Adam Fike
Thursday 2/26
Differences between getting along with people at college vs. in a church situation:
1. Greater Differences in the Church
People in the church are more diversified, mainly in terms of age. The church is multigenerational and contains people from age 0 to 100+. Age and generational barriers breed miscommunication and conflict. At Indiana Wesleyan, we mostly come from similar socio-economical backgrounds. The majority of the students come from conservative, Christian homes. We are not introduced to much diversity unless we reach beyond our walls into Marion. In the church, it is very possible to be placed in a diverse church where we must learn to deal with differences.
2. People in the Church are the Boss
The fact that the congregation is our boss automatically places certain strains on the relationship. At college we have relationships with peers and professors. Obviously, relationships with our peers are different because we do not work for them. Our relationship with our professors is more similar to a relationship to a church, but we work for a grade in class. In the church, we work to make disciples of Christ through relationships. This is a more complex and difficult task. Even if the members of your church are good hosts, the relationship with them will be different simply because they are your boss.
3. No Letter Grade in Expectations
People in the church may have high expectations, but they do not give you a grade like in college. In the church we are given the task of assisting the Spirit in forming relationships, both horizontally and vertically. There is a huge grey area in building relationships because there is no easy or universal formula. In working for a grade, we have clear expectations and requirements. There are deadlines for papers and tests, and we know what to write and study. People work is complex and is both an intrinsic and acquired skill.
4. Forced to Make Confront
In college, we can avoid annoying people or people that we don’t get along with. In the church, we must get along with the members. We are expected to be peacemakers and exhibit Christ-like attitudes at all times.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Randi Meyer
Thursday 2/26/09
7. People – Campus vs. Church
1. Avoid Annoying People – At college, I can completely avoid people that I find it difficult to get along with by still being nice. If I see that in class or around campus, I can say hi and move on. I don’t have to make any more effort towards the relationships. Even the people I work with in group projects, I get to pick at college. In the church, this will not be possible. I will be forced to work and build relationships with people that annoy me.
2. People Are My Bosses – Church people are not only the ones I will have to interact with a lot of my time, but they are also the people who will give me my job. I will have to learn how to get along with all the people, at least the majority of them, to keep my job. At college, I do not have to worry about others not liking me to lose my position as a student.
3. Different Personalities – College allows me to pick the people I hang out with. Most of my friends have a lot of the same interests, hobbies, and morals as I do. I have already found out that this will not always be true in the church. As a pastor, we need to learn how to connect with all different types of people with personalities that are not like yours. For an example, in my youth group right now there is a girl who loves to hunt. I am a girl who knows nothing about hunting! The only time I have ever shot a real gun, my eye ended up bloody! J The fact is I still need to work on how to connect with her and truly be interested in things that interest her.
4. Different Generations – At college, I deal with people in the same age group as me for the most part. It is easy to connect and get along with them, because we are apart of the same generation. The church is full of all ages. I will have to learn how to get along with each one.
Thursday 2/26/09
7. People – Campus vs. Church
1. Avoid Annoying People – At college, I can completely avoid people that I find it difficult to get along with by still being nice. If I see that in class or around campus, I can say hi and move on. I don’t have to make any more effort towards the relationships. Even the people I work with in group projects, I get to pick at college. In the church, this will not be possible. I will be forced to work and build relationships with people that annoy me.
2. People Are My Bosses – Church people are not only the ones I will have to interact with a lot of my time, but they are also the people who will give me my job. I will have to learn how to get along with all the people, at least the majority of them, to keep my job. At college, I do not have to worry about others not liking me to lose my position as a student.
3. Different Personalities – College allows me to pick the people I hang out with. Most of my friends have a lot of the same interests, hobbies, and morals as I do. I have already found out that this will not always be true in the church. As a pastor, we need to learn how to connect with all different types of people with personalities that are not like yours. For an example, in my youth group right now there is a girl who loves to hunt. I am a girl who knows nothing about hunting! The only time I have ever shot a real gun, my eye ended up bloody! J The fact is I still need to work on how to connect with her and truly be interested in things that interest her.
4. Different Generations – At college, I deal with people in the same age group as me for the most part. It is easy to connect and get along with them, because we are apart of the same generation. The church is full of all ages. I will have to learn how to get along with each one.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Week 7 Thursday Blog
Week 7
February 26th, 2009
People—Campus vs. Church
The difference between “getting along with people” in a campus setting versus a church situation:
In regards to campus living, I am going to be more specific. The people that you get along with on campus are your roommates (including all in your dorm/lodge/apartment etc.), classmates, and professors
-The people that you are in constant contact with
Similarities:
Before I point out the differences between the two, I would am going to point out the similarities.
Ordered Relationships
Both have ordered relationships. By ordered relationships there are those are your in close contact with (roommates, friends, etc.), those you work with (classmates, possible same as roommates and friends), and those you work for (professors). Each relationship is different based on the order. In a church there are ordered relationships those you are in close contact with (the people you do ministry with, teach Sunday school with, your family, friends) the people you work with (the people you do ministry with, the people you may actually work with outside of church, etc.) and those you work for (ultimately God, but for the church, the board, the staff…those in authority in the church).
Observation of Differences:
1. At school you get along with people to just get through, at church you get along with people to have a peaceful life.
Being on campus, you will need to get along with roommates because you live with them. Living in an environment that you do not get along with someone is draining. You get along with your roommates to get through. If their sloppiness annoys you, you don’t confront them you get along, because you are just trying to get through.
However, at church someone’s sloppiness is something you live with week in and week out just as you do with a roommate, but the difference is this, with a roommate you can… switch roommates, ignore their sloppiness until the end of the semester or year. At a church you do not get such options. If a staff members sloppiness bothers you, you need to know how confront them in such a way that does not impose you getting along with them. You get along with people to have a peaceful life, so when conflict arises, it needs to be dealt with.
2. A church you are more of family, at college you can ignore people, if you want to.
Living on campus, you can choose to get along with people or not. You can choose to be a loner or be in a community. With a church, you are in a community. There is no fighting it and if you were to, then you do not belong in church quite frankly. For the church is a body of believers, a group, that works together for the sake of the same purpose….
3. A church has a corporate purpose, at college there are individuals living together finding their own purpose.
A church has the purpose of brining others in communion with God through the preaching and teaching of God’s word, the sacraments, and having a rightly ordered community. Everything is done for the betterment of the church and for those who come in contact with the church. On campus, a college student is working towards their own purpose and goals while living in a community. There is a dichotomy between the two. Getting along with one another in a Church is part of the purpose, and college, it is not.
February 26th, 2009
People—Campus vs. Church
The difference between “getting along with people” in a campus setting versus a church situation:
In regards to campus living, I am going to be more specific. The people that you get along with on campus are your roommates (including all in your dorm/lodge/apartment etc.), classmates, and professors
-The people that you are in constant contact with
Similarities:
Before I point out the differences between the two, I would am going to point out the similarities.
Ordered Relationships
Both have ordered relationships. By ordered relationships there are those are your in close contact with (roommates, friends, etc.), those you work with (classmates, possible same as roommates and friends), and those you work for (professors). Each relationship is different based on the order. In a church there are ordered relationships those you are in close contact with (the people you do ministry with, teach Sunday school with, your family, friends) the people you work with (the people you do ministry with, the people you may actually work with outside of church, etc.) and those you work for (ultimately God, but for the church, the board, the staff…those in authority in the church).
Observation of Differences:
1. At school you get along with people to just get through, at church you get along with people to have a peaceful life.
Being on campus, you will need to get along with roommates because you live with them. Living in an environment that you do not get along with someone is draining. You get along with your roommates to get through. If their sloppiness annoys you, you don’t confront them you get along, because you are just trying to get through.
However, at church someone’s sloppiness is something you live with week in and week out just as you do with a roommate, but the difference is this, with a roommate you can… switch roommates, ignore their sloppiness until the end of the semester or year. At a church you do not get such options. If a staff members sloppiness bothers you, you need to know how confront them in such a way that does not impose you getting along with them. You get along with people to have a peaceful life, so when conflict arises, it needs to be dealt with.
2. A church you are more of family, at college you can ignore people, if you want to.
Living on campus, you can choose to get along with people or not. You can choose to be a loner or be in a community. With a church, you are in a community. There is no fighting it and if you were to, then you do not belong in church quite frankly. For the church is a body of believers, a group, that works together for the sake of the same purpose….
3. A church has a corporate purpose, at college there are individuals living together finding their own purpose.
A church has the purpose of brining others in communion with God through the preaching and teaching of God’s word, the sacraments, and having a rightly ordered community. Everything is done for the betterment of the church and for those who come in contact with the church. On campus, a college student is working towards their own purpose and goals while living in a community. There is a dichotomy between the two. Getting along with one another in a Church is part of the purpose, and college, it is not.
