Three shortcuts to give yourself time for ministry.

Save Ministry Time: Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle

(Three Shortcuts To Give Yourself More Time For Ministry)

By: Danny Von Kanel

Time is a valuable commodity for music ministers. Spending it wastefully on important, but not urgent administration details, robs us of "impact time" in the lives of those we minister. Rather than grumbling about missed opportunities, worn out bodies, and impatient congregants, we would do well to use our time more wisely as we: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Reduce ... Correspondence

Nothing can steal our time more quickly than dealing with paperwork. One look at the amount of mail we get should forever seal in our minds it is way too much. Church correspondence, as important as it is, can become overwhelming when we attempt to handle it solo. Telephone calls can eat up an hour quickly. Each can be reduced when we stem the flow or delegate its handling.

* Reducing In-coming Mail

The first step in reducing our mail flow is to remove our name from mailing list. A quick, brief note from our secretary or, if we don’t have one, ourselves, to all companies who send us "junk mail" should stem our mail flow. Second, make a commitment to handle each piece one time. Respond, order, call, or whatever, just once and be through.

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* Cutting Back Outgoing Correspondence

Letters to groups is the secretary’s domain. Write the letter. Have the secretary stuff, stamp, and mail. To personalize, the computer works wonders. Instruct the secretary to establish a data base and print merge.

Personal letters must be done by us but bare essentials are all that are necessary. If a telephone call can handle the matter quicker, call. If a letter, use the same correspondence to hand write a quick response at the bottom. Better yet, if we, and the one who wrote, have a personal computer and surf the Internet, send an e-mail. It’s the fastest way to go.

* Curtailing Our Telephone Calls

The old proverbial "phone ringing off the hook" is certainly true in church offices. Our people mean well. All calls from church members are important, yet some more so than others. A secretary who is ministry minded can run interference for church staff and screen calls. Without a secretary, it is best to announce office hours -- telling the congregation when to most likely reach us. Personal returned calls can best be handled at the same time. Morning hours, around 9:00 A.M., work for me.

Reuse ... Resources

Sometimes in our efforts to remain fresh, new, and on the cutting edge, we shun the prospect of reusing resources. However, moments come when we are pressed for time. If we have been in the ministry for any duration, we all have material that was saved for "such a time as this". For me, as Minister Of Music, my resources for reuse come in the form of: devotionals, music selections, and lesson plans.

* Re-employ Devotionals

Occasionally, as music ministers, we will be asked to bring a devotional. Whether in a rehearsal, retreat, or some other church setting, the public speaker hat we sometimes must wear. If so, pick a devotional thought that went over well the first time. Chances are it will again.

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These "sugar sticks" are as much a "God send" now as the first time. Using them again, provided our choir or congregation hasn’t recently heard it, is a sure way to save the preparation time needed to devise one from scratch.

Recently, I was asked to sing and speak at our monthly, senior adult V.I.P. meeting. Time was short -- having attended a needed surgery prior to the meeting. Musically I was ready. The devotional, I was not. Running to my trusted devotional file, I pulled out a sure winner -- a brief look at the book of Jude. Brushing up on its contents, I entered the gathering with the confidence of a well studied orator. Jude didn’t fail me. It proved a hit once again. Had I put off going to the surgery and prepared a "new" devotional, ministry would have been missed. My place at that point in time was at the surgery. A reused devotional met my less urgent need.

* Reutilize Music Selections

Very few of us have a choir capable of doing a new anthem every week. Most use octavos over again, especially those that speak to our congregation. Taking it a step further, we can save preparation time and still modify this sameness approach. We do so by alternating singing with piano, organ, and keyboard, and then with accompaniment tape.

Other service music can be done the same, but at different places. I have used Evie Tornquist arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me/Oh How He Loves You And Me" as a call to worship with the congregation or, later in the service, as a medley. The solo arrangement of "The Lord’s Prayer" works well this way also. Such reutilization saves valuable minutes and hours in preparation -- freeing us for weightier ministry matters.

* Replay Lesson Plans

If we don’t use lesson plans, shame on us. Lesson plans maximize the use of rehearsal time. Planning a teaching outline on each anthem we rehearse, filing it for easy access, and retrieving the profile when needed, sets in place a way to retrieve time. The initial outlay is great but payback comes through reuse -- through repetition. As we replay these lesson plans, we save

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time in rehearsal readiness. The choir benefits through skill repetition. The congregation gains through familiar text and a polished presentation. Saved ministry time is the end result.

Recycle ... Ministry Avenues

God provides us many ways to minister to people. Recycling ministry avenues can rekindle a lost flame for service. In addition, it becomes a "put back" of precious minutes in preparation. I have found this happens when I use recycled orders of worship, solos, and newsletter articles.

* Save Orders Of Worship

Several years ago I filled in for a part-time music minister. On arriving, I found this full-time politician had planned six months of services. Once completed, he started over -- without changing the hymns or the order. Being full-time, I wouldn’t recommend this but he did drive home a point. "If you don’t have the time, saving and recycling orders of worship, works." His secretary had the six months of orders and preceded through the list when typing the bulletin.

Not to be overdone, saving orders of worship can fill the immediatecy of the moment when pressure demands a quick response. Dropping off a used order instead of spending three hours planning a new one, is better stewardship in some cases. We don’t diminish the importance of careful worship planning, instead, we anticipate times when such planning is impossible. It becomes a case of people versus program. With me, people will always win out.

* Retrieve Solos

Solos can be repeated. Never should we repeat singing a song within a year unless we change it in some way: accompaniment, tape, etc.. Retrieval can take place sooner if our audience changes. If we are singing at a local men’s club, then a recently done Sunday solo is permissible. Another possibility is to retrieve the people doing solos.

I let my present church know early my strengths were not in solo singing. I use a lot of other soloist and the people love it. Solo readiness takes time. This time saved I use ministering. Using others maximizes their gifts.

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* Salvage Newsletter Articles

Most staff are responsible for their newsletter article or for a certain amount of space contained therein. Those of us who love to write, what a unique opportunity! Occasionally though, we too must forfeit this writing pleasure because of ministry demands and pull a salvaged article from our files and run it again. If we held back the item, it had to be good. Using the piece anew touches hearts once more and saves the preparation time.

Maintaining a certain balance in our use of time frees us to give our best when ministry demands the most. When we reduce, reuse, and recycle important administration details and ministry avenues, our un-spent time is available for urgent music and ministry needs as they arise. Being where we are needed most must take priority. Reducing, reusing, and recycling resources allows that to happen.

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