Is It Possible to Achieve the Perfect Church-Work-Life Balance?
We all want to balance work, and our personal lives - and that applies to church work too! It is important to understand the calling and the necessary sacrifice that is involved. However, for many church staff, church leadership, and even volunteer leaders, that understanding can get skewed by all of the "good stuff" that needs to be done. Too often church roles take family-life tolls. So what should or could you do to guard or remedy that?
Be Aware
This is easier said than done. Being self-aware is always key to self-development, but it's always so much easier to be aware and perceptive about others than it is about ourselves. In this case, being self-aware means knowing when things are about to bubble over. What are the key indicators in your life that can remind you to have balance? Maybe it's spousal arguments, maybe it's the number of nights you're away from the dinner table, or maybe it's lacking the time to properly study or prepare. Being self-aware is difficult, but it's not mysterious. Identify those things that are (or should be) non-negotiable but keep getting deprioritized. Use those as litmus.
Be Transparent
Self-awareness is difficult, but for some, transparency might be even more so. Transparency comes naturally to some personalities, but in church leadership, it's often masked. In this area, it's not so that it is important to bare your schedule, sensitivities, and soul- it's that people need to know where your priorities are. They need to know where your boundaries are. Sharing this preemptively with your flock and friends is better than informing them during the conflict. Be transparent.
Be Present
When you're in a ministry role, so many things can weigh on your mind and heart. It's difficult to "turn off." Being present doesn't always mean shutting those cares and woes off. That might even be counterproductive. In comparison, you must be fully aware and engaged in the present. When you're with your family, engage and be present. When you're in pastoral care moments, engage and be present. When you're resting... rest. Though it may seem that you are having to muster up the extra effort to engage in the moment, you will feel refreshed more often.
Be On Guard
For those in a life of ministry, being "on guard" is likely common terminology. We're always called to be on the lookout and to be on guard from spiritual warfare, negativity, and unnecessary conflict. But, busyness and "good things" don't often make that list. Be on guard of the things that steal your time and energy. Be ready to defend that time and energy- and your schedule.
At PowerChurch Software, we hope to improve how churches steward their resources. Most often, that has to do with data and finances. But leaders are even more important than that. Within PowerChurch, there are calendars, scheduling, spiritual discipline fields, and more. We do believe that utilizing these things will help make you and your team more aware of strengths, weaknesses, and over-exertion; however, most of all, we just want to be an encouragement to you. This church-work-life balance is not easy, but it's achievable. Don't let the good that you do misplace the God you serve.
As always, we'd love to hear your comments about this topic! Reach out to us below.