Time for Transition — Saying Goodbye to Houston’s First 👋
Preface.
It is such a bittersweet process to say goodbye to your church. I have so much gratitude for the people and leadership at Houston’s First, and I cannot thank each of them enough for their support and encouragement to me as a young leader in full-time ministry. The opportunities that Houston’s First has provided for me during the last five years are a gift that most men do not have the privilege of experiencing. I’ve loved leading mission trips around the world, mobilizing thousands of members to serve locally, teaching at our downtown HighPoint community, getting to be the direct care for our beloved missionaries and even being an online host for our families in the middle of a global pandemic. I have truly enjoyed my time with the “Houston’s First Family”, and I am a better man for being a part of this church for the last six years.
When?
Yesterday, (December 11th) I officially cleaned my office and finished transitioning out of several roles at Houston’s First Baptist Church. Last month, I submitted my resignation to begin the process of transitioning multiple ministries with grace, transparency, and clarity.
Transitioning well was a huge priority for me. I know how difficult the human experience of transition can be. Each of us at some level know what change is like, whether it is living in a different culture, having a new boss, losing a loved one or becoming new parents. The shock of adjustment and change is never fun. On top of that, we’re doing it in 2020, where it seems like everything and the kitchen sink has been thrown at us. Therefore, to transition well meant to be ultra sensitive to the many adjustments people are already having this year.
Why?
Personally, the last 3.5 years for Team Womack (Abbie + myself) have consisted of lots of hard work in ministry. Not to mention, in the last three years I have become a new husband, learned what it means to be a leader, and how to effectively work at an amazing church that supported me lead 5+ ministries. In between all those wonderful things, we have also experienced some trauma which is not completely resolved at this point.
Over the past months, people that I respect and trust sat me down to tell me that they saw the warning signs of…burnout. Yup.
Being surrounded by high-capacity leaders and trained in Member Care, I thought I was immune from being bit by the “Burnout Bug”. However, when multiple people that I trusted were telling me the same thing, I knew they were probably right. To combat this, I pursued therapy, created extended times of prayer, and continued to allow my community to speak into my life even more.
Even still, I mapped it out. If I continued on the path that I was on, I would not become a good leader. In fact, I would end up being an unhealthy leader. Unhealthy leaders are insecure, create toxic environments and make decisions out of fear or control. When those unhealthy leaders do not confront the deep and dark unresolved broken places in their life, they eventually end up on the front page of the local newspaper.
I did not want to wait for things to get worse. I wanted to tackle this head on. In order for me to be the leader and person God has called me to be, it’s going to take some heart work.
“Heart work is hard work” — Pastor Gregg Matte
I knew I did not want to be that unhealthy pastor who fell into a moral or ethical failure 10 years down the road from now, simply because he did not handle the issues up front when he saw them. We all see too many young leaders that make that mistake, and I am determined to not be one of them. In order to truly deal with the trauma and issues going on in my heart, I needed to step back from the pace I’d had at Houston’s First.
What is Next?
We are not totally sure what the next season holds for us, but we are going to take some time to figure it out. Going to make space to heal, to rest, to read books, to watch movies, to take Ozzie (our new dog) on walks, and to continue to build community in Downtown Houston.
If I am honest, I am both a little excited and a little scared about the season ahead. It will be stepping into somewhat of a wilderness and an unknown time. Parts of it will be stepping into grief, trauma, and loss. While some other parts will be exciting and full of possibilities.
I am so grateful for many things at Houston’s First, but the one I am most grateful for is the people. So many folks in the “Houston’s First Family” hold such a special place in my heart, as they have loved Abbie and myself so well.
I look back on my time at Houston’s First with gratitude, and look to transition into this new season with humility with God wants to do next.
Staying Connected.
Many people from the Houston’s First Family are probably reading this and I want you to know that we would love to stay connected as we step into this next season. Always feel free to reach out and of course you can follow us on social media on the platforms below for some fun updates!
Email | davidson.womack@gmail.com
