Help! I’m New (part 1): You’ve Been Hired… Now What?

Congratulations.You’ve been hired.

Maybe you were promoted from within the church. Maybe you were “volun-told.”Maybe you walked in with a title you didn’t ask for but couldn’t say no to.

Either way, you’re now responsible for kids, students, families—or all of the above.

At first, everything feels exciting.

You’re going to make a difference.You’re going to build relationships.You’re going to help families grow.

And then… reality hits.

A couple of families quietly leave the church. Your pastor asks questions you don’t know how to answer yet. You can’t find anything in the office. You’re sitting in a staff meeting wondering if everyone else got a manual you missed.

And somewhere in the middle of that, the thought creeps in:

“I’m going to need more than luck to survive this.”

If that’s you, take a breath. What you’re experiencing is normal.

The First 90 Days Matter More Than You Think

It doesn’t matter if this is your first ministry role or your fifth. It doesn’t matter if your church runs 100 people or 10,000.

The first 90 days carry weight.

They don’t determine whether you’re talented. They don’t determine whether you’re called. But they do determine trust, momentum, and how much grace people give you later.

I learned this in a way I will never forget.

Years ago, I stepped into a role where I was replacing someone who had been in that position for over 20 years. He was respected. He was loved. And—surprise—he was still on staff when I arrived.

The transition hadn’t been communicated well. Volunteers were confused. Some were hurt. Leadership wanted change quickly, but the people needed stability.

I had a choice to make.

I could prove myself fast…or I could build trust first.

I chose trust.

For the first couple of months, I didn’t “change” anything. We tried a few things. I listened more than I spoke. I honored the past while quietly learning the culture.

It was exhausting. But it worked.

We didn’t lose healthy volunteers, we multiplied them.

That experience shaped how I coach new ministry leaders today.

Why “Just Jump In” Is Terrible Advice

When you’re new, everyone has advice.

“Just be yourself.” “Make it your own.” “Change what needs changing.”

Most of that advice isn’t wrong, it’s just premature.

Too many leaders jump straight into fixing problems before they understand the system they’re stepping into.

And here’s the truth no one says out loud:

👉 You can be right and still lose people.

👉 You can be gifted and still damage trust.

The goal of your first season isn’t to prove how good you are.It’s to prove you’re safe, thoughtful, and here for the long haul.

You Need a Plan—Not Panic

Most new leaders don’t fail because they lack passion.

They fail because they:

• move too fast

• try to fix everything at once

• burn relational capital they haven’t earned yet

What you need isn’t luck. You need perspective. You need a framework. You need someone who’s been there to say, “Slow down—this matters.”

That’s why your first season should focus on three things:

1. Understanding what you’ve inherited

2. Building trust before making withdrawals

3. Creating a simple, realistic plan for your first 90 days

We’ll talk about all of that in this series.

This Series Is for You If…

• You’re new to ministry, or new to this church

• You were hired internally and feel the pressure to perform

• You were hired externally and feel the pressure to prove yourself

• You oversee kids, students, nursery, or family ministry

• You feel confident and overwhelmed at the same time

In other words, if you have the title then this is for you.

What’s Coming Next

Over the next few posts, we’ll talk about:

• what to inspect before you change anything

• how to build trust without pretending you know everything

• how to create a simple 30–60–90 day plan

• how to navigate church staff dynamics without losing your soul

Not theory. Not hype. Real ministry wisdom for real people in real churches.

One Last Thought

If you’re reading this and thinking,“I wish I had this when I started,” you’re exactly the kind of leader who will benefit from slowing down now.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. But you do need to be intentional.

You’ve been hired. Now let’s help you get started the right way.

This is just the beginning, there’s more coming to help you build with clarity and confidence.

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