Those who flourish in ministry are intentional about their well-being
Challenges are part of any ministry, yet some clergy thrive despite the inevitable setbacks. New research shows that their keys to success can be boiled down to a few simple strategies available to anyone.
Some clergy seem to rise above the fray.
They face the same sorts of challenges that are present in any church: critical congregants, hectic schedules, pressure to devote more time to others and thus minimal time to caring for themselves. They don’t always get it right; in fact, they’ll say they are far from having it all figured out. Yet they’re flourishing in ministry.
What sets them apart?
In a recent study, researchers at the Clergy Health Initiative at Duke Divinity School (link is external) interviewed 52 church-appointed pastors about their daily lives and how they approach challenges, and invited them to complete a series of surveys and maintain a daily activity log for one week.
The participants were selected based on their responses to an earlier study of the predictors of positive and negative mental health in clergy, through which they had answered questions about components of positive mental health. Among the participants were clergy who had been identified as flourishing, with positive mental health scores at the highest levels, and those identified as languishing, with scores in the bottom third of the continuum.
When the researchers compared the new data from these two sets of pastors, they noticed important differences in how the two groups take care of themselves and orient their work. One factor stood out above the rest, however: flourishers attend to their well-being (link is external). In fact, the researchers found that 94 percent of clergy with flourishing mental health are intentional about spending time on personal care such as exercise, prayer, family relationships and hobbies.
The good news: the strategies they employ to achieve this balance are available to everyone, clergy and laity alike. These strategies can form a playbook of sorts for how to attain positive mental health.
“Some people, including some clergy, still feel that the very nature of clergy work sets pastors apart — that above all else, pastors are called to serve, so the human need to attend to oneself shouldn’t apply,” said Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, the research director for the Clergy Health Initiative. “But this just doesn’t hold up. The flourishing pastors’ beliefs and actions show that applying intentionality and nurturing relationships with friends and family actually make all the difference.”
Flourishing clergy focus on working in alignment with God.
Strategy 1: Remember who it is that you serve.
Rather than looking for praise from the pews, aim to derive your sense of success from knowing you’re doing your all to enact the work God has called you to. Also, keep in mind that you are participating in a process — you are working with God, and God alone sees the full picture.
Strategy 2: Discern, discern, discern.
Create time for spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible study to understand the work God is calling you to do.
Flourishing clergy are proactive and flexible in taking care of their physical and mental health.
Strategy 3: Prioritize healthy behaviors.
There is tremendous pressure to eat what is offered to you at church gatherings. Remind yourself that your congregants don’t want to make you unhealthy. Take smaller portions, and don’t feel awkward about it. Go to the doctor regularly; get annual checkups. Get outside. Ride bikes, play golf, or go for a walk every day and set a goal for the number of steps you want to log. Make healthy activities a priority, but also be flexible about how you incorporate those health behaviors into your daily routine. Pastors’ lives are too unpredictable to keep to the same habits all the time, but that doesn’t mean you have to dismiss your health goals.
Strategy 4: Invest in spiritual care.
Start each day by reading the Bible. If you’re traveling and can’t read along the way, listen to a devotion on an MP3 player or mobile device. Set aside time for prayer and one-on-one communion with God. Keep a regular Sabbath.
Strategy 5: Make time for personal interests.
In addition to pursuing the activities you care about, look for opportunities to incorporate them into your ministry.
Flourishing clergy are intentional about setting boundaries around their work and personal lives.
Strategy 6: Pick the time that works for you.
Schedule activities in functional blocks. Pick one night of the week when you will attend nighttime church meetings, and urge others to use this as a basis for scheduling. Set “office hours” for when you will be available at the church each week.
Strategy 7: Use space creatively.
One pastor described taking regular “office hours” in a local McDonald’s. This allows him to have space outside the church to connect with church members, as well as the broader community. To create distance from their work on an afternoon off, some pastors recommend going out of town — even if it’s only as far as the next town.
Strategy 8: Communicate clearly and regularly.
If you keep a Sabbath, include that information in the signature of your emails. If you have to say no to a request on your day off, offer an alternate time to help. Ask your congregants, staff and other key people about their top priorities for you, and share your own. Then discuss where your expectations diverge. Being honest about your gifts and limitations as a leader is important.
Strategy 9: Manage your technology.
Some pastors set a stop time every evening, after which they do not pick up incoming calls. These clergy say they check their voicemail and will respond if there’s an emergency, but by waiting for a message, they can determine whether a request needs to be addressed during off hours. Work with another pastor or spiritual leader who can be “on call” when you are off or away. Include that person’s contact information in your automatic email reply and your outgoing voicemail message.
