Pastor Resignation Letter

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As the pastor of a church, you may at some point run into a situation where you desire to resign from your position due to a different ministry calling, health, or some other reason. If this becomes the case, you should write an official pastor resignation letter to explain the situation to board members, fellow ministry leaders and your congregation in the most professional and courteous way possible.

Format and Content

For a successful and kind pastor resignation letter format, include a quick explanation of your intentions, the date of your upcoming resignation, and your contact information since people from church will undoubtedly need to get in touch with you at some point. Take a moment to write a short introduction of the person who will be taking over your duties once you are gone, if applicable. At your discretion, it may be sent to the superintendent of the church, the congregation, or anyone else you wish to officially inform depending on the circumstances.

Sample

If you have found yourself in the position of needing to resign from your church but cannot quite find the words to say, looking at a sample letter can help you get started. Here is a pastor resignation letter sample detailing his plans to move to Africa and become a missionary. He expresses appropriate gratitude and regrets to his congregation and gives the date of his resignation in a concise manner before making his recommendation for the new pastor.