I spent this morning with Chris debriefing yesterday's events. It's always an interesting feeling the day after a big day. We ran toward Easter both partnering for the Royal Oak launch as well as planning our own Easter Egg Hunt and services. Many of our volunteers stepped up and worked hard to make it a great day!
Experience has taught me that picking a date in the future to work toward (usually a big event), and finishing it, feels less like crossing a finish line and more like finding myself at a new starting line. As a result I've become quite familiar with post big day depression!
I think it's more productive to look at big days as checkpoints in the journey. They may require more energy as they approach, but we still have to pace ourselves for the long haul. At a checkpoint we can pause, reflect, and regroup for the next strategic push.
I also think it's important to factor in recovery time on the other side of checkpoints. I need to recover as a leader. I also need to plan recovery for the leaders who serve with me. I stink at this! I tend to jump right into the next thing, failing to properly celebrate and evaluate the last thing. This isn't fair or healthy to the leadership teams I serve.
Recovery could be as simple as changing pace or changing place. This afternoon we took our staff meeting outside. We used bright colored poster board to take notes. I bought everyone King Sized candy bars. I planned a shorter, more focused agenda. It was a small yet intentional way for us to recover as a team.
1 Kings 19 is the classic story of post-big day depression. Elijah confronted 450 false prophets at once. They were humilated. He was vindicated. I've read several reports from church leaders regarding their Easter services yesterday. They were great reports, but I have yet to come across one where fire fell from heaven during the service. Elijah was literally at the top of the mountain.
After the fire fell, he outran a chariot all the way to Jezreel. That's roughly 25 miles. He outran a chariot 25 miles. That's anointing. It's also adrenaline. Sometimes we forget that they go together.
When Elijah finally stopped running he crashed. He realized that he still had enemies. He realized that his work wasn't done. If anything, it was just beginning.
Winning always generates more work. Winning the Super Bowl doesn't make the 2006 season easier for the Steelers. It means 16 teams will highlight them on their schedules.
Isn't Elijah's experience a microcosm of a Pastor's Monday morning blues? We run toward Sunday. God's anointing comes and our adrenaline pumps. Then we wake up Monday morning to realize that we still have enemies. The work isn't done. If anything, it has just begun.
The misconception is that big days finish the work. If anything, big days increase the work. It's okay to celebrate the fact that your attendance sky-rocketed on Easter Sunday. Just don't forget these two equations.
More People = More Needs
More Needs = More Work
I think that in church leadership we need to plan big days. We need to cast vision and point our people toward big days. But we also need to pace ourselves. We need to plan for recovery. And we need to expect increased spiritual warfare in response to spiritual victories. I want my legacy to be more than "He led a few successful events." I want it to be "He lived a lifetime of effective ministry."
Comments