Week 7 Church Conflict Story
Week 7
February 23, 2009
1. Interviewed: Marty Reiswig
When: February 23rd,2009 @ 4:45pm
2. Church Conflict Story:
The Senior Pastor and the Children’s Pastor were not getting along in the Church. The pressure kept mounting between the two and so The Children’s Pastor put in her resignation to leave and told the pastor to start looking for a new children’s pastor to take her spot. The Senior Pastor did not look for another person rather tried to “fix” the issue that was going on between him and the children’s pastor.
When the Children’s Pastor was about to leave, the Senior Pastor still had yet to find another person to fill her position. So he approached the youth pastor. We went to the youth pastor and began asking him questions about numbers and attendance of the youth. The Senior Pastor told him that he does not have enough youth to fulfill his job requirements. The Youth Pastor explained that he also is director of activities for the church in which he is responsible for. Not satisfied with the answer and had already made up his mind, the Senior Pastor told the Youth Pastor that that evening he was going to make a recommendation to the board that the Youth Pastor should also take on the role as the Children’s Pastor.
Infuriated, the Youth Pastor went home and explained what had happened to his wife. This was not the first instance that he had dealt with the negligence and poor leadership skills of the Senior Pastor. He wanted to leave. But his wife calmed him down and explained that the best thing to do for now is to explain your side of it to the board, but respect any decision that is made. And so he did.
That evening at the board meeting, the Senior Pastor recommended the that Youth Pastor take on the second role as Children’s Pastor (knowing full well the youth pastor was fuming). The Youth Pastor spoke on his behalf explaining his lack of desire to do and experience with Children’s ministry.
The board recognized the concerns and apprehensions of the Youth Pastor. However, he would need to fill this position until they found another Children’s Pastor. Thus, the Youth Pastor ended up being the Children’s Pastor for about three months.
Advice from the youth pastor: When you take a job position make sure the job description and expectations are clearly stated by the senior pastor, the church, and yourself. Make sure there are lines drawn and if they need to be altered that it is written you will be given as much notice as possible.
February 23, 2009
1. Interviewed: Marty Reiswig
When: February 23rd,2009 @ 4:45pm
2. Church Conflict Story:
The Senior Pastor and the Children’s Pastor were not getting along in the Church. The pressure kept mounting between the two and so The Children’s Pastor put in her resignation to leave and told the pastor to start looking for a new children’s pastor to take her spot. The Senior Pastor did not look for another person rather tried to “fix” the issue that was going on between him and the children’s pastor.
When the Children’s Pastor was about to leave, the Senior Pastor still had yet to find another person to fill her position. So he approached the youth pastor. We went to the youth pastor and began asking him questions about numbers and attendance of the youth. The Senior Pastor told him that he does not have enough youth to fulfill his job requirements. The Youth Pastor explained that he also is director of activities for the church in which he is responsible for. Not satisfied with the answer and had already made up his mind, the Senior Pastor told the Youth Pastor that that evening he was going to make a recommendation to the board that the Youth Pastor should also take on the role as the Children’s Pastor.
Infuriated, the Youth Pastor went home and explained what had happened to his wife. This was not the first instance that he had dealt with the negligence and poor leadership skills of the Senior Pastor. He wanted to leave. But his wife calmed him down and explained that the best thing to do for now is to explain your side of it to the board, but respect any decision that is made. And so he did.
That evening at the board meeting, the Senior Pastor recommended the that Youth Pastor take on the second role as Children’s Pastor (knowing full well the youth pastor was fuming). The Youth Pastor spoke on his behalf explaining his lack of desire to do and experience with Children’s ministry.
The board recognized the concerns and apprehensions of the Youth Pastor. However, he would need to fill this position until they found another Children’s Pastor. Thus, the Youth Pastor ended up being the Children’s Pastor for about three months.
Advice from the youth pastor: When you take a job position make sure the job description and expectations are clearly stated by the senior pastor, the church, and yourself. Make sure there are lines drawn and if they need to be altered that it is written you will be given as much notice as possible.
Week 7 - Church Conflict
Adam Fike
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on February 18
Tuesday 2/24
At his first church, Pastor Mark dealt with a conflict that began in the membership class he was teaching. A woman in the class smoked and still wanted to be a member. Pastor Mark had explained to the class that tobacco use is prohibited in the Wesleyan church. In the last class, the woman spoke up during class and asked Pastor Mark if she could still become a member. Pastor Mark told her that he would discuss it with her after class. After class, he offered the woman a lesser degree of membership is she still wanted to smoke. He thought that would be the end of the discussion, but he thought wrong.
This issue arose again at the annual conference day during the meeting when the woman’s husband, who was a member of the church, piped up and said he wanted to address the conference. Pastor Mark began to feel a little nervous and apprehensive of what this could possibly be. Consequently, Pastor Mark told the man he would have to wait until the meeting was over. After the meeting, the husband was allowed to speak. He started to rave about how the church should be open and accepting to everyone. He gave quite a long and emotional speech. On top of this, another member of the church rose in agreement. At this time, Pastor Mark stepped in and shut it down. He ended without any debate or argument on his side by reading a passage from Ephesians about unity.
Afterwards, Pastor Mark was pretty upset with the other member who rose in agreement with the husband of the smoking wife, but God worked out reconciliation. After that meeting, one of the board members approached the member who had rose in agreement with the husband and told him he was out of line. So the next day, the member stopped by Pastor Mark’s office and apologized. Furthermore, the husband who had caused the conflict wrote a note and stuck it under Pastor Mark’s windshield wiper apologizing to the whole church.
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on February 18
Tuesday 2/24
At his first church, Pastor Mark dealt with a conflict that began in the membership class he was teaching. A woman in the class smoked and still wanted to be a member. Pastor Mark had explained to the class that tobacco use is prohibited in the Wesleyan church. In the last class, the woman spoke up during class and asked Pastor Mark if she could still become a member. Pastor Mark told her that he would discuss it with her after class. After class, he offered the woman a lesser degree of membership is she still wanted to smoke. He thought that would be the end of the discussion, but he thought wrong.
This issue arose again at the annual conference day during the meeting when the woman’s husband, who was a member of the church, piped up and said he wanted to address the conference. Pastor Mark began to feel a little nervous and apprehensive of what this could possibly be. Consequently, Pastor Mark told the man he would have to wait until the meeting was over. After the meeting, the husband was allowed to speak. He started to rave about how the church should be open and accepting to everyone. He gave quite a long and emotional speech. On top of this, another member of the church rose in agreement. At this time, Pastor Mark stepped in and shut it down. He ended without any debate or argument on his side by reading a passage from Ephesians about unity.
Afterwards, Pastor Mark was pretty upset with the other member who rose in agreement with the husband of the smoking wife, but God worked out reconciliation. After that meeting, one of the board members approached the member who had rose in agreement with the husband and told him he was out of line. So the next day, the member stopped by Pastor Mark’s office and apologized. Furthermore, the husband who had caused the conflict wrote a note and stuck it under Pastor Mark’s windshield wiper apologizing to the whole church.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Randi Meyer
Tuesday 2/24/09
Week 7 – Church Conflict Story
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry – Friday 2/13/09
Pastor Connie use to work as a full time minister of music for a church over 1000 people. She handled all choirs and instrumentals for the church. This church had a faithful organist for about 50 years. The organist’s name was Mary. Mary was a godly woman who was not only a very talented organist, but she was selfless and always eager to serve. The time finally came though for Mary to retire as the hired organ player. This left Pastor Connie in charge of searching for a new organist.
The church did have two substitute organ players to cover for Mary when she was not available to play. The substitutes were Sherrill and Sarah. The problem was that neither of them was a very skillful organist and could not play at the level the choir needed. They could deal with their playing every once in a while, but it would be a poor decision on the church’s behalf to hire one of them full time. Both Sherrill and Sarah approached Pastor Connie for the job, but the church decided it would be best to hold auditions. Pastor Connie led the committee for hiring a new organist. It was not just her decision, but the church’s board believed this would be best. Sherrill and Sarah could audition for the job, but neither of them would get it handed to them.
Before this began, Sherrill and Sarah never really liked each other in the first place. They were always very competitive. They also both had families within the church. This caused a big division between the families and other church members too. With all of these problems, this affirmed the decision for the church to hold auditions for the position. Sherrill and Sarah we very offended by this decision though, so they began to befriend each other because they both had the same enemy now, Pastor Connie.
During the audition and hiring process, Pastor Connie received hate mail and telephone threats. At one point, the police had to get involved, because her life might have been in danger. On one particular day, a man from the church even pretended to run her over. He sped up for very quickly with his truck, but slammed on his breaks. It was so close it even brushed her clothing. When the committee got together to vote on the organist a large group of people showed up. One lady followed Pastor Connie all the way to her office screaming at her. At one point in all this mess, the church even had to hire a conflict resolution consultant to come and help figure out the anger in this situation, but it ended up only making it worse. The senior pastor helped Pastor Connie with all the decisions, but provided poor leadership skills. He was afraid to back her up too much and wanted to please everyone.
