Effective pastoral elders are men who have mastered the disciplines of personal organization and time management.
Lecture Outline Detailed Outline Remember ItElders are very busy men, and they are usually over-committed, over-burdened and over-worked. Furthermore, we live in the age of hyper-busyness. Thus, elders must be able to manage all of life’s many assignments, chores and responsibilities. If they are not organized, they will be totally ineffective and eventually quit their eldership. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:23).
Take 5 minutes at the beginning or end of each day and look over your schedule. Once a week, with your spouse and/or family, look over the calendar for the month and plan together so that there is time for personal refreshment and family time together. Take control of life, or it will steam-roll over you and hurt your marriage and family.
Being organized on a personal level does not end at any point in life. As life changes, so does your schedule and priorities. So rearranging your schedule and work load must be a constant, life-long task.
- What are the consequences of being a disorganized elder?
- What kind of work checklist do you use, if any?
- If you have problems with personal organization of your responsibilities and time, seek out an organized person and learn their techniques. See if they would be willing to mentor you and help you become more organized.
- Sit down with your spouse and meet weekly to plan your week and month. Make this a regular part of your schedule. Talk about personal organization as husband and wife. Be a help to one another.
The Overload Syndrome: Living Within Your Limits, by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. Many practical suggestions for handling a busy life.