Adjusting to a Busy Ministry Schedule

I enjoy blogging, but finding the time to do it and do it well is another story.
In July I began a new ministry as an Intentional Interim Senior Pastor. This full-time ministry is an addition to the coaching, consulting and training that I am also beginning to do in my role as Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest. This is a bi-vocational ministry where my “day job” is also ministry but in my current case a full-time-plus day job.

Now, I’m only doing this double duty because the Interim Pastorate is short-term, meaning six-months to a year depending on the need and how quickly the church will be able to call a new senior pastor. This church ministry is a God-send and an answer to prayer for our “daily bread.” But it is still a very demanding schedule, especially at our age and energy level.

For example, it’s my day off and I just finished writing the pastor’s blog for the church web site, posted it, and then turned my attention to writing this blog. Following this I will be editing my Coach and Equip web site and cleaning my desk. I can do this because it’s a quiet day with Marty at work handing out samples at Costco, and it’s raining outside. At least I got a nap in today and was able to sample Apple Strudel handed out at Costco in Bellingham by Marty. I’m also able to do this because I finished my sermon preparation and sermon Power Point for tomorrow in Tacoma.

So, to my coaching, consulting, and training, add the following “normal” church stuff: sermon preparation and preaching, counseling, training leadership, recruiting leadership, coaching leadership, hospital and home visitation, blogging, entering stuff on Facebook and Twitter, phone calls, reading, researching the church neighborhood, preparing for and leading the weekly Bible Study and Prayer meeting, attending church activities in the neighborhood, leading staff meetings and coaching the staff, planning, preparing for an all-day leaders retreat, and did I say praying? Now, what am I forgetting?

All this is to say I need prayer, and from time-to-time a bit of encouragement.
Oh yes – I will soon be having surgery for my back so my schedule will need to be adjusted some for a few weeks. More to come on that soon.