Finally, they hired a very good organist. He had a doctorate in worship. Many people encouraged Pastor Connie to leave the church, because she did not deserve to put up with all the hostility. Most of the church supported her, but there was still great hatred between her and members. She still stayed another three years though faithfully serving God at this church. She believes that the church learned that handling this situation properly even in riot was the right thing.
Tuesday 2/24/09
Week 7 – Church Conflict Story
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry – Friday 2/13/09
Pastor Connie use to work as a full time minister of music for a church over 1000 people. She handled all choirs and instrumentals for the church. This church had a faithful organist for about 50 years. The organist’s name was Mary. Mary was a godly woman who was not only a very talented organist, but she was selfless and always eager to serve. The time finally came though for Mary to retire as the hired organ player. This left Pastor Connie in charge of searching for a new organist.
The church did have two substitute organ players to cover for Mary when she was not available to play. The substitutes were Sherrill and Sarah. The problem was that neither of them was a very skillful organist and could not play at the level the choir needed. They could deal with their playing every once in a while, but it would be a poor decision on the church’s behalf to hire one of them full time. Both Sherrill and Sarah approached Pastor Connie for the job, but the church decided it would be best to hold auditions. Pastor Connie led the committee for hiring a new organist. It was not just her decision, but the church’s board believed this would be best. Sherrill and Sarah could audition for the job, but neither of them would get it handed to them.
Before this began, Sherrill and Sarah never really liked each other in the first place. They were always very competitive. They also both had families within the church. This caused a big division between the families and other church members too. With all of these problems, this affirmed the decision for the church to hold auditions for the position. Sherrill and Sarah we very offended by this decision though, so they began to befriend each other because they both had the same enemy now, Pastor Connie.
During the audition and hiring process, Pastor Connie received hate mail and telephone threats. At one point, the police had to get involved, because her life might have been in danger. On one particular day, a man from the church even pretended to run her over. He sped up for very quickly with his truck, but slammed on his breaks. It was so close it even brushed her clothing. When the committee got together to vote on the organist a large group of people showed up. One lady followed Pastor Connie all the way to her office screaming at her. At one point in all this mess, the church even had to hire a conflict resolution consultant to come and help figure out the anger in this situation, but it ended up only making it worse. The senior pastor helped Pastor Connie with all the decisions, but provided poor leadership skills. He was afraid to back her up too much and wanted to please everyone.
Finally, they hired a very good organist. He had a doctorate in worship. Many people encouraged Pastor Connie to leave the church, because she did not deserve to put up with all the hostility. Most of the church supported her, but there was still great hatred between her and members. She still stayed another three years though faithfully serving God at this church. She believes that the church learned that handling this situation properly even in riot was the right thing.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Week 6 - Office Work
Adam Fike
Thursday 2/19
In the 1970’s, the pendulum swung to the extreme of no office work, and in the 1980’s, the pendulum swung to the opposite extreme of too many office hours. I realize the necessity of office hours, but I would rather do personal calls and visits with people. I can see how office work would be a nice break and provide some solitude and alone time, but I would go crazy with too much of it. I would like to see a shift away from office hours and toward more visitations and calls. I would like to retain a balance between the two. I want to avoid extremes, but the balance I want to see is lopsided. I would retain enough office hours to do necessary organization and filing that will help make the ministry of the church more effective. At the same time, I would cut unnecessary office hours or delegate them to other members of the church so that I could focus on the spiritual side of full physical communication.
My ideal week would be to have two office hours a day, Monday-Friday. This does not count sermon preparation, but I would like to avoid spending more than two hours a day on office work. I realize the importance and spiritual side of office work, but I think there are more effective ways for a pastor to spend his/her time outside the office. As long as those two hours a day are kept, I believe I could get most of the work done every week. The work that I did not get done could be delegated to someone else. This may sound selfish, but I truly think it is best for the life of the church if the pastor is not shut in an office all day. I would have another two hours a day devoted to sermon preparation, or I would devote an entire day early in the week to the sermon. The other hours of the day (around 3-4) could be devoted to visitations and calls.
Thursday 2/19
In the 1970’s, the pendulum swung to the extreme of no office work, and in the 1980’s, the pendulum swung to the opposite extreme of too many office hours. I realize the necessity of office hours, but I would rather do personal calls and visits with people. I can see how office work would be a nice break and provide some solitude and alone time, but I would go crazy with too much of it. I would like to see a shift away from office hours and toward more visitations and calls. I would like to retain a balance between the two. I want to avoid extremes, but the balance I want to see is lopsided. I would retain enough office hours to do necessary organization and filing that will help make the ministry of the church more effective. At the same time, I would cut unnecessary office hours or delegate them to other members of the church so that I could focus on the spiritual side of full physical communication.
My ideal week would be to have two office hours a day, Monday-Friday. This does not count sermon preparation, but I would like to avoid spending more than two hours a day on office work. I realize the importance and spiritual side of office work, but I think there are more effective ways for a pastor to spend his/her time outside the office. As long as those two hours a day are kept, I believe I could get most of the work done every week. The work that I did not get done could be delegated to someone else. This may sound selfish, but I truly think it is best for the life of the church if the pastor is not shut in an office all day. I would have another two hours a day devoted to sermon preparation, or I would devote an entire day early in the week to the sermon. The other hours of the day (around 3-4) could be devoted to visitations and calls.
Week 6-Thursday Blog
Week 6
February 19th, 2009
Kelly Jones
Office Work:
What would I like to see in regards to “office work” and “calling” on people?
The church and the ministry of a pastor is ever evolving to help better minister to the world. Not that the Church is compromising, rather it is being IN the world, not of it. In order to minister effectively for Christ, the work of a pastor will change accordingly to the means needed to meet the worlds' needs. I find no problem with this, rather I am in awe of how God is ever-constant but always finding ways to reach out to our human needs. As a minister, I find that shift from visiting people to office work work has been a launch board to encompassing a fruitful ministry.
What I would like to see in regards to the two, is two a church that has the ability to staff more than on pastor to do such jobs. Administrative work takes a lot of a pastors time as does spending time with people. Now, I believe the role of pastor should include both, but should it be to the point where the minister is run down to total exhaustion? We must not forget that on top of running board meetings, attending pray meetings, writing sermons, and spending time with their own families, pastors are basically on-call 24/7. Unlike other vocations where a person punches in and punches out, leaving work behind, a minister never truly has that.
The Church recognizes this. Congregations experience this with run-down, burned-out ministers. Pastors ache so much that many times, they throw their hands in the and and throw in the towel.
But the Church is not staying silent. They are responding and finding ways to “fix” this problem. I must say, from my little experience in the ministry and education of it, I think this fix will do wonders for the Kingdom.
The fix comes in different forms depending on the desire of the church and pastoral staff...
Dividing Up Roles
Some churches are beginning to hire pastors and assigning them to specific roles. We have seen this shift in delegating roles when the division of senior pastor, assistant pastor, youth pastor, and children's pastor came about. Now we see the division of Administrative Pastor, Pastoral Care Pastor, Communications Pastor and more. This helps divide up the thousands of dependencies on person must carry.
Delegating Tasks
A person cannot be all things to all people at all times. Some churches have taken the action to delegate the tasks of a pastor, specifically the “on-call” tasks. Staff and sometimes highly regarded lay people are given the role of pastoral care in which they are assigned a certain day to be available to any on-call duty. This frees up the pastor to focus on administrative tasks and preparation for Sunday services on certain days with no interruptions. It also allows the pastor to have at least one “off day.”
How would I want to spend an ideal week in doing church work? How many hours a week and doing what?
An ideal week for me doing church work would be these things:
1.Counseling
2.Preparing and Organizing Events
3.Preparing /Training Volunteers and Teachers
4.Preparing Sunday Service
Most of my time would be spent on planning and being with people. I have that being in the ministry that my true passions are to be with people one-on-one as well as planning events such missions trips, fund raisers, lock-ins, and hospitality. I like preparing sermons, but that is not my number one passion. Thankfully that is my husband, my ministy partner, number one thing, preparing sermons!
In regards to hours, I think doing all of those things (not to mention visiting people and being “on-call”) would take about anywhere from forty to fifty hours a week. Being in a part time position doing those things, I probably spend half that amount of time (even though if I had no school, I would be putting that many hours into it!).
February 19th, 2009
Kelly Jones
Office Work:
What would I like to see in regards to “office work” and “calling” on people?
The church and the ministry of a pastor is ever evolving to help better minister to the world. Not that the Church is compromising, rather it is being IN the world, not of it. In order to minister effectively for Christ, the work of a pastor will change accordingly to the means needed to meet the worlds' needs. I find no problem with this, rather I am in awe of how God is ever-constant but always finding ways to reach out to our human needs. As a minister, I find that shift from visiting people to office work work has been a launch board to encompassing a fruitful ministry.
