The Road to Foreign Ministry (When working a full time job) - Part 2
Aug/18/2009 15:03
Part 2
Last week, I began a post looking at the preparation process of getting to the mission field for those gifted for ministry but also working a full time job at the same time. There are several things that we full time workers can’t do and several things that we need to expect during the process or support raising and mission preparation. You can read part 1 here then continue with my continuing observations of the process below.
4) You’ll be better equipped to minister to people who work full time. During my first ministry in Ireland I vividly remember an early morning appointment my colleague and I had that woke me up to the realization that I had forgotten what it was like to get up and be somewhere early in the morning. Working from home had dulled my understanding of their lives and made me less sympathetic and understanding to the juggle of life. Now that I’ve been a member of the workforce going to work at 7 AM for the past 2 years I know and can sympathize with the fatigue that my congregants feel when trying to work, raise a family, and also serve in the church. It ain’t easy. During this season of preparation I have reminded myself over and over not to forget what it feels like to work all day, come home to prepare a sermon, prepare, lead, or attend a mid-week small group, or go to some congregational function. I’m hopeful that upon arrival in Portugal we’ll have a new perspective of what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a hectic life.
5) You’re going to feel out of the “ministry” loop because you’re working. This perhaps has been the biggest struggle for me during this season of preparation. In the ministry world there is a lot of activities taking place all over the United States and the world that as full time employees we simply cannot attend. Missionaries get to attend conferences, meetings, and are blessed to be with other ministers and missionaries. Working full time does not afford us the opportunity so in some ways we are out of the loop. While you might feel “out of it” fret not, missing some conferences isn’t altogether bad. You can still stay with the happenings around the ministry world by staying involved and engaged in your local congregation, reading and contributing to ministry blogs and news sites, and listening to podcasts. Most large conferences gift the main sessions to the church body though podcasts or .mp3 downloads. Get an .mp3 player or an iPod and stock up!
6) You’ll feel impatient and wonder if you’re doing enough. Do you remember waiting for something when you were a little kid? Christmas seemed light years away and summer camp might as well have been cancelled it took so long to arrive. It’s the feeling of ordering something really exciting but having to wait for what seems like forever. When planning for ministry (especially ministry overseas) you will be tempted to think that you’re doing enough to get there when you’re working full time. Those of us who work 8-10 hours a day at our normal daily jobs are forced to take things slower by nature of our schedules. We just don’t have the time to rush things along. That doesn’t mean we have the luxury of intentionally slowing things down but you shouldn’t make things hard on yourself. For instance, I have been working on our website, blog, schedules, ministry material, calling supporters, meeting supporters, writing emails, building our presentation, all on top of living. Working on our main website, building our presentation, and calling supporters isn’t something that I can pull out and work on during the day so I’m left working on it for an hour or two in the evenings. Doing things this way takes t...i...m...e... and that’s just the nature of the beast. Keep plodding along, eventually you’ll get there.
Last week, I began a post looking at the preparation process of getting to the mission field for those gifted for ministry but also working a full time job at the same time. There are several things that we full time workers can’t do and several things that we need to expect during the process or support raising and mission preparation. You can read part 1 here then continue with my continuing observations of the process below.
4) You’ll be better equipped to minister to people who work full time. During my first ministry in Ireland I vividly remember an early morning appointment my colleague and I had that woke me up to the realization that I had forgotten what it was like to get up and be somewhere early in the morning. Working from home had dulled my understanding of their lives and made me less sympathetic and understanding to the juggle of life. Now that I’ve been a member of the workforce going to work at 7 AM for the past 2 years I know and can sympathize with the fatigue that my congregants feel when trying to work, raise a family, and also serve in the church. It ain’t easy. During this season of preparation I have reminded myself over and over not to forget what it feels like to work all day, come home to prepare a sermon, prepare, lead, or attend a mid-week small group, or go to some congregational function. I’m hopeful that upon arrival in Portugal we’ll have a new perspective of what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a hectic life.
5) You’re going to feel out of the “ministry” loop because you’re working. This perhaps has been the biggest struggle for me during this season of preparation. In the ministry world there is a lot of activities taking place all over the United States and the world that as full time employees we simply cannot attend. Missionaries get to attend conferences, meetings, and are blessed to be with other ministers and missionaries. Working full time does not afford us the opportunity so in some ways we are out of the loop. While you might feel “out of it” fret not, missing some conferences isn’t altogether bad. You can still stay with the happenings around the ministry world by staying involved and engaged in your local congregation, reading and contributing to ministry blogs and news sites, and listening to podcasts. Most large conferences gift the main sessions to the church body though podcasts or .mp3 downloads. Get an .mp3 player or an iPod and stock up!
6) You’ll feel impatient and wonder if you’re doing enough. Do you remember waiting for something when you were a little kid? Christmas seemed light years away and summer camp might as well have been cancelled it took so long to arrive. It’s the feeling of ordering something really exciting but having to wait for what seems like forever. When planning for ministry (especially ministry overseas) you will be tempted to think that you’re doing enough to get there when you’re working full time. Those of us who work 8-10 hours a day at our normal daily jobs are forced to take things slower by nature of our schedules. We just don’t have the time to rush things along. That doesn’t mean we have the luxury of intentionally slowing things down but you shouldn’t make things hard on yourself. For instance, I have been working on our website, blog, schedules, ministry material, calling supporters, meeting supporters, writing emails, building our presentation, all on top of living. Working on our main website, building our presentation, and calling supporters isn’t something that I can pull out and work on during the day so I’m left working on it for an hour or two in the evenings. Doing things this way takes t...i...m...e... and that’s just the nature of the beast. Keep plodding along, eventually you’ll get there.
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