In the Transfer Portal

A new season (and it's not about football)

The closest thing I have to an idol is college athletics, especially football and basketball. Fall Saturdays for me are spent watching college football from 11:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. As I get older, I can’t stay up until midnight for the late West Coast game. In my opinion, college football is the greatest sport on earth.

The rules of college athletics have changed in just the last few years with the advent of legal payments and no-penalty transfers for players. In the past, if a college athlete wanted to change schools, they had to sit out a year at the new school before becoming eligible. They no longer have to do so.

With the new rules, a student athlete can transfer freely to another school just as a regular student would. Some transfer more than once. Some end up at three or four schools within the course of a career. If a student athlete wants to change schools, they go to an online tool called the transfer portal. The athlete enters their name into the portal and makes themselves open for recruitment by other schools.

My wife and I are in the process of leaving our church. We have been there for 19 years. We raised our children there. We have served in various capacities. I serve as a deacon and have also served as an adult Bible study teacher for 12 years. After a series of events, and after much prayer, soul-searching, and counsel, we feel led to leave and search for another place to worship and serve. You could say we are in a different kind of transfer portal.

Picture is from the wall on the children’s floor. When a child is baptized, they place a handprint on the wall. These are our kids’ handprints. Other kids’ names are covered for security purposes. All of these kids are in their 20’s now.

This will seem weird to some, but there are no hard feelings. We leave a lot of friends and memories behind. We have met with two different staff members (it’s a megachurch) this week to inform them of our plans. Neither of them wanted us to leave. However, both could not be more encouraging and left the door open for us to return.

There is no good way to leave a church. It is uncomfortable. It can be traumatic. For me, this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

In Acts 15, the apostle Paul asked Barnabas to join him on a second missionary journey to visit the churches of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Barnabas wanted to go, but he insisted on taking John Mark. John Mark previously deserted Paul on an earlier trip (Acts 13:13). As a result, bringing John Mark on the return trip was a dealbreaker for Paul. Paul and Barnabas decided to go their separate ways. Later, Paul showed indications of reconciliation with both Barnabas (1 Corinthians 9:6) and John Mark, or Mark (2 Timothy 4:11). Differences of opinion do not have to permanently separate people in the work of the gospel. We are ultimately on the same team.

I am friends and acquaintances with many pastors and read other pastors regularly. When this happens in their churches, this process is even harder for them. They pour their lives into shepherding you. If you are a volunteer leader in a church, you are in a position of visibility. If you are in such a position and you feel led to leave, I recommend that you tell your pastor or a staff member first. They deserve the respect to know what you are doing and why you are doing it. In the corporate world, we call it an exit interview. They need to be aware of the situation to make any possible corrections and to know your heart and mind as you leave. If they are worth their salt, they will be sad to see you leave but will wish you the best. And, as a matter of respect, they would rather someone be honest with them instead of being simply ghosted or ignored. It may be the hardest conversation you ever have, but it is worth it.

In Isaiah 43, God speaks through Isaiah to promise the Israelites a way out of captivity of the Babylonians. Verse 19 especially stands out: “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert”. New things are scary. Often, they are good. You don’t know what is behind that door until it is open for you. In the old TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal”, contestants wore silly costumes, played a game, and made choices for prizes behind one of three doors. Behind two of the doors were good prizes such as cars and vacations. The other door had a gag prize such as a woman milking a cow. (I’ve never watched the newer version. Monty Hall will always be the host of Let’s Make a Deal.) We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. We are not promised a new car or a trip to Hawaii, but new things provide promise if we take the first step towards them. On the other hand, we don’t expect to open the door with the cow.

Another word about the transfer portal: 40-45 percent of college football players that enter the transfer portal do not land an athletic scholarship at another school. If you are in the church transfer portal and are between churches, I encourage you to find one at the right time. You may need some time to rest and heal from past hurt, or simply to rest from past service. Church hurt is real. You may need to sort some things out. Please do that. I encourage you, however, to not let that rest become permanent. Do not get stuck in the portal. Hebrews 10:25 tells us to not forsake the gathering of believers. You need to be around God’s people and to learn from God’s Word, even if for a season it’s in a large auditorium where you are merely a spectator sitting in the back.

This is the experience of my wife and I. Everyone’s experience is different. Or, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). I wish you well if you are navigating a similar journey.

*If you would like to talk more about this subject, you can reach me on Twitter/X @johntx713, on Instagram @johnintx, or on Facebook. Or, if you know me well and have my number, feel free to text me or call me.