Many people hold many jobs over a lifetime. Gone are the days when one graduated from college and moved into a lifelong career with a great company. According to a January 2018 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person changes jobs an average of 12 times during his or her career.

The same can be said of ministry positions in the church. It’s rare to see a Pastor’s whole ministry career lived out at one church. In fact, it’s quite common for church employees to move on from a church more than once. Whether a person moves on of their own volition or if they’re forced out, ministry job movement is a reality in our world.

Sometimes people move on based on poor performance. But more often it’s a chemistry thing. Getting along well with others is crucial in every work environment, including the church. So, the secret to maintaining a longer lasting career at a church or business is, you guessed it, chemistry.

Since on-the-job chemistry is so important, let’s dive a little deeper into this crucial, sometimes illusive relational component.

What is it?: A click

Chemistry is defined as the branch of science that deals with the identification of material substances and the investigation of their properties and the ways in which they interact, combine, and change.

Relational chemistry can be defined as the emotion that people get when they share a special connection. You’ve felt it. For whatever reason, you simply like a person. You click. Maybe it’s a coworker or a friend. Or maybe it’s a romantic interest. Oftentimes you can’t put your finger on why, it’s just there. Your relationship just works.

How to develop it: You can’t

Here’s the interesting part. You have very little (if any) control over relational chemistry. You can’t really develop it as you would develop a skill. Sure, you can try to be nice around people, but if there’s no click, it’s just not there. The relationship may remain cordial but will most likely never be close. It’s just the way it is.

I’ve had great relational chemistry with a wide variety of people. Folks who are very much like me, and folks who are quite different from me. And I’m not sure why that is. Chemistry seems to be very unpredictable. Continue reading →