In pastoring, one of my biggest enemies of discipline has been the desire or pressure to be there for our people. You might ask, “How is that the enemy?” Simple. Is the church better off with me trying to meet every need, or is the church better off with me being disciplined with my schedule, and making sure I’ve spent adequate time leading the church, instead of managing it? Early on in the life of our church, my daily schedule basically was dictated by the people at our church. My entire day was typically a response to their needs. That was ok when our church only had 100, or even 200 people attending, but as our church began to grow, I realized very quickly, that I had to become more disciplined with my daily schedule.
It wasn’t that I no longer wanted to go to hospitals, it wasn’t that I no longer wanted to counsel every person who needed it, it was simply a time issue and a productivity issue. Is the church better off in the long run with me making every hospital visit, doing all the counseling, and dealing with every problem? The answer is no! If I’m doing all of those things, then what I’m not doing is a huge problem. Things like: spending time in prayer, spending enough time with my family, taking my weekly day off, developing a top notch Sunday message, developing and pouring into our staff, meeting with strategic leaders within the church, and dreaming and planning for the future.
As I began developing others to meet most of these needs, it freed me up to be more productive. Now, I have control of my daily schedule. Everyday I work in blocks of time. My Administrative Assistant knows that I only take appointments on certain days, during certain blocks of time (outside of emergencies). I really believe that this has been a huge factor in our church growth. As we’ve grown to 400, 500 and 600 people, keeping a disciplined schedule has contributed greatly to the growth of our church. As church growth seminars and books debate how to grow a church, I would argue that the lead pastor being more disciplined and strategic in his daily schedule is a huge factor in the success of a church.
Rick Morris
Mountain View Family Church
Queen Creek, AZ
www.mountainviewaz.com
#1 by Bill Hayes at June 13th, 2009
I always pray, “Lord, help me to accomplish what I need to today and not worry about what you don’t need done.” Time is “ticking away” and, if we’re not careful, time can become our greatest enemy. Thanks for the encouragement Rick.
#2 by casey at June 19th, 2009
Ricky,
great job…can you give more examples of “blocked” times..for example how much do you try to block out for study? staff mtgs? counseling? what days off do you have?
thanks a lot, excited about what is going on at mountain view!
#3 by Rick Morris at June 21st, 2009
Hey Casey,
Some weeks are different than others but typically this is my schedule:
Monday, Tues, Wed mornings are typically my block of time for my message preparation. Monday from 8-9 I plan out my week and make a to do list. Then I meet with our executive pastor and review Sunday and talk about any staff issues or anything else. I don’t take appointments or meetings other than emergencies.
Lunches are typically with a key leader (usually just to say thanks and get to know them), someone who needs encouragement, a staff member or my wife. (Not everyday usually 5 to 8 per month.
Tuesdays and Wednesday’s from 1-3 is when I will typically meet with people who need to talk. I’ll take appointments on those days. (Obviously if people work during the day, I’ll have to come back at night. Most of the time one of our other pastors does the counseling.)
Thursday’s are staff meeting and then the first Thursday of every month, I buy lunch for all the staff. We usually go eat together every thursday, but I buy once a month. I always have my message finished on thursday and I send my message notes to my assistant. That way Friday and Saturday I’m getting very familiar with the message.
Friday’s I take off and Saturday’s are touch and go depending on the week. I usually hang out with my family on Saturdays and then go teach a Bible study at the prison on Saturday night.
Ministry is always changing, but I try to make sure that my week as planned as possible. This would drive some people crazy but it works well for me.
Is this what you were looking for?