I am not sure how this is going to look over time. But I want to set down some thoughts about my recent experiences in ministry that might be helpful for others who confront (or could confront) a similar situation: continuing ministry after a call ends badly.
Let me state right up fron that when I refer to a call that ends "badly," I am not referring to it ending because of pastoral misconduct, either of the sexual or financial type. I am referring to what many call a "bad fit," where the pastor and congregation turn out not to be suited for one another. Now, there is no such thing as a "perfect" fit, because there are no perfect pastors and congregations! But there can be a "good" fit, where pastor and parishioners grow in faith and love of God and one another over time. Then there is the "bad fit," where this seemingly does not happen. That is what happened in my case. I left my last call before three years were up. A good portion of the congregation wanted me gone, and after a few months of uncertainty and conflict, I had become angry, frustrated and emotionally exhausted, so I was quite ready to leave. From the perspective of some or many in the congregation, I was not doing the work their pastor should have done. From my perspective, the congregation (or some people in it) was not acting as a Christian congregation should have. I left with a severance agreement which allowed me to make ends meet for a few months, and by God's grace I received another call before all of our resources were exhausted (it was a near thing, though!).
Ideally, a discerning pastor, PNC and Presbytery Committee on Ministry will prevent a bad match from happening at all. But that is not always the case. Wishful thinking can get in the way. Overlooking yellow or red flags, or putting a ludicrously positive spin on negative developments, can deceive otherwise sensible and well meaning people into entering a toxic relationship.
(I feel I should pause for a moment and affirm that what I write is from the perspective of a pastor. I hope my words will be helpful for other pastors. If what I write is also helpful for others, praise God for that! But I am writing primarily as a Pastor to Pastors.)
Anyway, many pastoral calls seem to end badly nowadays. I wonder if that is an increasing trend. In my previous Presbytery, Lake Erie, there is a good atmosphere of collegiality. I had the impression pastors of different perspectives got along pretty well and liked one another. So this is not a "bad" Presbytery in which to minister. However, in my three years (and a few months) of membership in Lake Erie, there were four other calls that ended on bad terms ... if a severance agreement is publicized, you can be pretty sure that the call has ended badly. In addition, one another pastor left a congregation in difficult circumstances but by God's grace had another call lined up and could make a relatively smooth transition. Plus some other pastors left their calls in ways that surprised their congregations.
This is, mind you, in a Presbytery with a generally good atmosphere (or at least it seemed good to me).
Anyway, a call ends badly. What do you, as the pastor, do after that?
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