What I would like to see in regards to the two, is two a church that has the ability to staff more than on pastor to do such jobs. Administrative work takes a lot of a pastors time as does spending time with people. Now, I believe the role of pastor should include both, but should it be to the point where the minister is run down to total exhaustion? We must not forget that on top of running board meetings, attending pray meetings, writing sermons, and spending time with their own families, pastors are basically on-call 24/7. Unlike other vocations where a person punches in and punches out, leaving work behind, a minister never truly has that.
The Church recognizes this. Congregations experience this with run-down, burned-out ministers. Pastors ache so much that many times, they throw their hands in the and and throw in the towel.
But the Church is not staying silent. They are responding and finding ways to “fix” this problem. I must say, from my little experience in the ministry and education of it, I think this fix will do wonders for the Kingdom.
The fix comes in different forms depending on the desire of the church and pastoral staff...
Dividing Up Roles
Some churches are beginning to hire pastors and assigning them to specific roles. We have seen this shift in delegating roles when the division of senior pastor, assistant pastor, youth pastor, and children's pastor came about. Now we see the division of Administrative Pastor, Pastoral Care Pastor, Communications Pastor and more. This helps divide up the thousands of dependencies on person must carry.
Delegating Tasks
A person cannot be all things to all people at all times. Some churches have taken the action to delegate the tasks of a pastor, specifically the “on-call” tasks. Staff and sometimes highly regarded lay people are given the role of pastoral care in which they are assigned a certain day to be available to any on-call duty. This frees up the pastor to focus on administrative tasks and preparation for Sunday services on certain days with no interruptions. It also allows the pastor to have at least one “off day.”
How would I want to spend an ideal week in doing church work? How many hours a week and doing what?
An ideal week for me doing church work would be these things:
1.Counseling
2.Preparing and Organizing Events
3.Preparing /Training Volunteers and Teachers
4.Preparing Sunday Service
Most of my time would be spent on planning and being with people. I have that being in the ministry that my true passions are to be with people one-on-one as well as planning events such missions trips, fund raisers, lock-ins, and hospitality. I like preparing sermons, but that is not my number one passion. Thankfully that is my husband, my ministy partner, number one thing, preparing sermons!
In regards to hours, I think doing all of those things (not to mention visiting people and being “on-call”) would take about anywhere from forty to fifty hours a week. Being in a part time position doing those things, I probably spend half that amount of time (even though if I had no school, I would be putting that many hours into it!).
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Randi Meyer
Thursday 2/19/09
6. Office Work
This past summer I did an internship at my home church. I soon discovered that many of the tasks that were assigned to me were office work, research, meetings, and study. I learned a lot about the church and pastoral duties through each of these elements, but I also soon discovered what my passion truly is. My passion is spending time with people, especially when close relationships develop between other individuals and me. My passion for ministry is fed by personal discipleship and guidance that I can give to others.
Another quality that I know about myself is that I love alone time and education. My study time and preparation for lessons and sermons are enjoyable to me. There are times when people wear me out, and I feel replenished by having silence for devotions and study time. I am also a very task orientated and organized person, so office work does not bother me very much.
My ideal world in the ministry would then be a perfect balance. I would prefer to work between 40-50 hours a week. Hopefully not more, because I see the importance of still having a personal and social life outside of ministry work. I also would want to spend half of that time on “real interactions” with people, and the other half in the office studying, preparing, and performing other tasks. In today’s culture, I believe “office work” should not be rare anymore. Our world is very structured, and it takes office work to institute organization and a system that makes things function. But I also believe that too much focus in this area and not enough on people can completely destroy a ministry. This brings me to my conclusion that there needs to be balance.
Thursday 2/19/09
6. Office Work
This past summer I did an internship at my home church. I soon discovered that many of the tasks that were assigned to me were office work, research, meetings, and study. I learned a lot about the church and pastoral duties through each of these elements, but I also soon discovered what my passion truly is. My passion is spending time with people, especially when close relationships develop between other individuals and me. My passion for ministry is fed by personal discipleship and guidance that I can give to others.
Another quality that I know about myself is that I love alone time and education. My study time and preparation for lessons and sermons are enjoyable to me. There are times when people wear me out, and I feel replenished by having silence for devotions and study time. I am also a very task orientated and organized person, so office work does not bother me very much.
My ideal world in the ministry would then be a perfect balance. I would prefer to work between 40-50 hours a week. Hopefully not more, because I see the importance of still having a personal and social life outside of ministry work. I also would want to spend half of that time on “real interactions” with people, and the other half in the office studying, preparing, and performing other tasks. In today’s culture, I believe “office work” should not be rare anymore. Our world is very structured, and it takes office work to institute organization and a system that makes things function. But I also believe that too much focus in this area and not enough on people can completely destroy a ministry. This brings me to my conclusion that there needs to be balance.
Week 6
Week 6
February 16th, 2009
Interviewed: Pastor John Freed
When: February 16th, 2009 @ 9:30pm
Phone Interview
John Freed is a professional when it comes to time management. He actually holds seminars and staff meetings to train people in time management. His secret? The book, Getting Things Done. John says that his first two years of ministry consisted of bringing work home, working late hours into the night, and lying awake in bed worrying about all the things that still needed to get done. Since reading Getting Things Done, he can go home and leave church work at the church.
This is how he does it: Schedule Everything.
John looks at everything in life as a project that needs to be accomplished (much like homework in the world of academia). The shift from academia to real life is that in real life, you control your own projects! John will plan out everything to a tee. Meeting with his wife to go over vision making for the next youth group, it is scheduled. Meeting with the pastor to help fill the baptismal, it is scheduled. The key is to schedule every single task and break down each task into specifics and details. The more specific you are, the easier your life will be. As John puts it, 'Think before you have to think.' This is much more than a 'to-do' list, it is planning out steps.
Every Thursday John sets aside time to work on this filing project system. He plan out for the next day, week, month, and even the months to come. Each project he asks himself these questions to in order to adequately order and file them:
How long will this take? (3o minutes or 2 hours?)
When is this going to happen?
The filing system truly requires you to think through everything. The best way to keep a balanced lifestyle is to plan your life out.
John's Advice to Church Staff Newbies :
1.If you are a natural procrastinator, like John (and myself), take away all the things that distract you and organize your life. John does not play music while he works, he does not keep pictures on his desk, and he only keeps bare essentials in his office. Another distraction to him is e-mail, so he plans out set times that he checks his e-mail and ensures that others know that as well. This is the exact message that is in each of his e-mails:
2.When a church first hires you on, take two weeks to actually unpack your things. Just use the bare minimum for two weeks and work hard on whatever it is you need to get done. After the two weeks is up, figure out what you need for your office. You will find that you will not need much. This will save you time when unpacking because a lot of the stuff you have packed to move in are things you truly do not need. Find ways to best organize your office (desks, chairs, bookcase, etc.) that will help you work most efficiently.
February 16th, 2009
Interviewed: Pastor John Freed
When: February 16th, 2009 @ 9:30pm
Phone Interview
John Freed is a professional when it comes to time management. He actually holds seminars and staff meetings to train people in time management. His secret? The book, Getting Things Done. John says that his first two years of ministry consisted of bringing work home, working late hours into the night, and lying awake in bed worrying about all the things that still needed to get done. Since reading Getting Things Done, he can go home and leave church work at the church.
This is how he does it: Schedule Everything.
John looks at everything in life as a project that needs to be accomplished (much like homework in the world of academia). The shift from academia to real life is that in real life, you control your own projects! John will plan out everything to a tee. Meeting with his wife to go over vision making for the next youth group, it is scheduled. Meeting with the pastor to help fill the baptismal, it is scheduled. The key is to schedule every single task and break down each task into specifics and details. The more specific you are, the easier your life will be. As John puts it, 'Think before you have to think.' This is much more than a 'to-do' list, it is planning out steps.
Every Thursday John sets aside time to work on this filing project system. He plan out for the next day, week, month, and even the months to come. Each project he asks himself these questions to in order to adequately order and file them:
How long will this take? (3o minutes or 2 hours?)
When is this going to happen?
The filing system truly requires you to think through everything. The best way to keep a balanced lifestyle is to plan your life out.
