And When is the Shift over?
Thoughts on a recent Seth Grodin blog
“If you sell your time as the measure of the work you do, the work is over when the shift ends. Clock in, clock out.
If you sell your output as the measure of the work, your work is over when the inbox is empty. Once you’ve made all the pizzas that were ordered, you’re done.
But more and more, our work can be endless. One more sales call might lead to one more sale. One more cycle of innovation might lead to the breakthrough we’ve been looking for. One more post might get you the traffic you’re on the hook for.
In a competitive marketplace, self-regulating the length of our shift is a lot to ask. Given that the list of things to do is intentionally endless, it’s on each of us to decide what ‘enough’ looks like. Because more time isn’t always the answer.” Seth Godin blog 12/16/21
This got me thinking, especially as a retired UMC pastor in this crazy Advent Season.
So much of our time and responsibility is dictated by our church expectations. Perhaps as the lone pastor almost everything falls upon you. You never get to the end of the list or the task, and you never get to invest in something new that might break the cycle, or bring you much needed help, or a new direction that brings forth spiritual life and health. Clock in, clock out. And the pandemic has added a whole new set of tasks of some kind.
We’ve just come through the Charge Conference season, the measure of our work, how many people, how are the finances, how many disciples, how many baptisms or new commitments, what’s your attendance at worship? And then on top of that, there is the evaluation, by your hand and by your SPRC and all your efforts boils down to “meets expectations” or “needs improvement”. Because that’s all the time we really have. Once, you’ve made all the pizzas, sermons, visits, meetings, you’re done.
More and more that can be endless. And yet, in reading or listening to a blog, or attending a seminar or hearing an inspiring speaker, a pastor who made great strides, you suddenly know it, the one more, call, visit, blog, program, new idea that might just be what’s going to get you above the last year’s numbers. But where does that time come from? How do we break out of the past and move forward into new life?
I have to confess that I would cheat on the to do list, because I knew the something new would make a bigger difference. Adding a mid-week worship and Bible Study would involve a lot of time, that would have to come away from some visiting, or little meetings that didn’t improve the Realm and Community of God at all. And the skipping some of those parts to bring new life, would cost me dearly in the complaints department, he/she is not doing their job, they haven’t such and such. And the new people that are coming are sitting in my seat, so it’s time to get the Bishop to move the pastor, before they ruin everything.
As Seth reminds us, we are in a competitive marketplace, and self regulating our shift or our to do list, is a lot to ask. And since the expectations are endless, it’s up to us to decide what the appropriate effort looks like. Now if we could only have support for the changes from someone who sees the bigger picture, and not just silencing the cranky SPRC person who demands a change. We might even see a new year and progress and new people blessed.
That’s my prayer, may it be yours as well.
Jeff Jones
Retired and still willing to make a difference.
