👋🏼 Hey there, I’m Evan. I’m the coach of The Alignment Lab. I spent 18 years in full-time pastoral ministry and over 20 years at the same church prior to my own major life transition. I’m also the host of The In-Between podcast — where I chat about transition with guests such as Suzanne Stabile, Andy Squyres, Kathryn Maack, Tyler Reagin, Kristi Gaultiere, Michael Shahan, and more. After 18 years in pastoral ministry — and over 20 years at the same church — I stepped away. It wasn’t just a career change. It was an unraveling of a life I had built. I’ve successfully walked through: 👉 Vocational upheaval and change. 👉 The grief of relational loss. 👉 The deep identity questions that come when the role you built your life closes. I’ve also experienced what’s on the other side: 👉 Rebuilding trust in myself and in God’s ongoing work in my life. 👉 Recognizing my strengths and skills still matter, even outside the context I once relied on. 👉 A new season that’s aligned with calling and meaning, instead of the roles and expectations I thought I had to live up to. That’s why I created this community. So you don’t just grit your teeth and get through this season — but allow it to become the space that shapes you, realigns you, and sets you up to flourish on the other side. Oh yeah, I'm into collecting arrowheads, a gym rat, and writing content, lots of it. What about you??

Hey there! Coffee Break Q&A is tomorrow at 4:30 pm EST. What's on your mind? What questions do you want to discuss? Share them in the comments below!

https://youtu.be/CXsDWkgml8A

If you’re or trying to make sense about what God may be doing in you to prepare you for something new and different, I know what it feels like and you’re not alone. There are some indicators that you may be entering or already in a time or season of transition. The first sign of transition is unsettledness, like there is this looming or pending sense that you’re moving towards something different. Maybe there’s a change, something has happened, these things can trigger transition. Maybe there’s been a disruption, something that was unexpected but it has disrupted life as you knew it. Or even disagreements. Disagreements can be used or even trigger seasons of transition. If you’re experiencing any or some of these things, don’t be alarmed. 4 Indicators Of A Transition: •Unsettledness •Change •Disruption •Disagreements There are a couple of other things that you need to be aware of too… First, in a season of transition, more than likely you are going to be misunderstood, and second, and hopefully more encouraging, you are hearing God more than you realize. The Lord’s way as you’re navigating a season of transition is often obscurity. A transition is the in-between time of life as you knew it and something completely different. And what if during this time of transition, God is desiring to prepare you for something different?

I'm personally at a crossroads in my professional life. I left the faith-based NP world last August and having been working in the marketplace since. Suffice to say, I am missing vocational ministry. As of late, I've been struggling to find a genuine sense of fulfillment in my work, and I feel that although I know I am called to be in ministry, I'm unsure to what degree that should be attached to my vocation moving forward. While I was in full-time vocational ministry, I'm sadly confident that I inadvertently crafted an idol that gave me a sense of worth in my role (something I know many of us are familiar with). But it also just fit right for who I was and who I still am. My role and function provided me with a purpose to wake up and introduce who God is to someone new each day. That was purpose enough for me to feel like my life had significance and meaning. Fast forward to now. I'm in a tough season. Without getting into it too much, I've been struggling to strike the balance between doing work that is honoring to Lord, trying to be a light amongst coworkers, and realizing that my job functions aren't what I'd like to be doing for much longer. I think God has been challenging me to discern what it is that I want to do with my life, and yet my circumstances are such that ministry isn't a readily available option at the moment. I'm in a season of learning another layer of why I believe God placed me where I am at this time, and I've been ready for nearly a year now to be onto the next chunk of my story, and yet, here I am, stuck in the midst of struggle that lingers on. Likely for a reason. I'm not necessarily looking for advice here, but as Curating Good is all about this topic ― I'd love to invite any perspective from others who've navigated similar experiences or who are currently in a similar boat. Scriptures appreciated. I'd be happy to connect too :)