John's Advice to Church Staff Newbies :
1.If you are a natural procrastinator, like John (and myself), take away all the things that distract you and organize your life. John does not play music while he works, he does not keep pictures on his desk, and he only keeps bare essentials in his office. Another distraction to him is e-mail, so he plans out set times that he checks his e-mail and ensures that others know that as well. This is the exact message that is in each of his e-mails:
2.When a church first hires you on, take two weeks to actually unpack your things. Just use the bare minimum for two weeks and work hard on whatever it is you need to get done. After the two weeks is up, figure out what you need for your office. You will find that you will not need much. This will save you time when unpacking because a lot of the stuff you have packed to move in are things you truly do not need. Find ways to best organize your office (desks, chairs, bookcase, etc.) that will help you work most efficiently.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Randi Meyer
Tuesday 2/17/09
Week 6 - Time Management Advice
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry – Friday 2/13/09
Boundaries
1.) Pastor Connie told me that one should put everything on a calendar to set boundaries in your schedule. This does not mean just “church things”, but even personal, family, and social things. This allows yourself to see the “big picture” of what you have to accomplish. It also allows you to tell people you are busy at certain times, so that they do not begin to control your whole life. You do not need to tell them why you cannot meet with them, because they may get offended if it is simply for rest. A person has to stay faithful to this schedule too, so that they will have specific boundaries to live a complete and healthy life.
2.) Another way Pastor Connie told me to set boundaries is to set specific office hours that are pasted for all church members to know about. This will tell people when you are available. There could be certain days and times you encourage them to drop in anytime or make appointments. It would be even wiser to post your hours of sermon prep or study, so they know when not to bother you. It also reveals to the members that you are working hard for the church.
Time Management Advice
· Always plan ahead! Outline all big projects and small projects, so that you know what is coming up.
· Delegating jobs is a great time management help! All the work that needs to be done for the church does not need to only be accomplished by one person. Ask yourself these questions: Who in the church can help with this kind of work? Who has done this job in the past? How can they help me do these things more efficiently? Also, make friends with the secretary. They are the one who usually knows almost everything going on in the church, and most secretaries are task-orientated.
Week 6 - Time Management Advice
Adam Fike
Tuesday 2/17
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on January 28, 2009
1. Boundaries
Pastor Mark takes every Friday off, and he protects this time at all costs. He advised me to pick a day during the week that I not do any work or ministry except in the case of an emergency. He said Saturday is often not a good day because there are often ministry events on Saturday. Pastor Mark also tries to protect evenings unless there are board meetings scheduled. He says his evening schedule varies greatly from week to week so it is hard to establish set boundaries in the evening. Pastor Mark told me it is important to establish these boundaries early in ministry, especially when raising kids. It is important to have that time set aside for family. He said that he was the solo pastor in his first church, and his office was at home. At that time, it was not as important to establish a day off because he could take breaks with his family every day.
2. Time Management Advice
1. Pastor Mark advised me to set time boundaries not only by taking a day off every week, but all across the board. This means limiting meeting times with people, counseling sessions, nursing home visits, etc.
2. He also explained to me how he organizes his time for the week. He said that on Monday, he will write everything he knows he has to do for the week on a pad of paper, and cross off things as he goes. This way, he doesn’t forget things and can prioritize his schedule by listing the big stuff first. Then, he looks at his week looking for big chunks of time he can set aside for studying and sermon preparation.
Tuesday 2/17
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on January 28, 2009
1. Boundaries
Pastor Mark takes every Friday off, and he protects this time at all costs. He advised me to pick a day during the week that I not do any work or ministry except in the case of an emergency. He said Saturday is often not a good day because there are often ministry events on Saturday. Pastor Mark also tries to protect evenings unless there are board meetings scheduled. He says his evening schedule varies greatly from week to week so it is hard to establish set boundaries in the evening. Pastor Mark told me it is important to establish these boundaries early in ministry, especially when raising kids. It is important to have that time set aside for family. He said that he was the solo pastor in his first church, and his office was at home. At that time, it was not as important to establish a day off because he could take breaks with his family every day.
2. Time Management Advice
1. Pastor Mark advised me to set time boundaries not only by taking a day off every week, but all across the board. This means limiting meeting times with people, counseling sessions, nursing home visits, etc.
2. He also explained to me how he organizes his time for the week. He said that on Monday, he will write everything he knows he has to do for the week on a pad of paper, and cross off things as he goes. This way, he doesn’t forget things and can prioritize his schedule by listing the big stuff first. Then, he looks at his week looking for big chunks of time he can set aside for studying and sermon preparation.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Week 5
Week 5
February 12th,2009
5.PEOPLE: How can a minister (or worship leader) do church administration in a way that still focuses on PEOPLE?
A minister can do church administration that still focuses on people: building relationships. The biggest problem that arises for pastor as church administrator is the balance of doing work with building relationships. What seems to be the perspective is that it is either one or the other, not both. Spending time building relationships is one part of the job and church administration is the other. There is a time do pastoral care and a time for administration. Yet, church administration does not need to be looked at as only a “business” like position that involves a boss and a staff. The so-called “business” of the church is being the body of Christ in the world, bringing souls into a right relationship with God. As a church administrator, a pastor is keeping people connected so that they can accomplish the goal of the church: bringing others to God and into a community of believers.
So what does this look like?
Leading Meetings:
One duty will be leading or facilitating meetings. How can you focus on people in this way? The purpose of the meeting is to facilitate a ministry in some form of way. What is the purpose of a ministry? To minister to others. Keeping this perspective in meetings will...keep you focused on PEOPLE. Keeping this focus in meetings will give perspective that you need PEOPLE to help PEOPLE. You need PEOPLE to help you.
Hiring/Managing Staff:
Build relationships with staff. Let them know your heart and the person that you are. Get on board in sharing the vision for the church. Your focus, then, is not only the PEOPLE of your staff, but the PEOPLE in your congregation.
Making Policies:
What is in mind when making a policy? The benefit for those in which it effects. When a pastor is making policies, it should focus on the benefit of the PEOPLE.
Budget & Financial Projections:
Who are you budgeting for? Who are you planning financially for? The PEOPLE.
I think the idea is caught on that the “business” of the church is people. Administration, being the business-like job, involves working with people for people.
February 12th,2009
5.PEOPLE: How can a minister (or worship leader) do church administration in a way that still focuses on PEOPLE?
A minister can do church administration that still focuses on people: building relationships. The biggest problem that arises for pastor as church administrator is the balance of doing work with building relationships. What seems to be the perspective is that it is either one or the other, not both. Spending time building relationships is one part of the job and church administration is the other. There is a time do pastoral care and a time for administration. Yet, church administration does not need to be looked at as only a “business” like position that involves a boss and a staff. The so-called “business” of the church is being the body of Christ in the world, bringing souls into a right relationship with God. As a church administrator, a pastor is keeping people connected so that they can accomplish the goal of the church: bringing others to God and into a community of believers.
So what does this look like?
Leading Meetings:
One duty will be leading or facilitating meetings. How can you focus on people in this way? The purpose of the meeting is to facilitate a ministry in some form of way. What is the purpose of a ministry? To minister to others. Keeping this perspective in meetings will...keep you focused on PEOPLE. Keeping this focus in meetings will give perspective that you need PEOPLE to help PEOPLE. You need PEOPLE to help you.
Hiring/Managing Staff:
Build relationships with staff. Let them know your heart and the person that you are. Get on board in sharing the vision for the church. Your focus, then, is not only the PEOPLE of your staff, but the PEOPLE in your congregation.
Making Policies:
What is in mind when making a policy? The benefit for those in which it effects. When a pastor is making policies, it should focus on the benefit of the PEOPLE.
Budget & Financial Projections:
Who are you budgeting for? Who are you planning financially for? The PEOPLE.
I think the idea is caught on that the “business” of the church is people. Administration, being the business-like job, involves working with people for people.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Week 5 - People
Adam Fike
2/12/09
Administrative work can become a hindrance to focusing on people, but in a different way, people work/ministry can also become a hindrance to focusing on people. For example, a pastor could take the youth to a monthly meeting of all the youth groups in the county for the wrong reasons. It could be done solely because it is “what we always do” or “because I don’t have anything better to do with them.” A pastor may become caught up in the duty and formalities of making the bulletin or leading a business meeting, but the same pastor may also become caught up in the duty of preaching or ministering to the sick. What is my point? Although it may be more difficult to direct the focus of administrative work toward people, it is definitely possible.
We must direct and purpose everything we do in ministry to lead God’s people to Him. I Corinthians 10: 31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Even though it is not an easy practice, I believe that it is possible to do everything with the motive of bringing glory to God. God pours out His love and blessings on us, and we respond by seeking to bring Him glory in everything we do.
There are practical strategies and disciplines we can employ to cause the focus on people in administrative work to come more naturally. One discipline a pastor can practice is to pray before doing administrative work asking God to focus his/her mind on Him and His people. If God is included in the process, it is then the purpose and meaning of administrative work surfaces and becomes clear. A pastor can also take regular time to reflect on the fruit and significance of the administrative work. It may be a good idea to delegate some of the administrative work to others in the church with special skills relating to the work. This makes the load of administrative work more bearable, and it helps to cause people to feel like they are a part of the church. Certain kinds of administrative work can also be a time for service and fellowship between the pastor and members of the congregation.
