Are you heading back to ‘crazy busy’?
With face-to-face ministry resuming, make sure you don’t head back to being ‘crazy busy’.
Back in March when the unimaginable happened and our services and ministry programs abruptly changed, there were mixed reactions. Some leaders responded rapidly spurred on by adrenaline, others paused to consider and many of us were somewhere in between.
As time passed and new ways of gathering and serving one another emerged, I heard a few half-embarrassed whispers that actually, it was not so bad to have a little break from the ‘crazy busy’ schedule of ministry programs that usually filled the week.
Being forced, in a sense, to stop and reinvent our ministries has given us a great opportunity to reflect on what is the most important part of what we do. What is the most important part of the kids’ club program, the playgroup, or the Sunday service?
Not only that, but we’ve adapted to new modes of ministry. Whether you’ve become a Zoom native, discovered new digital platforms or become an expert at delivering a kids’ talk to a camera, our time has been used differently the last few months. As things continue to change with restrictions lifting, the question is, are you heading back to ‘crazy busy’?
There can be a little guilt in admitting the COVID-induced break was a welcome relief to the busyness because it is a joy to serve in ministry. That joy and desire to love your church by leading teams, teaching the gospel or coordinating ministry programs is still real and deep.
Related
The door is open to physical gatherings
As physical gathering restrictions are relaxed, plan to safely gather and celebrate while launching new and refreshed ministries with young people.
Perhaps that sense of relief is actually a helpful warning sign that we need to take a moment to reflect before we launch back into doing everything we did before. Here’s my three suggestions to avoid going back to ‘crazy busy’.
Take time to think and plan intentionally. The temptation is to unthinkingly restart all the same programs and take on the same tasks as before. But it would be unwise to not learn from the experiences of the last few months.
Have people unexpectedly stepped up and served in new ways? Perhaps that can continue. Have you discovered gaps or weaknesses in your programs, your leaders, or yourself? These might not be so glaring as things return to ‘normal’ but it would be so much better to take this insight and intentionally plan for growth. Even if your week is likely to look very similar to how it looked in February, spending an hour or two reflecting on how you can use your time wisely is not going to be wasted.
Be accountable to someone. Having a colleague, spouse or friend talk through your schedule and role can be a helpful process in working out afresh where your time and priorities need to be. Ask for a specific time to discuss this together with your diary open. Make a date when this person will follow up and see how you’re going.
The Bible reminds us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other (James 5:16) and this is one area where our Christian culture needs to be more biblical rather than perpetuating the hero image of the workaholic leader who never reveals any vulnerability.
Read a good book. There are several great books that will help you reflect on a sustainable ministry lifestyle. Some of my favourites are:
· Zeal without Burnout by Christopher Ash – It’s not long or wordy, and the author helpfully reflects on how we as humans have needs (like sleep) unlike our Heavenly Father who provides and cares for us.
· Resilient Ministry by B. Burns, T. Chapman & D. Guthrie – A longer and more comprehensive book that shares the lessons from research into the lives of American ministry workers. Lots of stories and practical recommendations.
· Going the Distance by Peter Brain – This great book touches on a range of issues that can hinder ministry workers, such as anger.
As you think and plan for restarting ministries over the next few weeks, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned. It’s not always wrong to be busy but if your schedule leaves no time for you to spend time in God’s word and prayer, no time for rest and reflection and no time for intentionally planning to keep your ministries focused on what really matters, then something needs to change.
In his book Relational Children’s Ministry, Dan Lovaglia says that it’s easy for children’s ministry to default from obeying the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20, summarised as,
‘Go. Make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them to obey.’
To crumble into,
‘Go… and go… and go. Make programs. Administer all things. Don’t lose any kids.’
We see the truth in that observation but don’t miss the warning.
Are you heading back to ‘crazy busy’? What are you going to do about it?
