Should you work in a Christian company after leaving ministry?

Let’s talk working at a Christian company after leaving ministry.

A lot of ex-pastors find their first job opportunity after ministry at a Christian company.

But this begs the question, should they take the job?

It’s kind of like ministry, right? So that could be good.

But aren’t you also in the middle of leaving ministry? (and with some legitimate reasons?)

My first two roles after ministry were at Christian companies, one as a project manager and the other as a product marketer.

Based on my experience, there’s no one-size-fits-all here. But anyone considering taking a job at a Christian company after leaving ministry should know that it comes with it’s pro and cons.

Let’s walk through them, starting with the pros.

Pro #1: You’re more likely to get hired.

Translating your experience is one of the greatest hurdles to landing your first gig after pastoring.

Hiring managers at Christian companies are not only willing to do some of that translation work for you, but they’re more likely to see the relevance of your experience than their “secular” counterparts.

Put simply, Christian companies understand pastoral experience and see it as valuable (not a liability), which means you’re more likely to actually land the job.

That’s priority #1, right?

And once you land the job….

Pro #2: The culture feels familiar.

If working in a church is on one end of the spectrum and working in a normal job is on the other, working at a Christian company is somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.

It’s sort of a hybrid of two worlds – a blend of ministry and marketplace.

You work with predominantly Christians, sharing similar values and sometimes a similar “mission” as you did at a church.

Sure, you may be learning an all new set of skills (like marketing, sales, etc.), but the culture and language are all familiar.

And that is precisely why…

Pro #3: The learning curve can be less steep

With a lessened language and cultural load, the learning curve can feel a bit less daunting in a Christian company.

In my case, both of my roles were in church and adjacent tech, so I knew the customer (pastors and church members), their problems, etc.

All I had to learn was the tech.

With all of these pros in mind, let’s talk about the cons…

Con #1: It can be too similar to church work.

When I left ministry I needed space.

I didn’t really want to talk about faith, or church, or some sort of grand mission. All that stuff brought me a ton of pain and grief.

Working in a Christian company was a daily reminder of what I had lost, and it was painful.

But I needed a job, and a Christian company was gracious enough to give me a chance.

If your exit from ministry was a rocky one, you may find yourself needing some space that a Christian company won’t give you. There are too many ways in which it is similar to a church.

The overlap with the church world also means…

Con #2: Christian companies can exist in a bubble.

Christian companies tend to be a bit insular, operating in a bit of a church-adjacent bubble.

The result is that the talent pool is smaller, the community is tight knit, and there just isn’t a broader network of inbound & outbound talent to keep things fresh.

Without freshly circulating talent to keep Christian companies sharp, business practices can lag a bit behind, expectations for performance can become lax, and business best practices can at times fall below outside standards.

Lastly, because Christian companies can exist in a bit of a bubble…The overlap with the church world also means…

Con #3: Your experience will need to go through another round of translation.

One of the pros of going to a Christian company is that less translation is required.

That said, if you decide to leave a Christian company and work of a normal company, you’ll need to do a bit more translation.

When I went from a Christian company to a non-Christian company, I had to do a lot of explaining and context setting for my experience to make sense to my new employer. .

So, what’s the verdict?

Here’s my 2¢:

If you need space, a Christian company might not be for you.

If you don’t need space and feel ready to be in a Christian environment again, go after a role at a Christian company because they’re more likely to give you a chance.

It’s important to pursue what you need, whether space or a job. Do what you need.

There’s no wrong direction when you’re moving forward.

-Collin