Flourishing clergy nourish friendships and mutual relationships.
Strategy 10: Find support from other clergy.
Identify another pastor who can serve as a mentor. Form or join a peer or covenant group. Find at least one person in whom you can confide and from whom you can draw support in the face of ministerial and personal challenges.
Strategy 11: Seek out emotional support from family and friends.
Meet a friend for lunch, especially if you feel yourself getting down or low on energy. Create an annual ritual, such as a retreat with friends, to maintain important connections. Make yourself accountable to a close friend or spouse who knows the day-to-day stresses you’re facing; help each other maintain boundaries and healthy practices.
Those who set priorities and adjust their plans to attend to those priorities on a near-daily basis aren’t undone when difficult circumstances arise; they find their way through. They embrace challenges. They avoid symptoms of depression, anxiety and burnout. They flourish.
“If you’re wondering whether these basic strategies make a difference, they do,” Proeschold-Bell said. “Even though they sound like good common sense, they are hard to enact — but worth it. They are what differentiated flourishing pastors.”
Originally posted Here
- Published in Church Planting, General Ministry, Leadership, Life Planning, Spiritual Growth
25 Maximums to Help You Plan
If you review these maximums consistently, I’m sure you will live a life that matters.
I suggest that you use these maximums as your personal checklist. Check them periodically to see the items you need to improve, and make a personal commitment to apply them. Over time, you can measure your progress in applying these. If they are consequently applied it will result in a life that matters.
So here are the 25 maximums to help you live a life that matters:
1. Discover what matters to you – Plan it
Success overall has less to do with finding the best idea, organizational structure, or life model, than with discovering what matters to you. A Christ centered life is the best place to start.
2. Have the courage to do what matters – Make changes
You create enduring success not because you are perfect or lucky but because you have the courage to do what matters to you.
3. Don’t strictly rely on others’ approval – Please the Lord first
Successful people don’t rely on the approval of everyone to pursue their cause or calling. They are more emotionally committed to doing what they love than being loved by others. We do need godly counselors but not the opinion of people who have little wisdom or care for us.
4. Redefine success – A godly life that makes an impact
The real definition of success is a life and work that bring personal fulfillment and lasting relationships and makes a difference in the world in which they live.
5. Don’t chase money and recognition – Seek the Kingdom of God
Money and recognition are just outcomes of passionately working often on an entirely different objective that is often a personal cause or calling.
6. Recognize signs of passion – Use your passion to bless others
Achievers become lovers of an idea they are passionate about for years and years. They lose track of the passage of time while doing it. In a real sense, it’s something that they’d be willing to do for free, for its own sake. This may be something you will regret if you don’t pursue it at least a little bit.
7. Worry more about being what you love – Fear God more than man
Most of us worry more about being loved than being what we love. Being a people pleaser causes drift.
8. Check regularly whether you’re on the right track – Search me Oh God.
Planning always takes periodic adjustments to get you where you want to be. Don’t be afraid to tweak your plan from time to time.
9. Find your mission in life – What is your part in His plan?
To find your mission in life is to discover the intersection between your heart’s deep gladness and the Lord’s perfect plan.
10. Find place for your multiple passions – Plug into church and society
You do need to find a place for everything that is meaningful to you. When you exclude all other things except a single focus for your life, there is a danger that you might find it impossible to locate the real treasure.
11. Experiment with your other passions – Seek, ask and knock
Carve out a little time each week to experiment in some way with one of your other passions.
12. Never retire from what you love – You are always valuable unless you quit
Godly passions create meaning in our lives. It usually builds a legacy and memories.
13. Be yourself – Live your unique God plan
You shouldn’t hijack someone else’s life plan system. Seek your plan by prayer.
14. Do what matters despite popularity or political correctness – Go what is right before God
Doing things despite the political correctness of the path is the price of admission to almost every enduring life of lasting impact. Do what is right not what is popular or politically correct.
15. Have passion, determination, and skill – Be diligent
Life takes passion, determination, and skill. You can’t skip any of those three and expect to enjoy success that lasts.
16. Be greedy to acquire knowledge for your dream – Seek wisdom
If you should be greedy about anything, it should be about acquiring “intellectual capital” for your dream. Get wisdom and knowledge.
17. Recognize when to move – Seek the Spirit’s guidance
When you find that striving for excellence is unreachable or joyless, you may need to move onto something else. Fundamental things like marriage we should fight for but insignificant things can be left behind.
18. Have the right attitude toward difficulties – Rely on the Lord
Having many difficulties perfects the person; having no difficulties ruins the person. Embrace difficulties with a plan and a passion to change one’s self.
