No Holy Handcuffs

01/24/2023

I recently had the honor of speaking on Michael Cusick's Restoring the Soul podcast. It was the first time I had a chance to put words to the ideas I've been holding for the last seven years. Thank you, Michael!

Kevin Tracy asks, "How do you restart a dormant career without destroying everything that you love in the process?” Find out how No Holy Handcuffs helps pastors discover how to leave the ministry & recover their calling. Download and listen here -> https://bit.ly/3kuxeKQ

11/21/2022

I want to start a conversation about leaving the ministry.⁣⁣
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Some of you reading this are deciding whether to step down from the ministry, return from the field, or resign from a nonprofit staff.⁣⁣
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Some of you had that decision made for you. ⁣
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Please hear me. It’s not a sin to leave. There is nothing wrong with you. And you are not alone.⁣⁣
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Years ago, I said no to a big promotion, left a great corporate job, and went to the mission field in South America. It was amazing, but after more than six years, we felt it was time to move back. We left the churches and ministries we planted in the hands of outstanding local leaders.⁣⁣
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We moved back, and I became the pastor of a small church in Denver, CO. After 18 months of positive change and growth, I was asked to leave. A few influencers didn’t like it.⁣⁣
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Moving back, we had cut our income in half and doubled our cost of living. Now I had to find a way to feed our kids and keep our house. (The next church will be in another post.)⁣⁣
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When we went to the field, there were tons of resources to help us leave the marketplace and enter the ministry. Now, going back, there was virtually nothing.⁣⁣
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That vacuum led me to sketch out a plan on 7 post-it notes that lived by my desk for years. I never felt like I had enough to offer someone leaving the ministry. Until now.⁣⁣
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I launched a simple site at www.noholyhandcuffs.com to offer hope to anyone who knows it’s time to leave or who’s in free fall and wondering what’s next.⁣⁣
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If that’s you, there’s hope on the site and a link to book a call, plus a guide to help you get started.⁣⁣
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There is a way forward. There’s nothing wrong with you, and you are not alone.⁣⁣
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Strength and Peace. Kevin

09/25/2022

About the No Holy Handcuffs name

I remember reading about executives who talked about their “golden parachute,” an amazing retirement package that comes with their C-Suite office. Several of them also lamented the “golden handcuffs” that come with the parachute. They keep executives tied to the companies they lead.

It turns out the benefits are so good they turn into shackles. If they leave, they lose it all. At some point, I realized the same dilemma exists for pastors.

The perks of ministry are usually not golden, especially in smaller churches. But, that’s not a bad thing; there are beautiful and unique if intangible benefits to a ministry calling that you can’t get anywhere else. Besides, you probably didn’t become a pastor to get rich.

The downside for pastors who want out is two-fold. For many whose only career is in the ministry, job prospects in the marketplace are limited due to a perceived lack of real-world experience and no business-focused degrees. (Luckily, that’s starting to change.)

On top of that, a certain stigma is attached to leaving your ministry, especially with so many high-profile pastors falling in disgrace. The unspoken question is, “what did you do?”

It can put pastors in a position where they feel shackled to a calling that may have only been for a season, not a lifetime. They need to break free from their “Holy Handcuffs” so they can move on with dignity and grace to the next chapter in life. That’s my prayer for you.