Dave Jacobs

Along with an obsession with church growth and numbers, we can thank the Church Growth Movement of the 80s and 90s for introducing to us the importance of having a “church mission statement.”

Today I want to talk to you about how mission statements can be a waste of time, and how mission statements can be worth your time. But first allow me to make a few observations concerning church mission statements.

1. Almost every church has a mission statement these days. This is a relatively new phenomenon.

2. I am always amazed at the amount of time pastors and their boards will invest in coming up with the church mission statement. One pastor recently told me that he and his board had just completed a three-month project developing their mission statement.

3. Despite attempts to come up with something new and catchy most mission statements basically sound the same.

I’m not suggesting that we throw out our mission statements or, if we currently don’t have one, that we don’t bother coming up with one. All I’m suggesting is that mission statements can be a waste of time, if…

1. They serve no purpose other then something to put on our business cards, letterhead, or website.

2. They are way too long for anyone to commit to memory.

3. The words chosen are confusing to normal people and thus require a constant explanation as to what our mission statement means.

On the other hand, mission statements are worth our time, if…

1. They remind us what we are in business for, what we’re “all about.”

2. They help remind the people of our church what we are in business for, what we are “all about.” (Yes, yes I know, we are not a business… you know what I’m getting at.)

So… if you have a mission statement, are coming up with your very first mission statement, or are revisiting or revamping your current mission statement, keep in mind:

1. Keep it as short and sweet and accurate as possible. Make it something easy to remember and repeat.

2. Revisit your mission statement often. Let it be the guiding light by which you program, plan, and preach. Your mission statement (not to be confused with your values, or vision statement) lets you know who you are and who you’re not. Knowing who you’re not, can be as important as knowing who you are.

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This article is the second of three on the subject of Getting and Staying Organized. It’s not uncommon for me to run across pastors who are, basically, disorganized. They miss appointments, let important thing slip between the cracks, and are often overwhelmed by what seems to be a life out of control. In part 1 I discussed the need to gather some simple organizational tools. On my list were:

1. a calendar

2. phone alarms

3. a “Notes” notebook

4. Post-it notes

5. looking ahead

6. a to do list

In this article I want to explain in greater detail the “notes” notebook.

First you need to get two notebooks. The first notebook needs to be thought of as a “junk drawer.” You probably have one of those in your home, it’s probably in your kitchen, most junk drawers are. We have one. Ours is completely filled with little odds and ends, no rhyme or reason, just things we toss in there thinking that one day we may need them. I love going through my junk drawer, it’s like a treasure chest, I never know what I’ll find in their.

Instead of jotting down phone numbers, things to remember, the name of that book your friend mentioned over the phone, on separate pieces of paper that end up strewn all over your desk… everything like this goes into one notebook. No more random slips of paper. Everything you jot down can be easily retrieved in one place. Never again will you ask, “Now where did I put that piece of paper.”

Next, you need to get a second notebook. This is not a junk drawer. This is the one place where you keep all of your ideas. I have such a notebook. My notebook is divided into different categories: ministry products I’m thinking of developing, article ideas for my blog and website, book projects, sermon ideas, etc. Once again, not really a junk drawer like notebook number one, but an “ideas” notebook. I have found this to be so helpful. When it’s time for me to write a new blog post, or begin working on a sermon topic for a speaking engagement I might have coming up, all I need do is bring out my notebook and a list of ideas are waiting for me.

If you want to get organized and stay organized one of the best tools is the “notes” notebook.

In part 3 of getting and staying organized, I will walk you through five simple steps to being organized and staying on top of the things you need to be on top of.

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More than once I’ve heard people say to me, “I can’t believe how organized you are.” I hope that’s meant as a compliment rather than a sign of neurosis. The truth of the matter is that over the years I’ve gathered simple tools and concepts which keep my busy life, business, and ministry flow relatively smoothly.

This article is the first of three on the subject of getting and staying organized. It’s not uncommon for me to run across pastors who are, basically, disorganized. They miss appointments, let important things slip between the cracks, and are often overwhelmed by what seems to be a life out of control.

The first step in getting your life in control, rather than out of control, organized versus disorganized, is to gather some simple organizational tools. Here’s my list:

1. You need a calendar, preferably an electronic one which you can sync with your home computer, work computer, and smart phone… if you have one. If you have a dumb phone this won’t work. I know this sounds so elementary but it’s not unusual for me to run across a pastor who basically tries to keep everything clear in their mind rather than in a calendar.

