My memory is certainly not my greatest asset. With all the demands that are common to the Christian ministry, it has caused me problems at times! Compounding this situation, I tend to feel stressed when faced with a heavy workload.
To be more efficient and to survive the pressures, I have had to organize my ministry in simple but practical ways. I have found that by using two charts a Things to Do chart and a visitation chart my ministry has become more effective and I generally feel more in control than I used to.
I compile my Things to Do chart every Sunday morning. I look at last week's chart to see what I did not get done, and at my diary (appointment book) for the two weeks coming. Then I write on the current chart what I need to do during the coming week. The chart's six sections cover almost everything I hope to achieve during the week (see chart 1).
The Work heading covers what I will be working on during the time I spend in my study. To keep the chart a manageable size, I do not include everything here. For instance, I have to prepare for a number of individual Bible study appointments. Preparing for these normally does not take much time, so rather than listing them on the chart, I allow the appointments in my diary to remind me each day what I need to prepare for that day.
One exception in the current week is the listing "Trinity" under the Work heading. I have listed this study there because a contact has asked me about the Trinity and I need to do some extra reading in preparation for this appointment.
Under the Buy heading I list things I need to buy either this week or fairly soon. The listing may include stationery for my study, personal items, items for one of the church buildings, etc. I have even listed "estate agents"--here though I do not intend to buy an estate agent's office! Rather, because I am considering setting up a church retirement home in the area, I need to remind myself to find an estate agent who deals with suitable property. I generally look at the Buy list before going into town, so it seemed a suitable place to post the reminder.
The Phone and Write columns, headings 3 and 4, should be self-explanatory. They merely list people and organizations I need to telephone or write to during the week.
Under the two Visit columns I list the names of members and contacts that I intend to visit before the week is out. (More on this later.)
Planning the day
Having my Things To Do list before me, I can decide at the beginning of each day what I need to do. Then it takes me only two or three minutes to jot down in my desk diary my tasks for that day.
I also find it extremely helpful to assign priorities; after making my list in the desk diary, I place either a 1 or a 2 after each task listed. A 1 means I must at least start the task that day. A 2 means that the task could wait, but if time permits I would do well to make a start on it.
I have found that this prioritizing forces me to concentrate on what really needs to be done, and ensures that I do not spend too much time on less important things. Before following this system, I used to slip into doing things that were relatively easy and that gave an immediate sense of achievement such as writing letters. There never seemed to be enough time for the big projects that were difficult or that seemed not worth starting because of their size and the large chunk of time required to make any progress with them. I now spend my best hours for me, between 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. doing the most taxing tasks. It is amazing how soon they get done even when I do only a little of each every day.
Another reason I used to concentrate on things that were of secondary importance was my bad memory. I replied to all the letters I received as soon as the postman brought them so that I would not forget the task. Doing so made me very tense at times, as I was not achieving my main goals for the day. But with the system I use now, when the mail comes I read it and then put the letters that need a reply in my ' 'in'' tray and enter on my chart under Write the names of the correspondents. Then I can put off responding until a convenient time without the danger of forgetting to reply at all. This approach also means that I can do my more demanding work (such as sermon preparation) first, and reply to letters (for me, an easier task) when I am mentally tired.
Board meetings also used to stress me because I worried that I would forget to do some of the items that needed attending to before the next meeting. Now I simply put all these items on the list of things to be done so that they are before me every day.
Incidentally, I have found true the advice given by time management experts that a large task is accomplished more easily by breaking it into small segments. Rather than trying to do all of the preparation for my weekly sermons and seminar lectures in a day or two, I do a little work on each every day. This way I stay fresher and get a sense of satisfaction from having pushed the task forward, if only a little.
So in any one week, in addition to preparing the sermon for the coming Sabbath, I am also working on the sermon for the following Sabbath. Doing so stops that feeling of panic that comes on a Sunday morning when there are effectively only five days--assuming one day a week is taken off--in which to get a whole sermon together.
Working the visitation chart
Perhaps the most important part of the chart is the section at the bottom, where I list those members whom I should visit that week marked with a 1 and those who could wait another week if necessary but would benefit from a visit if time permitted marked with a 2.
To arrive at this list, I use a visitation chart. This chart tells me at a glance how often each person needs visiting and when he or she was last visited. Such charts are, I believe, readily avail able from conference offices, which is where I got the idea for mine although I have adapted it a little to suit my needs. A section of one such chart appears below.
By using narrow columns I get a chart with space for about three years' visiting. This means I don't have to keep making up new charts, as that in itself can be time-consuming! After each name I place a number that indicates how often I would like to visit the individual or family, whether it be every six months or what ever. With two churches in my care, I have found it possible to aim to visit each member no less often than every six months. I stick to this minimum, even if I have chatted with a member in church on Sabbath or taken him or her to prayer meeting and spoken with him or her on the way just a couple days before a scheduled home visit.
In my opinion, people need and appreciate the personal attention, the prayer, and sometimes the opportunity to express a grievance or problem that visitation provides. Yet both before and since I entered the ministry I have been saddened to hear many members com plain that they have not been visited for years. I feel that there is no excuse for this. Yes, ministry is hectic and pressures come from all sides, but if years pass before an individual is visited, then something is desperately wrong in either our level of ministerial care or our planning. I have sought to prevent such negligence in my ministry by the use of charts such as the one described here. It helps me avoid long-term oversights.
Admittedly, in my two churches combined I have only about 80 members to care for, so I can more easily make frequent visits than can ministers with larger churches. However, visiting plans and charts can be adapted so that members receive a visit at least once a year or every 18 months. That may sound hardly worth bothering about, a goal not worth setting. But if time really is in short supply, I believe it is better to set a goal that is practical and attainable than to just give up and visit as emergencies occur or "as the Spirit leads." There certainly is a place for the Spirit's impressing upon a minister the need to visit a certain member, but surely, using the brains the Lord has given us to plan our visitation program is not beyond reason.
In the first year or two of my ministry I wanted to be "fair," so I visited every one at exactly the same interval. I think I was rebelling against the idea that I had heard so often that 5 percent of the members take 95 percent of the minister's time! I now realize that some members do need more attention than others. Some are isolated and are unable to get to church because of distance or age. I aim to visit these either every six weeks or every two or three months, depending on their particular need. Others who need a visit more often than most are the spiritually wavering and those who have recently joined the church.
One does not need to follow this visitation program to the letter, and indeed, the nature of ministry makes that an impossible goal. Evangelistic programs, seasonal holidays, etc., will mean that at times some members will be a few weeks overdue for a visit. That does not worry me unduly. As long as I have the visitation chart to check each week, I can ensure that the months do not run into years!
Some of us respond to charts and timetables and organization better than do others. I am one of those who need a certain amount of structure and routine in order to function well. These "helps to efficiency" have made my ministry more effective, more satisfying, and more enjoyable.