2/12/09
Administrative work can become a hindrance to focusing on people, but in a different way, people work/ministry can also become a hindrance to focusing on people. For example, a pastor could take the youth to a monthly meeting of all the youth groups in the county for the wrong reasons. It could be done solely because it is “what we always do” or “because I don’t have anything better to do with them.” A pastor may become caught up in the duty and formalities of making the bulletin or leading a business meeting, but the same pastor may also become caught up in the duty of preaching or ministering to the sick. What is my point? Although it may be more difficult to direct the focus of administrative work toward people, it is definitely possible.
We must direct and purpose everything we do in ministry to lead God’s people to Him. I Corinthians 10: 31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Even though it is not an easy practice, I believe that it is possible to do everything with the motive of bringing glory to God. God pours out His love and blessings on us, and we respond by seeking to bring Him glory in everything we do.
There are practical strategies and disciplines we can employ to cause the focus on people in administrative work to come more naturally. One discipline a pastor can practice is to pray before doing administrative work asking God to focus his/her mind on Him and His people. If God is included in the process, it is then the purpose and meaning of administrative work surfaces and becomes clear. A pastor can also take regular time to reflect on the fruit and significance of the administrative work. It may be a good idea to delegate some of the administrative work to others in the church with special skills relating to the work. This makes the load of administrative work more bearable, and it helps to cause people to feel like they are a part of the church. Certain kinds of administrative work can also be a time for service and fellowship between the pastor and members of the congregation.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Randi Meyer
Thursday 2/12/09
5. People
The best way I believe to do church administration in a way that still focuses on the people is to involve them with the work. Honestly, that is very difficult for me to say. I am a person who likes to get office work and assignments done efficiently, and I often enjoy doing it individually. There will still be certain administrative tasks that one will have to do alone, but there are also many that can involve people at the same time.
This summer I learned this lesson big time during a summer internship I had at a church. Each month the high school youth group receives a news letter called the Bridge. My task was to fold them and get the address labels on them. It took forever, because it was a large youth group. I became frustrated that I was wasting time folding the news letters, instead of doing affective ministry. However, when I finished them for the second time the pastor told me that he did not intend me to do that alone. He usually gets a few youth around to help him. He stated that it not only allows them to feel useful, but it was an easy way for him to hang out with them in a non-threatening way. I realized through this experience that people want to be used and allowing others to help with administrative work is a good time for fellowship.
God created people with different talents and abilities. There is going to be plenty of administrative work that I am not good at. It would be wise to use what God has given me within the church. If someone is good at editing things, why not ask them to help me with that? Not only will they feel like they are helping the church, but it will give me time to get to know that person along with their special abilities. Delegating work will free up more of my time in the end to be with people too. This concept of delegating is biblical. In Acts 6:1-10, one can clearly see that a certain job had to be delegated to others who had a gift to do so. This whole idea may not be that profound and specific, but it is truth. As a minister, we need to balance administrative work and people. The best answer I can come up with is to allow the people to help!
Thursday 2/12/09
5. People
The best way I believe to do church administration in a way that still focuses on the people is to involve them with the work. Honestly, that is very difficult for me to say. I am a person who likes to get office work and assignments done efficiently, and I often enjoy doing it individually. There will still be certain administrative tasks that one will have to do alone, but there are also many that can involve people at the same time.
This summer I learned this lesson big time during a summer internship I had at a church. Each month the high school youth group receives a news letter called the Bridge. My task was to fold them and get the address labels on them. It took forever, because it was a large youth group. I became frustrated that I was wasting time folding the news letters, instead of doing affective ministry. However, when I finished them for the second time the pastor told me that he did not intend me to do that alone. He usually gets a few youth around to help him. He stated that it not only allows them to feel useful, but it was an easy way for him to hang out with them in a non-threatening way. I realized through this experience that people want to be used and allowing others to help with administrative work is a good time for fellowship.
God created people with different talents and abilities. There is going to be plenty of administrative work that I am not good at. It would be wise to use what God has given me within the church. If someone is good at editing things, why not ask them to help me with that? Not only will they feel like they are helping the church, but it will give me time to get to know that person along with their special abilities. Delegating work will free up more of my time in the end to be with people too. This concept of delegating is biblical. In Acts 6:1-10, one can clearly see that a certain job had to be delegated to others who had a gift to do so. This whole idea may not be that profound and specific, but it is truth. As a minister, we need to balance administrative work and people. The best answer I can come up with is to allow the people to help!
Randi Meyer
Tuesday 2/10/09
5. Hours Worked in Ministry
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry
1) Study: 7-8 hours; actually writing 5-6 hours (total sermon time: 15-17 hours)
2) Administrative/Office: 10-15 hours
3) Services: 5 hours in actual services for a small church (worship service, Sunday school, prayer group, bible study) 3-4 hours of preparation for services (not including sermon).
4) People (meetings, pastoral care and counseling, visiting): 10 hours
5) Community Work/Outreach/Service: 1-2 hours average weekly for entire year because it is more sporadic.
6) Personal Study Time: Includes with sermon preparation – goes over same material for personal study.
Observations:
1) When you add up all the hours it ends up that you work more than 40 hours. I don’t think on realizes how busy they can be working in a church.
2) I had a discussion with Pastor Connie about including her sermon preparation in her personal study time. Some believe that it is not wise to do this. But by listening to her and through my own experience, I have realized that personally one should wrestle with the scripture in their personal life too. Do we really need to place these in separate compartments in our lives? I believe a sermon needs some intellectual time, but also personal time too.
Tuesday 2/10/09
5. Hours Worked in Ministry
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry
1) Study: 7-8 hours; actually writing 5-6 hours (total sermon time: 15-17 hours)
2) Administrative/Office: 10-15 hours
3) Services: 5 hours in actual services for a small church (worship service, Sunday school, prayer group, bible study) 3-4 hours of preparation for services (not including sermon).
4) People (meetings, pastoral care and counseling, visiting): 10 hours
5) Community Work/Outreach/Service: 1-2 hours average weekly for entire year because it is more sporadic.
6) Personal Study Time: Includes with sermon preparation – goes over same material for personal study.
Observations:
1) When you add up all the hours it ends up that you work more than 40 hours. I don’t think on realizes how busy they can be working in a church.
2) I had a discussion with Pastor Connie about including her sermon preparation in her personal study time. Some believe that it is not wise to do this. But by listening to her and through my own experience, I have realized that personally one should wrestle with the scripture in their personal life too. Do we really need to place these in separate compartments in our lives? I believe a sermon needs some intellectual time, but also personal time too.
Week 5 - Hours Worked in Ministry
Adam Fike
Tuesday 2/10
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on January 28, 2009
1. Study (alone)
8-10 hrs./wk. on sermon
2-3 hrs. Bible Study
Total Study Hours – 10-13 hrs.
2. Administrative/Office (administration, paperwork, computer, etc.)
10-15 hrs.
3. Services (worship, Bible studies, etc.)
Sunday Morning Service – 4 ½ hrs.
Sunday Evening Service – 3 hrs.
Wednesday Evening Service – 2 hrs.
Total Services Hours – 9 ½ hrs.
4. People (meetings, committees)
6-7 hrs.
5. What Else?
Unexpected Drop-ins – 15 min.-3 hrs.
Hospital Emergencies – ½ hr. – full day
Master’s Degree Education – 8-10 hrs./wk.
Total Miscellaneous – 9hrs-32hrs./wk.
Observations
1. I was surprised how much time was spent doing administration work in proportion to sermon preparation and meetings with people. It seems to me that sermon preparation and time spent with people should be greater than administrative work.
2. There are several unexpected and add-on things that Pastor Mark is not expected to do that take up a good chunk of the week. He is working on his Master’s Degree right now, which takes up about one full work day a week.
3. I also was reminded that you have to plan for an emergency every week. A hospital emergency might take anywhere from ½ hour to a full day.
Tuesday 2/10
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on January 28, 2009
1. Study (alone)
8-10 hrs./wk. on sermon
2-3 hrs. Bible Study
Total Study Hours – 10-13 hrs.
2. Administrative/Office (administration, paperwork, computer, etc.)
10-15 hrs.
3. Services (worship, Bible studies, etc.)
Sunday Morning Service – 4 ½ hrs.
Sunday Evening Service – 3 hrs.
Wednesday Evening Service – 2 hrs.
Total Services Hours – 9 ½ hrs.
4. People (meetings, committees)
6-7 hrs.
5. What Else?
Unexpected Drop-ins – 15 min.-3 hrs.
Hospital Emergencies – ½ hr. – full day
Master’s Degree Education – 8-10 hrs./wk.
Total Miscellaneous – 9hrs-32hrs./wk.
Observations
1. I was surprised how much time was spent doing administration work in proportion to sermon preparation and meetings with people. It seems to me that sermon preparation and time spent with people should be greater than administrative work.
2. There are several unexpected and add-on things that Pastor Mark is not expected to do that take up a good chunk of the week. He is working on his Master’s Degree right now, which takes up about one full work day a week.