19. Make failure your friend – Learn in humility
Many highly accomplished people described themselves as so proficient at making mistakes that, if you didn’t know better, you might think they were losers. Enduringly successful people harvest failure. They become more resolute after losing a battle they believe in because they learn from the loss. Losers call it failure; winners call it learning.
20. Always make new mistakes – Don’t be hearers only but doers
When you make mistakes, just be sure to make new ones. A plan helps avoid old mistakes.
21. Have a prepared mind – Gentile as doves but shrewd as serpents
Only a prepared mind and open heart prevails. Being prepared give you a high degree of success.
22. Have clear goals – Consider the ants
The godly use planning and goals – often big goals – to put themselves into a opportune position.
23. Have explorer mentality – Don’t be an old wine skin
Be adventurous without ignoring the roadmap. Allow a little sightseeing on the way.
24. Surround yourself with “godly producers” – Seek Godly counselors
Successful people spent the largest percentage of their time tracking down, surrounding themselves with, and developing the people who are “godly producers”.
25. Get the inconsistent stuff out – Lose the meaningless
Alignment requires that you get out of your life all the stuff that is inconsistent with your passions and goal. That includes people, places, activities, and things. Choose wisely.
- Published in Life Planning, Uncategorized
16 Tips for Getting 90 Percent of Your Work Done Before Lunch
Imagine this.
By the time lunch rolls around, you push back from your desk with a satisfied sigh, saunter off to your car, and drive off to have a leisurely, stress-free lunch, daydreaming about the 18 holes that you’re going to play for the rest of the day.
This can be for real.
You can get 90 percent or more of your work done in the morning. Around the time people are groping for the next shot of caffeine, you’re shutting down your Macbook and chilling out.
How do you do this? I’m going to give you 16 amazing productivity tips, but first let me set the stage:
- First, I’m defining work as stuff that you do–important stuff. Ideally, meetings can be shoved out of the picture.
- Second, this approach is built on the Pareto principle. The Pareto principle states that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percen of your efforts. Getting your work done in the morning means that you can take a leaner approach to the important tasks–a smart approach.
1. Schedule your day the night before.
Every day, you should list all your tasks and when you’re going to do them the following day. You will not be productive unless you plan out everything you’re going to do the next morning.
Quick tip: Don’t schedule too much. Keep your to-do schedule light to actually accomplish real work.
2. Clean your office the night before.
Clutter in your office creates distractions. A sticky note on your desk that says “Call Bob ASAP!” can throw off your whole day.
Showing up to work in a spic-and-span environment helps you to think clearer and work harder.
3. Wake up at an ungodly hour.
To really get stuff done, you’ve got to get up in time to make it happen.
I recommend anytime from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. If your morning routine takes a little longer, bump your wake-up time back a little more.
Obviously, you’ll need to adjust your bedtime accordingly.
4. Exercise.
Scientific evidence shows that morning exercise can make us think better, work better, and become more productive.
Harvard’s John Ratey is the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. He writes that exercise is essential for reaching “high-performance levels in intellectually demanding jobs.”
A quick jog or 30-minute yoga session can prepare you for a powerful session of getting stuff done.
5. Stick to your schedule.
Don’t let yourself veer off the course that you’ve mapped out. You have a limited amount of time. Don’t ruin the schedule.
Take your schedule, allow it guide you, and you’ll be able to accomplish more.
6. Give yourself 20 minutes to reach flow.
Flow is when you’re in the zone. This happens when you are completely absorbed in your activity, singlemindedly accomplishing things at a high level and rapid pace.
It takes some time to reach flow, so if you don’t feel productive or engaged in your work, just give it some time.
7. Make 60-second decisions.
Decision making is a time-draining vortex. When you’re faced with a decision in the course of your work, give yourself a one-minute limit. Your decision will be just as good, but it will take less time.
8. Wear headphones.
Headphones can shut out distractions and keep you focused. Harvard Business Review advises workers to put on their headphones to be more productive.
9. Do the toughest tasks first.
Mark Twain wrote, “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning that will probably be the worst thing you do all day.” Brian Tracy turned this statement into an entire principal (and even wrote a book on it)–“Eat that frog!”
If you get your biggest and ugliest task done first, the rest of the day will be massively productive.
10. Do your writing early on.
Writing is one of the most mentally demanding tasks. However, writing also has the power of focusing your brain and improving your productivity. Do you writing early in the day, and you’ll improve both the quality of your writing and the rest of your day.
11. Don’t commute.
If you typically have a lengthy work commute, do everything you can to avoid it
It’s not just wasted time that you want to guard against. It’s the mental havoc. A commute is one of the most stressful parts of the day. Starting your workday with that level of stress can completely ruin your productivity.
