Refined by the Fired : How to Process Pain, Regain Purpose, and Persevere After Being Fired by Your Church

What happens when someone gets fired from their church?

One day in the Spring of 2017, Pastor Kyle Isabelli was brought into his supervisor’s office at his church and to his complete surprise, was told “he wasn’t a good fit” as the youth pastor of the church and was fired from his job. This sent Kyle into a process of navigating being fired, dealing directly with the pain caused by this experience, and figuring out his next steps in life and ministry. 

Through this traumatic experience, Kyle prayed, read, sought wisdom and journaled, which in turn, helped him process his pain, regain his purpose and persevere through one of the most challenging seasons of his life. 

Over time, he’s realized that he’s not alone. Far too many pastors, church staff and church members have struggled immensely when they experience a church firing. So, he’s sharing his story and wisdom to help and encourage others as they are Refined by the Fire(d).

Now, as a Senior Pastor since January 2020, Kyle has a greater passion to create healthy staff cultures and come alongside those in the Church, whether staff or church members, to help them process pain, regain purpose and persevere through their own church firing. 

Kyle Isabelli knows firsthand the pain, grief, and shame that comes with being fired from a church ministry position. He’s not only experienced it personally but has witnessed fellow staff members and beloved pastors go through similar situations. Through it all, Kyle learned to process his pain, and came through his own firing with a passion to help hurting staff and care for disillusioned congregants. He has shared his wisdom on podcasts and has counseled dozens of church leaders navigating forced staff transitions. Kyle has been in fulltime ministry for over ten years and currently serves as the senior pastor of a church in the western suburbs of Chicago, where he resides with his wife, Maria, and their two children.