One More Thing...

In about a week Apple will debut its next iPhone. They will stand up and greet their investors and customers to let them know how the company has been doing and what direction their investments in time and money will take. I admit that while I enjoy watching the keynote events, (I’m a bit of a tech geek), I miss when the late Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs would end his presentation by pausing and then proclaiming there was “one more thing”. Inevitably the crowd would go wild as they realized that he had saved the best for last.

Unfortunately, the words “one more thing” have a different connotation in the context of parish life. Instead of sparking joy the feeling of there being one more thing can feel exhausting. I’ve had days when it seems like everyone wants to call, text, email, and come into the office all at the same time. Hearing or seeing that there is one more thing can make my heart sink and my shoulders slump. 

An important lesson I learned from one of my seminary professors who spent time in parish ministry was to remember that there will always be more work to do. There will always be one more phone call we can make, one more piece of correspondence we can answer, one more person we can visit. In essence, our work will never be done. But there must come a point when we call it a day, when we put down our work. If we never put down our work then we set ourselves up for exhaustion and eventual burnout. 

There are some exceptions. Most priests will tell you that Holy Week is the time when the Church puts as much energy as possible into its liturgies, its teaching, and its hospitality. The celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection in the Feast of Easter is one of the most important evangelistic moments of the year as people who may not normally come to Church will make the effort for that day. Some are dragged by their family or a sense of obligation. But others are curious and want to reconnect or discover their faith. We must do all that we can to meet them where they are, and then sleep the whole week after!

But from week to week during the regular season of ministry we must be mindful to know our limits. Here are some practical tips from lessons I’ve learned the hard way. You may have other suggestions. Please share them in the comments. 

1. Try to keep a calendar and a schedule. It is up to us to take charge of our day as much as possible. Set an agenda for yourself of what you want to accomplish this week and this day. Things will arise to interrupt us but at least you can have a sense of focus and direction to which you can return. This also helps me to set important appointments related to initiatives that I want to bring to the parish as well as keeping on track with things like vestry meetings and committees. Often, our parish looks to us to set the agenda for ministry and growth. 

   
   

2. Set times for breaks throughout the day. A lot of our work involves heavy thinking. We might be imagining a new vision for our faith community, writing a sermon, preparing a class, carefully writing an email, or listening intently in a pastoral appointment. It is important that our minds and bodies take a break. Get up and walk around the campus or change your physical posture in some small way. Just stretching and drinking some water can be a great help. 

   
   

3. Decide what it means to be at rest. Many of my colleagues lament that they receive phone calls, emails, and text messages late into the night. I struggle with this because I don’t want to miss an emergency pastoral call. When I know that someone is in the hospital I have trouble sleeping and even keep my phone next to the bed in case I get a call in the middle of the night. My wife has helped me to remember that there is a difference between being vigilant and being “on”. Decide for yourself what it means to be at rest so that you can turn off a bit and be a human being, not just a priest. After all, you will have to be back at work in a few hours! This is even more important during vacations. 

   
   

4. Work as a team. If at all possible, try to find other clergy with whom to work. One of my classmates has an excellent relationship with another priest in our denomination in the same town. When one of them is on vacation they cover the other’s hospital calls. This requires trust and the ability to let go. It also requires building those relationships with our colleagues that can be so hard in an environment where we feel that we are competitors. 

   
   

5. Finally, build friendships outside of the Church. I admit that I struggle with this because so many of my relationships are through the Church. But it can be refreshing to be able to have lunch or share an activity where you aren’t worried about evangelizing to someone, someone who sees you as a fellow human being first and then a priest. I’ve been blessed to build some of those friendships through meeting parents at my boys’ school. Cheering together for a few hours at the Friday night football game can really help to let off steam. 

There will always be one more thing. The good news is that we have the opportunity to envision that one more thing as an opportunity, an opportunity to serve, to delegate, and to live into our vocation. The nature of our work is that it keeps coming, like a never ending tide. The key is to learn how to ride it so that we embrace those moments with joy and not dread. Never forget that God called a person, not a robot, and that the human being that God called needs rest and restoration.