.

Ousted pastors wished they had researched key topics more carefully when candidating.

Talk to the right people. Knowing the right questions to ask, however, doesn't make a difference if you don't go to the people with the answers. Four out of five (82%) wish they had gone straight to the members of the congregation. About the same (79%) wish they had been more forthright with the members of the church board.

We mailed 999 surveys to a random selection of U.S. pastors. A total of 593 responded, giving a 59 percent response rate. With a sample this size, results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 4 percentage points 95 percent of the time.

John C. LaRue, Jr., director of ChristianityToday.com in Carol Stream, Illinois, was formerly research director for Christianity Today International.

Copyright © 1997 by the author or Christianity Today International/Your Church magazine.
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