Ministry & Driven Flexibility

_In what feels like another life, working in retail with a set schedule took out a lot of planning. Every week we had the same things to clean, the same customers would come in at the same time every day, our orders were delivered by the same guy on the same day, and each shift had its own responsibilities. It was working through a checklist, not rocket science.

One of the things that new ministry leaders learn is that there isn't a time clock to punch in/out of and every day presents its own challenges. So often, you'll leave your house not knowing what your day will face. And since there's no time clock and rarely do ministry leaders have someone checking in on their every actions, it can be easy to slide into a groove and coast. My friend Sam Rainer had a great post on a ministry leader's work balance a few weeks ago.

The answer to this is for a ministry leader to have a driven flexibility. Developing a mindset of driven flexibility allows a ministry leader to confront the daily challenges with the motivation and freedom necessary to be effective in their calling.

Driven - A ministry leader's work ethic

1. God expects us to work hard. There's no room in ministry for lazy bums. You're called to the heavy work of teaching, caring, leading, developing, and overseeing people. There's so much you have to do, there's no room for someone not willing to dig in and grind.
2. Our time is limited. If you have a 45 year ministry career, you'll have roughly 2,250 Sunday's. Here's perspective, 2,250 seconds is 37.5 minutes. So next time you binge watch Netflix, remember that your entire ministry career lasts about the length of a sitcom. You don't have time to focus on things that don't matter.
3. Our church, ministry, family, and soul require our best effort. Guys, you need to be the best husband and dad that you can possibly be. That means you're going to need to work hard, to dig in and invest time and energy when you want to crash. You need to nurture your own soul through spiritual disciplines (not spiritual osmosis) so that you can take care of yourself first before you take care of God's people. And your church needs your best effort. It doesn't need a perfect effort, that's impossible. You'll make mistakes. But when the church called you and affirmed you, they were placing an incredible trust in you. Don't blow it.
4. Every day is a battle against laziness. Idle hands really are the devil's playground. And every day when you make the commitment to fight against laziness, you're driving a wedge between you and the Enemy to prevent him from destroying your ministry. It's a daily reminder for us to remember what's important and fight against the temptation to have an "easy day" or to occupy space in our offices. God has called us to produce, not consume or use.

Flexibility - A ministry leader's attitude

1. Crisis moments don't plan around your schedule. I'll never forget getting a phone call in my PJs from a family who'd just received the worst news of their life in the ER. In those moments, you can't say "Call me in the morning." There are a lot of perks in being in ministry leadership, but with those perks comes the understanding that you're never really "off the clock."
2. Distractions are a ministry opportunity. The guy who constantly tells you stories or the annoying middle schooler who texts you all the time can get under your skin. But it's in those moments we recognize "divine appointments" that we can take advantage of or ignore. One of the biggest lessons I'd share with new leaders is that your capacity as a ministry leader is through relationships, and that disruptions or distractions are God's way of reminding you what's important.
3. People are way more important than projects. It's so tempting to focus on strategic planning, lesson prep, and diving into a new book. In fact, it'd be awesome if in ministry we could have a whole day to ourselves to read, study, pray, and prep. I could get so far ahead if that were true! But when we adopt a flexible attitude, we realize that what matters most isn't alliterating our points or coming up with a vision statement, it's connecting with people and connecting them to God.