2. Set phone alarms. Most phones allow you to set alarms to go off reminding you of events and appointments. I have alarms that go off on my phone 5 min. before every coaching call I’m scheduled to make that day. This is just another way to ensure that I don’t get caught up in some project (like writing blog posts) and forget an appointment.

3. You need to have a “notes” notebook. Instead of scribbling thoughts and notes on scraps of paper piling up all over your desk you put all of those bits of random information in one notebook. I’m going to elaborate on this more in part 2.

4.Post-it Notes. One of the greatest inventions of man from a standpoint of developing organizational skills is the Post-it Note. But the Post-it Note must be posted someplace where you’re guaranteed to see it. Like on your computer monitor, bathroom mirror, door to your office, etc.

5. Each day you must look ahead to see what’s coming the next day. It doesn’t do you any good to have a calendar if you don’t look at it. And in regards to preparing for tomorrow you need to look at tomorrow today. One of the final things I do at the end of my workday is make sure I’m aware of and prepared for tomorrow.

6. “To do list.” Once again, I know this sounds elementary, but the old tried-and-true “to do list” has been a staple of the organized.

In part two I’m going to talk more about the “notes notebook” I mentioned in point number three. And then in part three I will describe 5 simple steps to getting and staying organized. So now I want you to put in your calendar a reoccurring reminder to check in on Facebook for Dave’s: Ldeas that work: Getting and Staying Organized, part two.

Do it, do it now.

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Does your workweek work? By the weekend do you feel weakened?

In my coaching practice I regularly make 2 observations: 1) the pastor’s calendar is too full, and 2) often times the tasks which make up the pastors workweek do not reinforce the vision the pastor has for the church, and as a result, the pastor can find him/herself doing most everything other than pastoring.

In order to have a workweek that works, a workweek that won’t make you weak, you must ask yourself 3 questions:

1) Are the number of hours I’m putting in working for the church sustainable? I don’t believe that 45-50+ hours a week is sustainable. Eventually, somewhere down the road, something is going to break down. It might take years, but eventually one will see the results of 50+ hours a week, especially, if one neglects their days off, vacation time, and quiet times with the Lord.

2) Are the tasks that make up my workweek effective? By effective I mean, are they moving me towards my vision for the church, or away from my vision for the church? Do the tasks that make up my workweek reinforce my call as pastor, or reinforce other things that have little if anything to do with shepherding people?

3) Is my workweek pleasurable? Now I realize that in any job there will be some tasks that you enjoy more than others, and this is certainly true for the pastor. Not everything that makes up your workweek will be enjoyable, pleasurable. But if you are not doing more enjoyable things then unenjoyable things eventually you will burn out. A great exercise for pastors is to look at their workweek, and the tasks which make it up, and identify those things that they draw energy from and those things which take energy from them. You must have more energy-givers then energy-drainers.

When was the last time you seriously looked at how you spend your week? Is your work week sustainable, effective, pleasurable?

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An appraiser came out to “appraise” our house in order to determine its value. She walked around, took pictures and measurements, asked some questions, and left. She’ll go back to her office, search for “comparables”, i.e. what comparable homes in our area are selling for, and then determine the value of the home. It’s not so much value as it is salability, what you could expect someone to be willing to pay for the home. This, in turn, or at least in our case, determines how much money the bank is willing to loan you to cover the purchase price of the home when you’re hoping to refinance your loan. You see… in America we buy things we can’t afford by using someone else’s money and they make money on their money I charging interest. So… we pay money to borrow money which results in paying more money than we originally needed to buy the thing that we didn’t have money for in the first place. When one takes the time to write it all down it really does sound insane, and very well might be. But once again, this is America, and one must own a home, so what are you going to do?

I believe it was my freshman year in college that I worked part-time for an appraiser, Bill Fawcett. That was one of the most enjoyable jobs I ever had prior to entering the ministry.

I am a type of appraiser now. I help pastors appraise their lives and the life of their church. My appraisal of most churches is that they are doing pretty well but could be much more effective with some changes that, typically, they are more than capable of making, relatively easy to implement.

They say, in regards to houses or anything you’re trying to sell, that it doesn’t matter what the owner thinks the house is worth, or even what it genuinely is worth. It only matters what the other person is willing to pay.

The appraiser is more objective than the homeowner. It’s not unusual for the appraiser to come in with a lower value than the owner imagined. One reason for this is that the owner of the home is emotionally attached to the property, thus the owner lacks objectivity. The appraiser, on the other hand, has no emotional attachment to the home and can therefore assess the value objectively.

When was the last time you had an objective assessment of your life or your church? I’m an assessor. I’m a coach. I can help.

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