Record of Ministry activities
Sunday morning service - 1 hour
Sunday Evening service - 1 hour
lesson prep time - 2 hours
Fundraising plans - 2 hours
Miscellaneous Lovemercy tasks - 2 hours
Thursday evening service - 2 hours
Total hours: 10
Personal reflection on ministry
I met with a pastor a few weeks ago to talk about his philosophy of ministry and what I could expect in my first ministry position. The best thing I took from it was "in your first year of ministry, you need to focus on surviving." I wish I could really convey how true this statement is. This week I looked at the calendar on my wall and noticed that the permission slips for lovemercy were due to go out. I hadn't written them yet. By the time I had the service for thursday written out and gotten a basis for the permission slip, it was time to go. I handed out the permission slips asking for a $50 deposit from the parents before the 24th of October. Some of the teens were very upset because the previous youth pastor didn't do it that way. Needless to say we had some issues to deal with that evening.
I love the relational side of youth ministry, but I had the administrative part. I always forget about the little details. This time around, I learned the lesson of planning ahead.
Spiritual reflection
This week I have been focusing on getting into the word and getting more sleep. I have found that these two things have really changed my outlook on life. It gets difficult though, simply because by the time I sit down to do devos I have already spent 5 hours in the day studying the Bible for a class, and when it comes to sleeping, I need to finish a project. I need to prioritize. I wish I could hit the pause button for a minute. ;)
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Hey Jon,
ReplyDeleteI can truly identify with your fight for survival in this first year. It is difficult and time will fly by so fast that you soon look back and wonder where it all went. If I could offer some advice in regard to the administrative aspect of ministry. It is possible that it will not be an issue where you are now but it could be someday.
The guy who had my job before I got the job at Hartford City was incredible at the relational aspect of ministry and he wasn't that good at anything administrative. As an outsider he always seemed like the youth pastor of the year because he was so successful relationally but he struggled greatly in his relationship with the Senior Pastor. The reason he struggled was because he was rarely on the ball administratively. Organization is vital to successful staff relationships. One of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever got and/or could ever give is to work hard at staying organized administratively.
Hope this helps man.
Have a good one.
Ian