I live around the corner from the newest health club in town, which so far means exactly nothing. I have a membership. You’d think that the proximity alone would hold me accountable for going, considering that I actually can’t leave my home without passing it. It could be that I’m just lazy, but I find that hard to believe. Somehow, I feel guilty, but not really accountable.
A pastor friend explained to me that regardless of stress, aches, schedule, or hurt feelings, there is one undeniable fact of life: Sunday morning, you have to preach. That is a non-negotiable. How can I keep a healthy perspective on preaching?
My best accountability structure is my preaching schedule. I have had no luck writing sermons in advance, because I need the freshness of the congregation’s week to maintain relevance. These are my sermon schedule/deadlines- including feeding and prep- about which I reserve no choice:
MONDAY     (Never works out as a day off, anyway; too many things happen on Sunday that need attention on Monday.)
6:30 am-     Men’s Bible Study. I don’t lead it- I sit, listen, and contribute when appropriate.
9:30 am-     Reading Time. This is the one day when I get to spend 3 hours feeding my soul on the Word. I also read other things pertinent to sermons and church issues.
2:00 pm-     Sermon Prep Deadline- outlines for Wednesday pm and both Sunday sermons are done.
7:00 pm-     Young Men’s Bible Study. I lead it, but it’s really an opportunity to pick their brains and find out what the current worries and issues are. (Great intel- Don’t tell anybody.)
TUESDAY
10:00 am-     Debrief about Sunday with Evangelism Pastor.
1:00 pm-     Finish Young Adult sermon.
WEDNESDAY
7:00 pm-     Preach to Young Adult service.
8:30 pm-     Develop Sunday am PowerPoint and handout. (I’m usually too wired to sleep, and that energy has to go somewhere. And stop bringing up the gym!)
THURSDAY
8:00 pm-     Finish Sunday pm sermon.
FRIDAY     Off
SATURDAY
4:00 pm-     Prepare Sunday School lesson.
SUNDAY     About what you’d expect.
Even though this schedule is non-negotiable, it’s still subject to the equally non-negotiable demands of congregational care, outreach, and administration. If I don’t meet my deadlines, that’s a pretty good indication of what kind of week the church is having, or how poor a job I’m doing with time management- or both. And Sunday isn’t going to be pretty without a lot of prayer.
So far, exercise remains a negotiable. We’ll see what I can do about eliminating choice in that. Maybe that will help my preaching be healthier too.