Dec- best of... GTD Reflections

It's possible for a person to have an overwhelming number of things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control.

These are the opening words of Getting Things Done by David Allen, and on reading them, all I can say is: Thank You, Lord.

Never in the history of the church have pastors been required to do more- more things as in variety, and more things as in sheer quantity. The result? Anger, depression and burn out.

By variety I mean, when else have pastors, particularly those attempting to plant churches from the ground up, had to be not only the traditional roles of counselor and teacher, prophetic voice and voice of comfort, presence at milestones in life and death but also- IT manager, publicist, web designer and forum administrator? With new possibilities in ministry come new weights for the pastor to bear, if he or she is not careful.

There are only two options, it seems, and I want to embrace both of them.

Do less.
Do what you do better, more productively.

I still remember sitting with a pastor who was telling me all he was doing. When the list got past 15 or so things, down to administrating the AWANA program, I knew something was wrong. Time for pastors to have the courage to say "If no one will do this, I guess it won't be part of the ministry of this church." Time for pastors to stop doing the ministry for people that they should be doing for themselves.

And time for pastors to start doing what they do better and more productively.

I know that when we start talking "productivity", some will think we're talking corporate church. I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, buying into the corporate model of church or the Pastor as CEO. I think walking down that road has by-and-large been counter-productive for the church in so far as it has gotten us fewer shepherds and more middle-managers with MDivs, by forcing pastors to do and be so much that was never part of their hopes and dreams for the pastorate. To borrow a phrase from John Piper, Brothers (and Sisters!), we are not professionals.

But understanding our roles in more people-oriented/pastoral, and less corporate/managerial ways doesn't mean we can't get better at what we're doing.

If all that reading this blog over the next weeks/months does is help you pile more on your plate by giving you some tips for effectiveness, I feel I will have failed. But if it helps you take a few things off that plate, get better at doing what is left on the plate, and make more room on the plate to spend time with people, I will feel the time well worth it...

So, I'm excited to hear that in the midst of all the demands of ministry, I can still "function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control." Lord knows, I need it. And you probably do too.

"Getting Things Done : The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" (David Allen)

Comments

[Scott Sealy]

While I too have greatly benefited from GTD and certainly experience the stress of having so much to do as a pastor, I would be hesitant to claim 'Never in the history of the church have pastors been required to do more- more things as in variety, and more things as in sheer quantity.'
Consider the demands of life as a circuit rider, or a pioneer minister running a farm in addition to serving a flock. They might not have run a forum, but an 18th century minister would have kept extensive correspondence without the aid of high speed access. Ministers in early America were often headmasters of schools.
I'm amazed at the productivity of those who had all the stresses of the pastorate while still writing and leading the church: Calvin, Edwards, Owens etc...
I think the ministry, regardless of what age we find ourselves in, is an intrinsically demanding vocation if we take it seriously.

[bob]

Fair enough! You have a good point!