"I'm Losing My Focus" - Christianity Today

As we slipped into the booth for lunch, the young pastor of a growing ministry dumped his frustration. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel buried by all the stuff of ministry. I went into ministry to teach the Word—that's my passion—but I'm not getting to my sermon prep until Friday at best, sometimes Saturday. I never seem to have time to plan ahead, meet with my key leaders, or envision our next steps."

God was blessing this man's efforts, but he was frustrated, not fulfilled. His Sundays were exciting, but Monday through Friday he juggled appointments, counseling sessions, phone calls, and administration. His inboxes overflowed with e-mail and voice mail. His week flew by before he knew what had happened. He was experiencing the downside of success. Success can kill you.

Dividing your time among the four R's

Every leader must learn the art of juggling, and it begins by choosing carefully what you juggle—and when. The best jugglers may toss handkerchiefs, batons, or torches, but they never juggle everything people throw their way. Likewise, healthy leaders learn to juggle selectively.

I group all my activities into four major categories. By setting aside time for each one, I can better keep my work balanced with my family and my spiritual life. Fewer things get dropped. I call the categories my "Four R's":

Rest time—focusing on my spiritual and marital health.
Results time—focusing on the main things God has for me personally in advancing his mission.
Response time—focusing on "stuff," administration and follow up with others who need my input.
Refocus time—focusing on evaluating what my priorities should be.

When a juggler gets in the rhythm, he stays there for a while, concentrating on his routine until it flows naturally. He would never think of taking a phone call or checking his e-mail while flipping knives over his head. Likewise, I focus on one objective at a time and allow enough time to do it well.

I plan my week in large chunks of time, full or half-day units, each devoted to one of the four R's. When I try to fit more than one of these needs into one block of time, I experience frustration and defeat. My stress goes up and my productivity goes down.

When I rest, I really, truly rest. When I'm in results mode, I don't let distractions intrude on the time I've dedicated to my primary mission. When it's response time, I give myself away as a humble servant. And when I go away to refocus, I allow myself time to listen to God, reflect, and rethink how to approach the future.

The final "R" is the most overlooked

People sometimes encourage you to rest, they certainly demand results, and they regularly cry out for response, but they seldom think of a leader's need to refocus. In fact, we rarely think of it ourselves.

Refocusing is working on the ministry, not just in the ministry—time to assess, adjust, and innovate for the future. Even if the organization appears stable, the world all around is in flux. When our priorities shift, our understanding of our unique abilities is refined, or we experience a tough month, it is time to refocus our plans for rest, results, and response.

Refocus time is usually not a complete change of direction. It is the opportunity to make the fine adjustments needed to keep life in balance. It is time to ask, "Am I getting the rest and results time I need for personal health and the advance of the mission?" and, "If not, what changes should I make?"

When I break away from my routine, ask God these questions, and reflect on my ministry, I always get fresh insight for maintaining the elusive equilibrium of servant-leadership.

But to provide adequate time and prayer for both the small and sweeping changes God wants to make, I've found it necessary to refocus on different segments of my life at different times.

Just as a camera uses different lenses for different distances, I use three types of refocus time to gain new perspective on my life and ministry.

Refocus weekly. Refocus time should happen routinely, at the beginning or end of every week. Even one to two hours per week of refocus time will vastly improve the future. We need honest assessment, by asking, "So, how is it going, really?" In refocus time, each of the other "R's" needs review.
Refocus monthly. I told our staff they can take a half-day every month, get away from the office, and go to the beach or park with a lawn chair, a yellow tablet, and their ministry plan. I said, "Reflect, dream, listen to God, and refocus. Come back with some fresh goals and adjustments to your priorities." It really works!
Refocus annually. Some pastors schedule an annual retreat for sermon planning or perhaps spiritual refreshment. I recommend dividing the retreat into three parts, or perhaps three retreats. They can be cheap, they can be short, but to stay healthy, I recommend all three: Retreat once to work on the main things. Retreat once for personal growth and enrichment. Retreat once to refresh your relationship with your spouse.

No matter the size of our ministry, church, or staff, people will throw more stuff our way than we can imagine. Some can be ignored and some delegated, but much of it will need to be juggled. Before you're buried by dropped balls, get into the rhythm of rest, results, response, and refocus.

H. Dale Burke is pastor of First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, California, and author of Less is More Leadership (Harvest House, 2004). His article, "How to Overcome Overload" appeared in Leadership.

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