With a new year starting, a familiar theme in most people’s lives is trying to get their lives in balance. In ministry this is a HUGE topic. How do you balance ministry and family? How do you balance your time? Your resources? Work for someone in the church doesn’t end when you go home at 5:00. Most people in ministry work way more than 40 hour work weeks (even if on paper it’s 40!). So how does one achieve balance with what God has called them to do — and specifically, how does one balance their family if they are a woman in ministry?
One thing for me is that my work situation is unique. The church I work for is incredibly generous in giving me time for our family. I am technically employed “part-time” as being 30 hours a week, not full time at 40. But we all know, the time is done when the work is done. From the beginning our church has understood that my first importance is my relationship with Christ, then our family. After that is work. Ministry gets done, limits are set, and we’re in balance most of the time. Of course there are those crazy camp weeks or right before a large event when you’re working overtime and sleeping and breathing church, but they are the abnormality.
So, how do I achieve balance as a mom in ministry? One thing is that I know my limits. I try to simplify the ministry we do, place importance on the things that yield the most return for what our church’s purpose is. Our church’s purpose is to “Discover God, Develop Relationships, and Demonstrate Love.” I try to weigh the things we do in the Children’s Ministry against whether or not it fits that purpose. Does our Sunday morning environment – large group/small groups fit into this? Yes. We use that as our main teaching time for children to Discover God and the small group portion is the time to Develop Relationships. These things should get priority of my time and resources. A children’s choir. Does that meet our purpose? Not currently, so therefore we don’t have one, it was eliminated recently. I’m not afraid to say no to doing events and activities. We want to do what we do well and not compromise the quality by being cluttered.
I think I also am able to balance things with ministry and our family because I am not afraid to delegate. It hasn’t always been this way. I am a Type A, like it done my way type of individual, but I realize now that with 2 young children that I need help. I can’t do everything on my own, I cheat others by not affording them the opportunity to use God given talents and gifts, and I’m not benefiting the ninistry overall. Things like scheduling, supply room organization, and snack purchases are handed off. When we do a large event I try to work with a team to pull it together. I have a great volunteer staff that has some workers that really go above and beyond.
The biggest thing that has helped is finding a schedule that fits the rhythm of our family and being committed to it. From the beginning of working I have been open with the church we’re at about what I can and cannot do. My office hours are set for times when I have child care for my kids. We did open a preschool program last year at our church that our children are involved in so that is wonderful. It brought more responsibility for my job position, but it was worth it for the child care aspect for our family. Some evenings I go up to church and do a bit of work when the kids are in bed at night or during naptimes on Saturdays. Gathering supplies and prep. work can be done at home. It doesn’t have to all be done in the office.
I hope these ministry thoughts can help someone who is in ministry struggling with little ones and trying to do what God has called them to do with excellence. It’s tough to balance everything and it isn’t always done well, but I think we’ve achieved a pretty good rhythm to our life. The biggest thing that overrides everything is to be open with your church leadership and your priorities. They are only little so long before they’re in school and the whole situation changes.
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That’s already over 1500 flyers going to homes via kids!
