Out Of Focus

Pastoral ministry, by its very nature is a complicated thing. In smaller works, many times the pastor is not only the spiritual leader, he or she is also the facilities manager, the handyman, the motivator, the idea person, the organizer of many things - and at the end of the day, you may have done a great deal, but not gotten anything accomplished. I feel your pain. I've been in ministry for 14 years, only three of which are at the helm of a church. I have learned much in the past three years, of which, if you are going to get things accomplished in your life and at your church, the following things must happen:
1. God must be at the helm
2. You must prioritize what needs to be done (in order)
3. Let the list guide you (and don't allow distractions)
4. People are important to God - they must be important to you
There are days that I'm not very focused, and many little things get started, a few get finished, but I don't come home that day feeling as if I accomplished much. But when I set a goal for a day and focus on that, it makes for a better day.

As a pastor, we can be dictated to by phone calls, walk-ins (people stopping by to ask if you saw the cobweb in the back corner of the sanctuary), other people's deadlines, and any other of a million things. I have learned that those that are successful love people and love God, and keep focused. That doesn't happen by an angel coming to you and bopping you on the head - it comes by self-discipline and a heart after God. What do you think?