One of the things that has really helped me, my family and our church over the past 4 years has been the changes made in my work schedule. Here are the versions of my schedule I have had over the past few years:
1st year -No day off most weeks. I worked a full-time job and was in church start-up mode and so I rarely had a day off. This may have been necessary in the beginning (debatable), but it took a heavy toll on my family.
2nd year -I took Mondays off. At first I liked this, because it definitely beat no days off! Plus, I am usually wiped out after Sundays, so it felt like this was a good time to recharge. However 2 factors eventually became clear to make this less than ideal: 1) I was giving my family my leftovers on my only day off and 2) There was so much follow-up to do from Sunday that it was an internal battle to not focus on work that day (that I often lost).
3rd year - I switched from Mondays to Fridays off. This was a MAJOR improvement! In my Monday "funk", I could still focus on follow up and admin tasks, as long as I didn't have to focus on anything too creative. By Fridays I felt fresh and ready to unwind with my family with one major exception...I had the pressure of the Sunday message to finish the next day!
4th year -(With the addition of staff; thank you, Jesus!) I was able to take a 2nd day off. Friday became my sabbath or "dark" day and Tuesday was just an off day (I still might check e-mails or take a few calls, but I was not at the office). I loved the extra day off, but this schedule still had its challenges such as the constant pressure to finish the message on Saturday, 2 disconnected days off with no "weekend" feel, and Emily rapidly approaching elementary school (which would mean that I never get to see her if I work all weekend).
Into the 5th year (recent modification) -I maintain Friday as my dark day, but I've made Saturday my new flex day (I do spend several hours Saturday night reviewing the message for Sunday AM. Here are the new advantages:
- Two days off in a row (sort of) which has made all the difference to my wife.
- I can still spend time with my daughters as they go into grade school.
- The Sunday message is completely done by Thursday night! (This has made life amazing for me and our staff who had been waiting on me to finish the message so they could finalize other service elements).
I know that this post has a very narrow scope of interest and application. I write this to encourage and challenge other pastors/ministers (though it could easily apply largely to small business owners & entrepreneurs). Here are some questions you should consider:
- Have you reviewed your schedule lately?
- Is it still working for you?
- What changes can you make to improve things for you, your family, your staff, your church?
- If you can't practically make the changes now, what goals can you set to do so in the future?
- Are you taking at least one day off? Don't follow my early example and sin by not taking a Sabbath!
Conclusion: Work hard, but also be smart and strategic. Your schedule may need to change as your stage of life, family situation, and church stage all change. And never sacrifice your family in the name of ministry or anything else!
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