A thousand times before I had walked down this hallway, but this time I felt like Frodo on the road to Mount Doom. I had hired a new staff member (I'll call him Derik) less than six months before. He had impeccable credentials, stellar references, and a strong track record in ministry. I anticipated a long and fruitful ministry. We were going to soar to new heights together! Derik thought so, too. He was at least confident enough that he uprooted his family and relocated to join our church staff.

Yet here I was, 180 days later, walking to Derik's office to ask for his resignation. There had been no moral failure. No major policy violations. No angry conflicts. Just a long line of missed deadlines, dropped balls, misunderstandings, unmet expectations, and bad vibes. And I had had enough. Monday is usually my day off, but I spent this particular Monday fasting, praying, practicing my talk, and (mostly) trying to work up my courage. Finally at about 4:30 in the afternoon, I said, "It's ...