3. I also was reminded that you have to plan for an emergency every week. A hospital emergency might take anywhere from ½ hour to a full day.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Week 4
Week 4
Staff Report to Board
February 5th, 2009
A staff member bringing a report to the board entails giving a story, an update, or an overview of what has been going on the ministry they are responsible for. The board is wanting to know what is going on with you as the staff member, the leaders in the ministry, and all the rest of the people who are being ministered to.
This report should accomplish this: informing the board of what is going on in your ministry.
So, what exactly should this report include?
1. Dates
Report the date and the time period to which the report is covering (from what date to what date).
2. One page. Brief and to the point.
Reports should not take more than one page unless you are writing an annual report. If it is an annual report, it will take 3 pages.
3. Use a template and stick with it!
Find a template that works best for you and the board and stick with it. Consistency in reporting is key to those reading it and for you who is writing it! Keep it as one whole document so you can just keep adding to it.
4. If the board wants a story, give it!
People want to hear personal testimonies. This is not a business, this is a ministry. Although the board is the administrative (business-like) group of the church, they still have a heart and passion for souls growing in Christ. Remember you are reporting how God is working in you and others.
As you are sharing such reports, you are documenting the history of the church! Talking about Susie’s conversion experience is crucial to report. What if Susie becomes the next huge pastor? Not that this is the only reason to report people’s conversion stories, but it is crucial to have them shared and documented so that others may hear of God’s leading and moving.
5. Facts. If numbers are involved, be exact. Reporting numbers on budget and attendance can not be fudged, they MUST be exact. Use cumulative numbers as well where you report exact numbers over a period of time.
6. Focus on ONE area of discussion.
7. Type name and sign it.
-Kelly Jones
Staff Report to Board
February 5th, 2009
A staff member bringing a report to the board entails giving a story, an update, or an overview of what has been going on the ministry they are responsible for. The board is wanting to know what is going on with you as the staff member, the leaders in the ministry, and all the rest of the people who are being ministered to.
This report should accomplish this: informing the board of what is going on in your ministry.
So, what exactly should this report include?
1. Dates
Report the date and the time period to which the report is covering (from what date to what date).
2. One page. Brief and to the point.
Reports should not take more than one page unless you are writing an annual report. If it is an annual report, it will take 3 pages.
3. Use a template and stick with it!
Find a template that works best for you and the board and stick with it. Consistency in reporting is key to those reading it and for you who is writing it! Keep it as one whole document so you can just keep adding to it.
4. If the board wants a story, give it!
People want to hear personal testimonies. This is not a business, this is a ministry. Although the board is the administrative (business-like) group of the church, they still have a heart and passion for souls growing in Christ. Remember you are reporting how God is working in you and others.
As you are sharing such reports, you are documenting the history of the church! Talking about Susie’s conversion experience is crucial to report. What if Susie becomes the next huge pastor? Not that this is the only reason to report people’s conversion stories, but it is crucial to have them shared and documented so that others may hear of God’s leading and moving.
5. Facts. If numbers are involved, be exact. Reporting numbers on budget and attendance can not be fudged, they MUST be exact. Use cumulative numbers as well where you report exact numbers over a period of time.
6. Focus on ONE area of discussion.
7. Type name and sign it.
-Kelly Jones
Week 4 - Staff Report to Board
Adam Fike
Thursday – 2/5
A staff report to the board should be convincing and persuasive. It should be brief and also hit on the most important aspects of their ministry. Staff reports are much more effective when they include an emotional story or testimony from the area of ministry. Stories of how God is changing lives through a particular ministry are touching and naturally lead people to approve of the ministry. These stories break up the monotony and separate good reports from bad ones. People are excited to hear testimonies and real-life stories of how God is moving; it is exciting! They have a unifying affect on people; therefore, it is helpful to be a good storyteller in preparing reports. Good stories include lots of details, emotions, and attitude changes. It may also be beneficial to tell the history of your ministry if the board members are not familiar with it. The history helps people to know and understand the purpose and direction of the ministry. History helps draws people into the ministry like it was their own.
Hard facts compliment the report and show current numbers. This is effective especially in influencing those who highly value particulars and detailed data. These reports can include attendance, number saved, number of recommitments. These are also helpful for future use. Cumulative facts can also help to show growth over time or spikes in recent years. The best thing about reports is that the pastor gets to chose what will go onto the report. If a pastor really believes in a certain ministry and feels God’s direction to keep it up, the pastor can make the report more appealing by including positive data while leaving out harmful data. It is wise to focus on a goal or vision of the ministry to help it succeed. People follow vision and direction.
Thursday – 2/5
A staff report to the board should be convincing and persuasive. It should be brief and also hit on the most important aspects of their ministry. Staff reports are much more effective when they include an emotional story or testimony from the area of ministry. Stories of how God is changing lives through a particular ministry are touching and naturally lead people to approve of the ministry. These stories break up the monotony and separate good reports from bad ones. People are excited to hear testimonies and real-life stories of how God is moving; it is exciting! They have a unifying affect on people; therefore, it is helpful to be a good storyteller in preparing reports. Good stories include lots of details, emotions, and attitude changes. It may also be beneficial to tell the history of your ministry if the board members are not familiar with it. The history helps people to know and understand the purpose and direction of the ministry. History helps draws people into the ministry like it was their own.
Hard facts compliment the report and show current numbers. This is effective especially in influencing those who highly value particulars and detailed data. These reports can include attendance, number saved, number of recommitments. These are also helpful for future use. Cumulative facts can also help to show growth over time or spikes in recent years. The best thing about reports is that the pastor gets to chose what will go onto the report. If a pastor really believes in a certain ministry and feels God’s direction to keep it up, the pastor can make the report more appealing by including positive data while leaving out harmful data. It is wise to focus on a goal or vision of the ministry to help it succeed. People follow vision and direction.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Thursday 2/5/09
Randi Meyer
4. Staff Report to Board
Writing reports to the board is a very important task. It not only keeps you accountable to others concerning your ministry, but is also allows you to testify to them how God is working through your ministry. There are several and specific things a staff report should include and accomplish.
First, in the heading of the report you should include the time period that this report is covering. In this section, you should also list facts such as attendance, number of conversions, number of recommitments, and the budgeting of your ministry. It can also be beneficial to outline growth over a period of time in these areas. The report then should contain stories of your specific ministry. This section should be written as a story for the history of the ministry, rather than just for the here and now.
The report needs to include God stories or testimonies of the ministry too. This is the most exciting part, because it reveals to the members what God is exactly doing. When reporting these things write it in story form with as many details as possible. Another aspect that may be wise to include in the report is a simple list of the most important jobs you have been working on or hoping to accomplish until the next report. This allows the board to see you future plans, and it reveals to them that you are working hard. It is a good way to keep one in the ministry accountable too! Other helpful hints are to keep the same format for each report and to keep it at one page in length if it is only a monthly report. At the end of the report, it should contain your name with signature. Then following this state your title at the chu
Randi Meyer
4. Staff Report to Board
Writing reports to the board is a very important task. It not only keeps you accountable to others concerning your ministry, but is also allows you to testify to them how God is working through your ministry. There are several and specific things a staff report should include and accomplish.
First, in the heading of the report you should include the time period that this report is covering. In this section, you should also list facts such as attendance, number of conversions, number of recommitments, and the budgeting of your ministry. It can also be beneficial to outline growth over a period of time in these areas. The report then should contain stories of your specific ministry. This section should be written as a story for the history of the ministry, rather than just for the here and now.
The report needs to include God stories or testimonies of the ministry too. This is the most exciting part, because it reveals to the members what God is exactly doing. When reporting these things write it in story form with as many details as possible. Another aspect that may be wise to include in the report is a simple list of the most important jobs you have been working on or hoping to accomplish until the next report. This allows the board to see you future plans, and it reveals to them that you are working hard. It is a good way to keep one in the ministry accountable too! Other helpful hints are to keep the same format for each report and to keep it at one page in length if it is only a monthly report. At the end of the report, it should contain your name with signature. Then following this state your title at the chu
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Week 4: Administrative Work
February 3rd, 2009
4. Administrative Work
Will Shelor is the Senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Van Buren, Indiana. Central Christian Church is a small country church with a congregation of seventy, forty to fifty on average each Sunday. Throughout the years, CCC has gone through numerous pastors. The role of pastor is mainly to run services (preach, funerals, weddings, etc), lead Bible studies, make house calls/visits, and attend church functions. The majority of administration is delegated to those on the Board as well as those that have a Church Office role (basically these positions overlap in this church).
While Pastor Will does not have a great deal of administrative work, he does spend time in the office (eight hours about three to four times a week). This time is spent on working sermons and the order of the Sunday services. When he is not in the office he is out visiting members in nursing homes and visiting with families.
