Small-church pastors are experts in using their time inefficiently.
That’s not an insult, it’s a compliment.
Here’s why.
I like working efficiently. Every time I figure out a new way to work smarter, not harder, it’s like finding a $20 bill in an old coat.
Shortcuts, life hacks, and time management tools are a great blessing, allowing me to get more done in less time, with a higher degree of quality.
Efficiency is not just a matter of good work habits, it’s about biblical stewardship.
But I don’t need efficiency in my times of worship. Or when we linger in fellowship. Or when I do pastoral care.
Too Important to Rush
Art, beauty, and love are not efficient. Neither are worship, prayer, fellowship, or pastoral care. They take too much time. They’re too sloppy. They’re too important to rush.
This is one of the reasons I like small churches so much. Big churches have to be efficient in everything they do. When you have hundreds or thousands of people attending multiples services and/or venues, efficiency is essential or the whole thing falls to pieces.
But in a small church you can take your time. Without hundreds of people to corral, or multiple services to coordinate, small churches can relax, slow down, and enjoy the presence of God and each other.
Pastoral care cannot always be done efficiently.
For instance, it’s not efficient to spend most of your day at the bedside of a dying church member. But it’s the right thing to do. And it’s what so many great pastors do so well.
Don’t sacrifice pastoral care on the altar of efficiency, time management, or chasing the next numerical goal.
Be Efficient, So You Can Become Unhurried
This is not an excuse for laziness, apathy, or lack of planning. A wise church leader knows when to use time efficiently and when to spend it generously.
Planning is not just helpful, it’s actually a biblical principle from the Proverbs to the parables.
In pastoral ministry, efficient planning can help us create extravagant expanses of time for the things that can’t be rushed.
- Time to be pastoral, not just to run church business.
- Time to worship, not just get through the songs.
- Time to fellowship, not just a quick hello.
- Time to disciple, not just teach a class.
- Time to relax instead of worrying about the clock.
A worship service can be conducted efficiently, but worship can’t. Running a business can be done efficiently, but pastoring can’t. Those things take time. They require whatever space is needed to ponder, reflect, celebrate, mourn, or linger.
Slow Down for What Matters
We tend to rush through the things we hate, but slow down for the things we love. Our overly-efficient, time-sensitive, church-as-business model may be sending folks the wrong message, even while we’re “getting more done.”
We need to do the administration parts of ministry more efficiently so we can slow down for God and people. You know, the “ministry” parts of ministry.
Loving Jesus, loving each other, and making disciples.
You can’t hurry that. And why would you want to?
(Photo by bigbirdz | Flickr)
