“Where has the week gone?” This cry echoes through many church offices. Pastors, especially, know the frustration of trying to keep a schedule when people want to see them. If nobody ever comes to see you at the church, you’re in trouble. On the other hand, if you’re never able to keep to a schedule because so many people want to see you, you’re also in trouble. My attempts to find a balance have led to a disciplined schedule.
I try to budget chunks of time in a weekly pattern. Certain hours are set aside for prayer and study, staff appointments, and administrative details. Other blocks of time are used for correspondence, compiling the bulletin, calling, writing, and committee work. A special effort is made to keep planned time for my family and relaxation. My planning sheet includes routine deadlines so new ones can be worked around them.
Many people might think this approach is not only unrealistic, but confining. Although any given week has never gone exactly as budgeted- any more than the family budget is spent as planned-a time and a money budget provide guidelines lo help me be a careful steward in both areas.
This time schedule helps my secretary when people call or drop in the church office to talk to me. She knows when I need to be uninterrupted, and is able to give a knowledgeable reply when people ask for me. And if she promises I’ll telephone someone, I try to keep that commitment. People know when I’m not available, and why.
For insistent visitors with urgent business, she calls me on the phone. I then have a few options: I can have the visitor come into my study; I can come out to keep the meeting brief; or I can ask my secretary to check the daily schedule and set up an appointment as soon as possible. Many times my secretary finds out what the person wants and is able to handle it herself. Every church with a full-time pastor needs a secretary. Take time to let her know how you want things handled. Discretion is acquired through knowledge and experience.
Even when busy, I sometimes step out of my study to speak to a visitor. That brief time can be an important, personal moment. I’ve learned to be direct in finding out what is wanted. This allows me to make a quick decision of handling the matter immediately, setting up an appointment for later, or transferring the caller to another staff member.
Whether my appointments are in my study, at a coffee break or lunch, or on a visit to the home, I’ve learned that by guiding the conversation, I help people share what needs to be said. In a way, this guiding is like banks of a river: the conversation can go from one side to the other, but stays within certain boundaries. I try to listen intently-to hear what they’re really saying, to feel what they’re feeling. To make sure I’m on track, I often say, “Let me summarize what I hear you saying. When I’m finished, will you correct me?” This feedback helps me know I’m on target and assures them I’ve been listening.
I try to judge when the value of the visit is dissipating. I frequently ask, “Is there anything else we should discuss?” At the close of the visit we pray about the matter, and I often ask them to pray for my own needs as well. Sometimes I will give them an assignment and schedule another appointment to hear the result. I want people to know not only have they been heard and their needs are being met, but that they are also accountable.
Here at Salem Alliance Church, we frequently define ministry as “Being God’s person at God’s time in the life of another person.” But God has allowed each of us only so much time. The discipline of learning to schedule your time with people might stretch you, but it also will allow you to touch more people and still do the things God wants you to do. It gives a real sense of freedom from the tyranny of the urgent.
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