What Pastor Will does:
Prepares sermons
Prepares Sunday service
House calls/visits/ shut-ins
Attends monthly elders meetings
Leads weekly Adult Bible Study (Sunday evenings)
Since I work at this church, much of this was already known to me. What I find so interesting with this church is how little a say or role a pastor has in administrative duties. Truly, the church is ran by the congregation (the board). For the pastor, it must be refreshing to not have such duties weighing you down. On the other hand, does the pastor have much a voice in anything? This church is very much set in its “way” of doings things, what if the pastor wanted to mix things up a bit?
-Kelly Jones
4. Administrative Work
Will Shelor is the Senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Van Buren, Indiana. Central Christian Church is a small country church with a congregation of seventy, forty to fifty on average each Sunday. Throughout the years, CCC has gone through numerous pastors. The role of pastor is mainly to run services (preach, funerals, weddings, etc), lead Bible studies, make house calls/visits, and attend church functions. The majority of administration is delegated to those on the Board as well as those that have a Church Office role (basically these positions overlap in this church).
While Pastor Will does not have a great deal of administrative work, he does spend time in the office (eight hours about three to four times a week). This time is spent on working sermons and the order of the Sunday services. When he is not in the office he is out visiting members in nursing homes and visiting with families.
What Pastor Will does:
Prepares sermons
Prepares Sunday service
House calls/visits/ shut-ins
Attends monthly elders meetings
Leads weekly Adult Bible Study (Sunday evenings)
Since I work at this church, much of this was already known to me. What I find so interesting with this church is how little a say or role a pastor has in administrative duties. Truly, the church is ran by the congregation (the board). For the pastor, it must be refreshing to not have such duties weighing you down. On the other hand, does the pastor have much a voice in anything? This church is very much set in its “way” of doings things, what if the pastor wanted to mix things up a bit?
-Kelly Jones
Monday, February 2, 2009
Administrative Work - 2/3
Administrative Work
Adam Fike
Tuesday 2/3 – Week 4
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on January 28, 2009
1. Staff Relations – Staff are Answerable to head pastor
2. Bills/Basic Info – comes through his desk
-Approve Bills (not by signing; just to send them to treasurer)
-Check into fishy bills or funds or delegates another to do it
-i.e. a contractor billed the church when the job wasn’t completed. Pastor Mark oversees that bills like this do not get paid without work being done. He also handles unsigned checks or unknown funds.
-This is to keep miscommunication from occurring on the treasurer’s end and also to lighten the treasurer’s work load since it is a volunteer position at Westview.
3. Produce and Oversee Creation of Bulletin (inserts for special events, sermon info, etc.)
4. Monthly Treasury Reports (involved with treasurer in presenting the treasury report @ board meeting)
5. Phone Calls (take calls during office hours)
Total Hours of Administrative Work= 10-15 hrs./wk.
Observations
1. At least at Westview Wesleyan, the head pastor oversees all finances. This is to avoid confusion with multiple people handling different parts of the process. The head pastor functions in some ways like the sole keeper of the church. The difference is that he has different checks to keep him accountable. This makes efficiency possible while retaining checks and balances.
2. Even though there are checks on Pastor Mark, I did not see many checks on the treasurer himself. I was a little concerned while talking to Pastor Mark because the treasurer, a volunteer, has complete control of the money when it is given to him.
3. I was also surprised at the amount of administrative work he does weekly. About 1/4 to 1/3 of a 40 hour week is spent doing administrative work.
Adam Fike
Tuesday 2/3 – Week 4
Interviewed – Pastor Mark Deisler on January 28, 2009
1. Staff Relations – Staff are Answerable to head pastor
2. Bills/Basic Info – comes through his desk
-Approve Bills (not by signing; just to send them to treasurer)
-Check into fishy bills or funds or delegates another to do it
-i.e. a contractor billed the church when the job wasn’t completed. Pastor Mark oversees that bills like this do not get paid without work being done. He also handles unsigned checks or unknown funds.
-This is to keep miscommunication from occurring on the treasurer’s end and also to lighten the treasurer’s work load since it is a volunteer position at Westview.
3. Produce and Oversee Creation of Bulletin (inserts for special events, sermon info, etc.)
4. Monthly Treasury Reports (involved with treasurer in presenting the treasury report @ board meeting)
5. Phone Calls (take calls during office hours)
Total Hours of Administrative Work= 10-15 hrs./wk.
Observations
1. At least at Westview Wesleyan, the head pastor oversees all finances. This is to avoid confusion with multiple people handling different parts of the process. The head pastor functions in some ways like the sole keeper of the church. The difference is that he has different checks to keep him accountable. This makes efficiency possible while retaining checks and balances.
2. Even though there are checks on Pastor Mark, I did not see many checks on the treasurer himself. I was a little concerned while talking to Pastor Mark because the treasurer, a volunteer, has complete control of the money when it is given to him.
3. I was also surprised at the amount of administrative work he does weekly. About 1/4 to 1/3 of a 40 hour week is spent doing administrative work.
Tuesday 2/3/09
4. Administrative Work
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry – Friday 1/30/09
1. Monitor Attendance Report – She does this to see who has patterns of absentees, so that she can contact them.
2. Monitor Giving Report – Looking over the giving pattern to help church budget.
3. Prepare Monthly Pastor Reports – Pastor Connie does this voluntarily to give to the Pastor Parish Relation Committee. It is a list in categories of everything she does for the church for the month, so they are aware of the work she does. It is a good way to keep a pastor accountable!
4. Record keeping for filing all committee work (Trustees, councils, ext.)
5. Write Personal Notes – She blocks out time during administrative hours, so that she can write cards to members.
6. Conference/Distract Reporting (some members help with this) – 1st of the year: Report all statistics to conference/distract (number of converts, baptisms, memberships, attendance, youth group, and more) 2nd of the year: Annual meeting with district superintendant going over budgeting, lay leader reports, and ext.
7. Read and Keep Track of Fairmont Ministerial Association – Can’t attend meetings, but reads over the minutes to know what it going on.
8. Manage Committee – Makes sure they are meeting and reporting on a regular basis.
9. Announcements in bulletin and its layout – She often has to connect with people during this time to make sure she includes all announcements.
10. Administrative Planning – Example: Finance Committee
11. Letter Writing – Pastor Connie will often get asked to write reference letters for members of the church.
12. Total Hours for Administrative Work: Part time Pastor – 4-5 hours; Full time Pastor – 10-15 hours (depending on time of year and size of church)
Observations:
1. Pastor Connie does not include any of her pastoral care and counseling or sermon preparation as administrative work. Her personal view is that she has many different leadership roles with in the church, and the administrative part is all the business/organization side.
2. We discussed how it is important to always keep office hours, even if you live in a parish. It keeps a pastor accountable, because it is very easy for them to cheat their hours since they are their own boss.
3. I found it interesting that she also writes monthly pastor reports. I believe that is going above and beyond, since it is not required of her. She wants a small group of the church to always know all the things she is doing. It is a great way to keep you accountable!
4. Administrative Work
Grant United Methodist Church
Pastor Constance Cherry – Friday 1/30/09
1. Monitor Attendance Report – She does this to see who has patterns of absentees, so that she can contact them.
2. Monitor Giving Report – Looking over the giving pattern to help church budget.
3. Prepare Monthly Pastor Reports – Pastor Connie does this voluntarily to give to the Pastor Parish Relation Committee. It is a list in categories of everything she does for the church for the month, so they are aware of the work she does. It is a good way to keep a pastor accountable!
4. Record keeping for filing all committee work (Trustees, councils, ext.)
5. Write Personal Notes – She blocks out time during administrative hours, so that she can write cards to members.
6. Conference/Distract Reporting (some members help with this) – 1st of the year: Report all statistics to conference/distract (number of converts, baptisms, memberships, attendance, youth group, and more) 2nd of the year: Annual meeting with district superintendant going over budgeting, lay leader reports, and ext.
7. Read and Keep Track of Fairmont Ministerial Association – Can’t attend meetings, but reads over the minutes to know what it going on.
8. Manage Committee – Makes sure they are meeting and reporting on a regular basis.
9. Announcements in bulletin and its layout – She often has to connect with people during this time to make sure she includes all announcements.
10. Administrative Planning – Example: Finance Committee
11. Letter Writing – Pastor Connie will often get asked to write reference letters for members of the church.
12. Total Hours for Administrative Work: Part time Pastor – 4-5 hours; Full time Pastor – 10-15 hours (depending on time of year and size of church)
Observations:
1. Pastor Connie does not include any of her pastoral care and counseling or sermon preparation as administrative work. Her personal view is that she has many different leadership roles with in the church, and the administrative part is all the business/organization side.
2. We discussed how it is important to always keep office hours, even if you live in a parish. It keeps a pastor accountable, because it is very easy for them to cheat their hours since they are their own boss.
3. I found it interesting that she also writes monthly pastor reports. I believe that is going above and beyond, since it is not required of her. She wants a small group of the church to always know all the things she is doing. It is a great way to keep you accountable!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)