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Two Keys to a Truly Productive Church Staff

By February 27, 2012Church, Leadership

This is a guest post by Loren Pinilis. He writes about time management from a Christian perspective at Life of a Steward

Here are 2 keys to a truly productive church staff:

A pastor has incredible power as a leader.

It’s not restricted to formal voting or the pulpit. Pastors establish the culture of the church staff, which then sets the tone for volunteers and the entire congregation.

And in today’s society of emails, conference calls, and personnel shortages, one of the most important traits for a staff to develop is a focus on time management.

But this needs to be done carefully. Too much emphasis on schedules and undistracted blocks of time, and the leaders seem arrogant. Too much emphasis on relationships and fellowship, and no projects get completed.

The best approach for a productive church staff is not to begin by talking about methods. Instead, work on laying a foundation of the right philosophies. Here are two keys to concentrate on:

The Relationship between Mission and Resources

Time management will be valued when people understand the importance of what they do and the limited nature of their resources.

Many leaders understand the importance of communicating a passion for what the church does: the church’s mission.

It’s our finite resources that we take for granted. We need to be just as intentional about communicating our limited time as we are our mission.

In Psalm 90, a heart of wisdom comes from numbering our days. The Bible is full of reminders that our lives on this earth are like withering grass or a vapor.

The real power comes when our mission is connected with this fact. Then, limited time doesn’t depress us – it inspires us and motivates us. We don’t want to waste a precious second that we could be living out our mission.

When you remember that, to-do lists and calendars will be seen as weapons in a battle instead of merely inconveniences that burden you.

God-Centered and Not Me-Centered

Another roadblock for a truly productive church staff is when we focus too much on our own accomplishment. Time management turns into protecting my study time, my afternoon schedule, or my ability to concentrate.

There’s also a very real danger that we work on the mission of the church – but only to achieve our own glory. We can turn the church into a venue for displaying our individual gifts, effort, and success.

I like the way Jerry Bridges puts this in perspective: “God wants us to walk in obedience – not victory. Obedience is oriented towards God; victory is oriented towards self.”

A God-centered motivation not only allows us to bring him glory, but it guides our day to day decisions. It gives us a new perspective on the balance between relationships and to-do lists, between interruptions and scheduled work.

We realize that the people around us are important. But we keep God as our focus and strive to be obedient to him – not necessarily obedient to the desires of others.

What are some strengths your church staff has in these areas? What are some areas you think need to be worked on?

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