As a pastor I have found that March is an extremely busy month. Is it this way for everyone else? Actually, that’s a pretty dumb question to ask… of course it is!
Like me, you are probably:
– Finishing up the details for the upcoming Easter services, concerts, and outdoor activities
– Planning homecomings, revivals, crusades, outreaches, or rallies
– Getting members to sign up to volunteer for Vacation Bible School (this is tough!)
– Handling registrations for summer youth camps
– Coordinating efforts for community service projects and mission trips
And this is all on top of our normal day-to-day ministry work!
Springtime is full of great stuff that highlights not only what our churches are about, but what kind of God we serve. That said, I don’t want to put on lackluster, “okay” events. I want each one to reflect the sense of excellence that God has in His creation (He didn’t do things “half way”).
I remember when I got married three years ago, we had a “wedding planner”. This lady handled seemingly everything: bridal showers, picking out invitations, the ceremony, food, venues, the photographer, the DJ, and of course dealing with unruly family members. I really don’t see how she did it all, but I’m glad she was there! It was all handled with care and determination, which seems like a rarity these days.
Well, one of my personality flaws is that I’m not always the best organized. For some reason my mind just doesn’t work that way! A paper here or there might get lost in the shuffle or I’ll forget about a meeting during a hectic day. Thankfully, I have a smart wife, an able church staff and a willing volunteer base to help fill in the gaps.
Honestly though, this time of year can feel overwhelming if you let it be that way. What’s scary is, before you know it fall will soon be here with a whole bunch of new events and outreaches to plan for! Then soon after that is Christmas… (yowza!)
Face it, the work of the Lord doesn’t get a lot of “time outs”. When we do take them, they’re well-deserved and help us recharge for the next cycle ahead. But while we’re still in the midst of the hustle, we ought to find more effective ways to do what we’re called to do. One question we should always be asking in ministry: “Is there an easier way to do this?”
If you’re like me and want to better organize all of the wonderful things that your ministry does (without having to rely even more on church staff), check out this great ministry guide on event planning from ACS Technologies:
Take it a step further and let us know what big event your church has coming up…
– Reply to us on Twitter (@ACSTech)
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We’d love to hear from you!
This is an awesome time of year where we get out and do more for the Lord. Let’s take advantage of every opportunity we organize, as well as the ones that God provides for us.