In the way...

Am I the only one who thinks it is hard to “leave a place you love” and feels a little weird when I go back?

I really want to see my friends but I really don’t want to be in the way. Before I preached at Granny White when the previous preacher would show up at a church I worked with I would feel a little strange. Was he investigating my work would he steal affection that I wanted, was he wanting to come back, had someone called him to tell him what an awful job I was doing? I know, silly. GW changed that, because at one time every previous minister who had been there for the last 50 years, except one, was a member there while I preached there. So, I think I came to terms with it, or was just pulled kicking and screaming into maturity on this front :).

But now I sometimes wonder if guys who are at places I have been feel that way. On one hand I invested myself into that place and those people. At Granny White, Brother Chumley had worked for nearly 50 years - I was actually shocked when someone wanted me to preach a funeral - he was their minister. At Hamilton it was Brother W.T. And, now when I go back, these are people I love and have ministered to. Both of the guys I mentioned, in fact all the guys I’ve followed have been very gracious to me, so this is not reactionary.

I don’t want to impede the work of the guy in there now, after all, I made the decision to leave and he now needs the freedom to do his work.

I loved and left Eva, Hamilton and GW and am always fired up to see my friends from those places. But I feel a little odd sometimes about it. I went to a funeral at GW this week and seeing people I love there was great but I don’t want to get in the way. I want only the very best for Scott and for the whole church there. I still head to Hamilton for funerals and other events two or three times a year. I could not be happier that Ted is there - I love him and I love the church there, but there is still that feeling I’m, what is it, in the way? Of course it makes it harder when the people you are spending time with don’t like the “new guy”. How do you handle that? I have my ways and ALWAYS try to understand and support the person the elders have selected to be there. I will listen but won’t talk bad about him.

So how ‘bout it folks? Am I the only preacher out there that struggles with this? How should it be handled properly? Or am I just a nutcase in need of serious counseling? I’ve been transparent here and I think this is a subject worthy of thought. What do you think?