Don’t even commute to Starbucks. (Have Starbucks bring it to you instead.)
12. Don’t hold meetings (even over the phone).
If you’ve been in business for very long, you know that most meetings are a waste of time. Avoid meetings if at all possible.
13. Don’t check your email first thing.
The electronic communication pipeline can be as destructive as meetings. Sure, you need to deal with email. It’s important, but don’t let it swallow your day by starting out with it.
14. Stick to a routine.
If you do something repeatedly, you’ll be able to do it better and faster each time. Once you find a routine, stick with it. Your routine is the ramp to your productivity.
15. Make yourself comfortable.
Do whatever you need to do to position yourself for success. If that means showering, shaving, eating breakfast, journaling, meditating, feeding the dog, opening the blinds–do it. When you accomplish these preparatory tasks, you are creating an environment that will make you more productive.
16. Reward yourself at a certain time.
Set the clock–a countdown timer if you have to. At a certain point, you’re going to stop. So, stop.
Break out the kazoos, throw some confetti, and do your happy dance. It’s time to reward yourself.
Apply and get more done!
For those of us who possess unstoppable energy and an internal drive to get even more done, we don’t have to quit in the mornings. If work makes you happy and fulfilled, keep going.
Getting 90 percent of your work done in the morning just means that you might get more than 100 percent of your work done every day.
- Published in Business, General Ministry, Leadership, Life Planning
16 Tips for Getting 90 Percent of Your Work Done Before Lunch
Imagine this.
By the time lunch rolls around, you push back from your desk with a satisfied sigh, saunter off to your car, and drive off to have a leisurely, stress-free lunch, daydreaming about the 18 holes that you’re going to play for the rest of the day.
This can be for real.
You can get 90 percent or more of your work done in the morning. Around the time people are groping for the next shot of caffeine, you’re shutting down your Macbook and chilling out.
How do you do this? I’m going to give you 16 amazing productivity tips, but first let me set the stage:
- First, I’m defining work as stuff that you do–important stuff. Ideally, meetings can be shoved out of the picture.
- Second, this approach is built on the Pareto principle. The Pareto principle states that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percen of your efforts. Getting your work done in the morning means that you can take a leaner approach to the important tasks–a smart approach.
1. Schedule your day the night before.
Every day, you should list all your tasks and when you’re going to do them the following day. You will not be productive unless you plan out everything you’re going to do the next morning.
Quick tip: Don’t schedule too much. Keep your to-do schedule light to actually accomplish real work.
2. Clean your office the night before.
Clutter in your office creates distractions. A sticky note on your desk that says “Call Bob ASAP!” can throw off your whole day.
Showing up to work in a spic-and-span environment helps you to think clearer and work harder.
3. Wake up at an ungodly hour.
To really get stuff done, you’ve got to get up in time to make it happen.
I recommend anytime from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. If your morning routine takes a little longer, bump your wake-up time back a little more.
Obviously, you’ll need to adjust your bedtime accordingly.
4. Exercise.
Scientific evidence shows that morning exercise can make us think better, work better, and become more productive.
Harvard’s John Ratey is the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. He writes that exercise is essential for reaching “high-performance levels in intellectually demanding jobs.”
A quick jog or 30-minute yoga session can prepare you for a powerful session of getting stuff done.
5. Stick to your schedule.
Don’t let yourself veer off the course that you’ve mapped out. You have a limited amount of time. Don’t ruin the schedule.
Take your schedule, allow it guide you, and you’ll be able to accomplish more.
6. Give yourself 20 minutes to reach flow.
Flow is when you’re in the zone. This happens when you are completely absorbed in your activity, singlemindedly accomplishing things at a high level and rapid pace.
It takes some time to reach flow, so if you don’t feel productive or engaged in your work, just give it some time.
7. Make 60-second decisions.
Decision making is a time-draining vortex. When you’re faced with a decision in the course of your work, give yourself a one-minute limit. Your decision will be just as good, but it will take less time.
8. Wear headphones.
Headphones can shut out distractions and keep you focused. Harvard Business Review advises workers to put on their headphones to be more productive.
9. Do the toughest tasks first.
Mark Twain wrote, “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning that will probably be the worst thing you do all day.” Brian Tracy turned this statement into an entire principal (and even wrote a book on it)–“Eat that frog!”
If you get your biggest and ugliest task done first, the rest of the day will be massively productive.
10. Do your writing early on.
Writing is one of the most mentally demanding tasks. However, writing also has the power of focusing your brain and improving your productivity. Do you writing early in the day, and you’ll improve both the quality of your writing and the rest of your day.
