After last week’s announcement, you know that question has been a big part of the conversations at the Morgan household for the last several weeks. Andy Stanley would suggest we need to answer the question what’s the wise thing to do? In his book, he said we need to ask that question in light of our past experiences, our present circumstances, and our future hopes and dreams?

With that in mind, our conversations centered around these key decision points:

1. Vision — As we consider this opportunity, does NewSpring’s vision make our hearts beat fast? Can we embrace it? Can we champion it?

2. People — Can we see ourselves on the team? Do they know how to have fun? Will they stretch us in our spiritual and leadership journeys? Will we be able to do the same for them?

3. Place — Can we see ourselves living in Anderson, South Carolina? Does it feel like a place the Morgan family can call home? Can we see our kids growing up at NewSpring? Will Perry make me become a Clemson fan?

4. Role — Given my strengths, passions and personality, does this role help me fulfill the call God has placed on my life? Will I be fulfilled? Will I be challenged? Will it be rewarding?

Obviously, there were lots of other decision factors involved, but I thought it might be helpful for you to see the big topics that shaped our conversations. With the opportunity for a big adventure in front of us, we talked with friends, we talked to family and we talked with God. By the end of our process, the encouragement to pursue this opportunity seemed to be almost unanimous.

To be honest, neither Emily nor I heard God audibly talk to us. That kind of stuff hasn’t happened to me. I’m confident, though, that God talks to us through his Word and through the counsel of others. And, as a result, Emily and I are confident this is what God wants us to do next. We’ve determined it’s the wise thing to do.

For those of you who have been through similar transitions before, what are some of the big questions you had to wrestle with? How did your process compare with ours?