Released and Sad

I was in a similar place once, released from a calling I loved for one I was not all that crazy about. I think when it’s a calling that we believe really is our “calling in life” it hurts the most. And I think that even though leaders have sometimes experienced the same sort of pain (and I am comfortable calling it that) they are still sometimes insensitive to what it’s doing to the individual being released. In some ways it’s like being fired. I’m glad your ward, or at least that particular leader, did it as right as is possible. We actually discussed this in high council a few months ago, and there is a right – or at least a very good – way to do it and there are lots of bad ways to do it.

Did you get a new calling in its place? Seriously, one of the things that make up a bad way is releasing without a new job (unless the release was requested or the new calling was refused).

So often we rush a release. Do it in the hall passing along, or quickly in some side class room.

I’ve had those. A quick 10 second release in a hallway between classes as a leader that’s on their way to the next pressing matter is trying to get through a log jam that has occurred because several someones have stopped to have a conversation in one of the many choke points in the hall (probably other people being released ). I chalk it up to overworked leaders. There are too many spinning plates at church.

Good callings, bad callings. Nothing is permanent, it’s a double edged sword.

Here I am, decades later, still waiting for a calling I actually enjoy. :angel: BP and I are ironing out the details for a calling I like to call “Ward Curmudgeon.” I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

I had the same experience. In the first year of my commitment crisis I was teaching Gospel Essentials. People started coming from Gospel Doctrine in order to take in the lessons, and the room got so full, it ticked off the Gospel Doctrine teacher (her class emptied). She complained, and the bishop forced everyone to go back to Gospel Doctrine unless they had a calling that required them to be in the Gospel Essentials class.

I got a ton of kudos from the people who attended the class, and it was just what I needed to stay committed. The Bishop eventually released me with nothing to do after that. He called me into the office and said “Today’s your last day”. It was very abrupt. I asked if I’d done anything wrong and he said “no”, but there was nothing for me to do in its place.

And the calling was what was keeping me active at the time. I was asked to then teach HP group as a teacher, but it wasn’t the same after a few months, so I eventually quit the Ward with my family due to a host of other issues.

So, it can be sad to move on from a calling. I wish they would feel people about before calling, and before releasing so they don’t kill passion. It’s an area our church can do much better in.