11. Don’t commute.
If you typically have a lengthy work commute, do everything you can to avoid it
It’s not just wasted time that you want to guard against. It’s the mental havoc. A commute is one of the most stressful parts of the day. Starting your workday with that level of stress can completely ruin your productivity.
Don’t even commute to Starbucks. (Have Starbucks bring it to you instead.)
12. Don’t hold meetings (even over the phone).
If you’ve been in business for very long, you know that most meetings are a waste of time. Avoid meetings if at all possible.
13. Don’t check your email first thing.
The electronic communication pipeline can be as destructive as meetings. Sure, you need to deal with email. It’s important, but don’t let it swallow your day by starting out with it.
14. Stick to a routine.
If you do something repeatedly, you’ll be able to do it better and faster each time. Once you find a routine, stick with it. Your routine is the ramp to your productivity.
15. Make yourself comfortable.
Do whatever you need to do to position yourself for success. If that means showering, shaving, eating breakfast, journaling, meditating, feeding the dog, opening the blinds–do it. When you accomplish these preparatory tasks, you are creating an environment that will make you more productive.
16. Reward yourself at a certain time.
Set the clock–a countdown timer if you have to. At a certain point, you’re going to stop. So, stop.
Break out the kazoos, throw some confetti, and do your happy dance. It’s time to reward yourself.
Apply and get more done!
For those of us who possess unstoppable energy and an internal drive to get even more done, we don’t have to quit in the mornings. If work makes you happy and fulfilled, keep going.
Getting 90 percent of your work done in the morning just means that you might get more than 100 percent of your work done every day.
Sounds good to me.
- Published in Business, Leadership, Life Planning
10 Ways to Create More Margin in Your Time
“How do you fit more into an already busy schedule?”
How do you fit more into an already busy schedule?
Isn’t this a great question?
Because, aren’t you being asked to do so all the time? Isn’t your standard reply to the question “how are you?”—BUSY? Aren’t we all?
How do you create more margin in your schedule—to do the things you want to do and the things you need to do?
Here are a 10 tips to help create more time margin:
Start your day with God.
Of course a pastor would say this, but it is amazing if I start the day talking to God about my day how much better my day flows. If I ask God for margin in my time and to help me complete my “to do” list, He actually seems to listen and help me. (Try it!)
Prioritize your life.
It is important to have a life purpose. What do you value most? Without knowing this we find ourselves chasing after many things that have little value. Have you discovered why you are here and what God has most for you in life and in this season of life? If not, start here.
Make sure your priorities line up with your desires.
This sounds like a contradiction in terms, but it is not. Many times, we say our purpose is one thing, but what we actually do is something entirely different. This is often because people are going to do what people want to do. We may need to ask God to change our heart and plant in us His desires.
Stop unnecessary time-wasters.
If you “veg” out every night on three-plus hours of television or browsing Facebook, don’t be surprised you didn’t get to spend a lot of quality time with your children or friends. Most of us form bad habits or have unorganized methods of doing something that waste bulks of our time. Make a list of what you spend the most time doing and see if there are places you can cut. (I suspect there will be.)
Work smarter.
I can’t imagine being successful and leading a team without some system of calendaring your week or keeping a planner, yet I know so many pastors and other ministers who simply handle things as they come up rather than work with a plan. The benefit of organization is that you can do what you need to do more efficiently and faster and be more productive. Give a shoutout to the checklist people!
Schedule times to organize.
This is so important, but most people don’t do it. Spending an hour or two actually planning the week will make the whole week more productive. Usually for me this is the first part of my week. If I know where I’m headed and my work space is organized for efficiency, it’s much easier to get everything done and still handle distractions, which are sure to come.
Do the most necessary things first.
You may have tried the A/B/C list of scheduling priorities. It doesn’t matter what system you use, but the important thing is you have one and use it to help your rate of completion. (And, this may be rest, it might be family or it could be the project you have to complete today.)
Don’t say yes to everything.
Be picky with your time allotment based again on your end priorities and goals.
Schedule down time.
Especially when my boys were younger, I would write on my calendar time for them. This may sound mechanical, but it allows you to be there and keeps things and others from filling up your schedule. (I still schedule this time for Cheryl—and, it sounds counterproductive, but we get away even more frequently during busier seasons.)
Evaluate your schedule often.
Plans should not be implemented and then ignored. Develop your plan to create margin in your life, then periodically review the plan to see how you are doing and what needs to be changed.
For some people just reading this is laborsome. I especially encourage those of you geared this way to push through the difficult part of this and give it a try. You will be surprised what a positive difference it will have on your life.
- Published in Leadership, Life Planning