Podcast Episode #087
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I’m excited to announce the expansion of Rainer on Leadership from weekly to twice a week. Over the past 20 months, we’ve seen a tremendous response to the podcast with more than 300,000 downloads so far. When I’m out speaking, I am routinely asked to cover specific practical ministry topics more on the podcast. So these Tuesday episodes will do just that. In this week’s episode and the Tuesday episodes in the future, Jonathan and I will discuss some of the nuts and bolts of ministry as we concentrate on practical issues that relate to the church.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- It’s difficult for ministers to say no to church members even when their request might be outlandish.
- There are too many ministers who do not want to hand off ministry.
- The first two things that pastors and staff neglect when they get busy is personal prayer & devotion and exercise.
- Pastor, does your calendar have adequate time for prayer, sermon prep, and your family?
- Please God and your family first. If you’re not pleasing them first, your priorities are out of order.
- Ministers who don’t have enough time are often ministers who don’t plan their days.
The seven ways you can find more time in ministry are:
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Learn to say no.
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Learn to delegate
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Exercise.
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Calendar in batches of time.
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Calendar margin.
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Learning that you can’t please everyone.
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Go on a television and Internet diet
Episode Sponsor
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Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church.
“There are too many ministers who do not want to hand off ministry.”
This quote along with the one about delegating may very well be a good place to start in order to make the other issues a good bit smaller. If you are willing, and able to share the load you may find that it is a lot less necessary to say no. You might have time to say yes more often, or just have the resources to point someone to a place where someone can say yes.
I would encourage that we all learn in this new year how to better carry each other’s burdens, so that the paths are less cluttered for all of us when we try to follow Christ where he is leading us.
I think it ultimately comes down to setting priorities. John Bisagno remarked that most people will forgive the pastor for missing a hospital visit or turning down a social engagement, but they won’t be so quick to forgive him for poorly-prepared sermons. I’ve also found that most people will respect the pastor’s study time if they know he actually studies, and they will be able to tell that from his sermons.
I’m fortunate to have a few people in my congregation who have pastors in their families, so they know how busy we really are.
Thank you for this. I work full time outside of my ministry responsibilities. Up here in the wilds of northern New England we tend to have small churches with even smaller budgets. However, the demand for time is the same. I am thankful for a great core group of volunteers that share the responsibility with me. It’s funny, #3 is one of the most important items on this list. Hitting 40 this year demonstrated to me the need to shape up, and by God’s grace I have begun. The change in my mood, stress level and ability to respond to ministry responsibilities has improved. It’s hard to stress about stuff when you are holding 150 lbs. of weight above your head in a bench press.