Summer allows you to have some time for yourself, but it’s also a time for reflection about your responsibilities to help your church fulfill its ministry. It’s easy to get lost in the business of your daily tasks and to-dos. When this happens, you may lose sight of the things that are important for your church’s health.
A church is only as healthy as its leadership, staff and members. As part of the church staff or leadership team, improving your church’s health can help make this a contender for your most productive summer.
If your church is like most, the pace may slow a bit and you may finally find yourself with some time to tackle those projects you never seem to be able to get to when things are hectic. This means you have more time to focus on those “want to do” projects versus the “absolute must do right now” projects. Before you dive right in and start to work on them, make a plan!
You may want to focus on growing membership, increasing engagement, finding more volunteers or improving your financials. With a long to-do list and a short summer to get it all done, here are eight things you can do to make the most of your time when you are in and out of the church office this summer:
1) Reflect. Spend the first few minutes each morning thinking about what you can accomplish today, and what can wait for another day.
2) Prioritize. Make a list of the most important things that have to get done today. Delete everything else from your calendar.
3) Work smart. Don’t confuse activity with productivity. Productivity is getting the right things done, not just getting more things done. Prioritize what will make your church a better, healthier place and spend time accomplishing these tasks.
4) Clear that inbox. Work efficiently and get your email inbox to zero. This is especially hard in today’s world, but scheduling time at the end of the day to answer email can give you a head start on tomorrow.
5) Stay focused. Don’t let procrastination and interruptions derail you. You can overcome time killers like these in part by recognizing that they’ll inevitably occur. Make time for dealing with them. In the unlikely event that nothing comes up, get an early jump on your email.
6) Be gracious. Remember to give your time to others. The Scriptures show, and the best business leaders know, that generosity is key to finding meaning and fulfillment in our work.
7) Check your systems. Take time to make sure your church management system is optimized to help your administrative staff. Does it work seamlessly with your electronic church giving software to provide automatic posting and reporting of contributions from all sources?
8) Be flexible. You never know what surprises the day may bring. The plan you make for today may have to wait to be carried out tomorrow.
This blog was written and provided by Jan Jasmin. Jan is the Senior Vice President of Faith-Based Sales for Vanco Payment Solutions, a leading provider of e-Giving solutions to more than 20,000 churches.
