3 Things Pastors should do before Summer

It’s that time of year. Your church year is winding down. Fall (last year) is only a memory, Christmas still brings smiles to your face, and Easter seems like only yesterday.

As the weather continues to warm, graduations are being advertised, and your congregation is starting to plan their vacations. So, what should you be doing?

Here are 3 things you should start doing now!

1. Plan your Vacation. Many Pastor and ministry leaders don’t know how to disconnect. They tend to over commit, taking their work home with them, never doing anything ‘different’ from their ‘day-to-day’. Their lives are their ministries. Stress describes them. Many of you are burning out. Stop. And start considering a vacation this summer. Reacquaint yourself with your family and truly separate (for awhile) from your ministry. You’ll be stronger for it in the fall. You may need our client, Energize Ministries, who is dedicated to helping you not burn out.
2. Review the Year. Sit down with leaders in your church (and statistics) and have an open discussion about what “worked” and what didn’t this past year. It’ll be fresh on everyone’s minds. Make sure you determine what success is in your ministry. Numbers? Results? Conversions? Fill in the blank _____________.
3. Plan for the Fall. Armed with your definition of “success” and the results of this past year; dream big. What would you (and your leaders) do if you could do anything? What resistance would you get? How could you divert it? Do you have the right leaders? If not, consider what you’ll need. Be sure to bathe this time in prayer.

Please note: in order to make changes to anything; a good leader proposes the core benefits of the changes in such a way that people won’t miss the status quo. Cast a vision. And people will follow. If they don’t? Consider that your leadership is not as strong as you think.