If you’ve ever found it hard to keep your priorities right or your diary tight... If you’ve ever wondered how to stay engaged and enthusiastic in whatever ministry God has equipped you to serve... then you have experienced a struggle that is common to most of us who are active in the local church. A struggle that, if not addressed carefully and biblically, can drag us down.
At a seminar at the Christian Resources Exhibition last week a group of church administrators and I spent 45 minutes looking at how we could use the principle of purposeful pairs to help us persevere in the face of such difficulties.
“Purposeful pairs” works on the assumption that in any given task there are always two places we can helpfully focus our attention. For example:
Filing and faith
When we’re doing the mundane parts of our role we need to keep our eyes on what our faith is really about. We can remember that even “dull” tasks are utilising God’s generous gifts (1 Corinthians 12) and are to be undertaken for his glory (Colossians 3) and to encourage Kingdom growth. It’s an inescapable fact that some tasks are not intellectually stimulating or prestigious but in reality there’s no such thing as a boring job if we remember why we are doing it and who we are doing it for.
Maintenance and mission
When we are prioritising our to-do lists or sorting our diaries, there needs to be a dual focus on activities that help keep the wheels of the local church turning and those that reach out to others ... if we focus on mission alone, then people will be invited to a congregation in chaos but if we focus on maintenance solely, we’ll end up being part of a well-oiled spiritual business that never takes part in the great commission (Matthew 28). Maintenance and mission must hold together.
Paperwork and people
Communication needs to happen. Rotas have to be written, notices given out, publicity designed and minutes typed. But our aim is not to push paper. At all times we need to remember the people who are going to be receiving the paper. Rotas are places where ministry is co-ordinated and spiritual gifts are consciously developed; notice sheets and minutes are not moan fests but opportunities to inspire people to get stuck in to service.
Efficiency and encouragement
God is not glorified when the preacher forgets they’re preaching or the Sunday School leader hasn’t done their prep. We need to be efficient. But a church isn’t the place to be officious ... we’re called to love and serve one another as God has loved us (John 13) –and that means sacrificially (Philippians 2) and with a willingness to spur one another on (Hebrews 10). Efficiency has to go hand in hand with encouragement.
Comprehensiveness and clarity
Whether we are writing a report or preaching a sermon we will want to be thorough – showing good Scriptural evidence and apt application for our points. But if we put in too much information or don’t structure it clearly the waters just get muddy. And then no-one understands the main thrust or what they’re supposed to do as a result. We need to be comprehensive but also clear.
You get the idea! And as we consciously engage with these purposeful pairs, we will find our focus sharpening, our motivation increasing and our productivity rising – all to the glory of God.
Maybe you’d like to suggest some other pairs to encourage our readers ...
