A couple of weeks ago we told our congregation that we were losing our Miami Lakes campus. The school we meet in was no longer allowing us to meet there and despite many attempts on our part to make it work for them, we couldn't. 

I had to tell our church that we were moving a few miles north to Miramar (where our 2nd location is). 

For some this was bad news. So I had to navigate how to share this with our church. Here's some of what I learned in this process: 

1. Remind People that God is in control – No matter what happens, God is still sovereign. 

2. Put Things into Perspective – We're being asked to move a few miles, yet there are Christians who have to meet in secret because Christianity is illegal in their country. We're too comfortable in America and we have to be reminded that not everyone has it as good as we do. 

3. Be Honest – We told our church the whole truth about what happened. We gave them a lot of detail and we told them how we came to the decision to combine campuses. People will follow if they feel you've been honest with them. 

4. Tell your leaders first – If you're a Senior Pastor, very few people are telling you the truth. That means, you need to equip those in leadership to answer questions and deal with any confusion. 

5. Keep communicating – Just because you talked about it one Sunday doesn't mean everyone knows what's going on. You need to talk about it at least 3 Sundays before a majority have heard it at least once. Plus, Facebook, Twitter, email, phone calls and anything else you can think of to communicate helps too. 

6. Pray – I know it's basic, but we need to stay close to the Lord during these times. Transition is tough no matter who you are. You're going to hear about people who aren't going to stick with you even thought you've invested much in them. That's life. We just need to draw close to Him and know that we're being obedient to God's will. 

If I left something out, I'd love to hear it…