(Photo added by DeJuan)

Yesterday afternoon, I was discussing with a few guys on Twitter how and where we spend our time working. When I came to Grace nearly three years ago, there was no “office” space for me at the church building, which meant that I was to do the majority of my work either at home or somewhere in the community.  For me, this was a huge win because I’ve always struggled with the idea that a pastor’s ministry is to be confined to an enclosed office space.  That’s not to say it is entirely wrong; it’s just not who I am and how I try to function.

Over the past three years, I have gone back and forth try to determine where is the best place to work for accomplishing certain tasks. With two young boys (3 and 1), my home office is not the ideal place to work, so I have ended up as a patron at various coffee shops and eventually landed at a local Panera Bread where I spend most of my “office” time.

I’ve ministered in churches which have a rather strict policy for where and when a pastor works (“office hours”).  Needless to say, the confinement approach was less than appealing and effective, and fortunately for me I have the privilege of working on a pastoral team with a high level of flexibility and trust.  In any case, I thought I’d post what my typical work week looks like, including the places, times, and purposes of each.

 First, here’s the breakdown of  times and places of my work:

Panera Bread (or various coffee shops) – 25 hours
Home Office –  20 hours
Church Office – 10 hours
Public Library – 5 hours

Second, here’s the purposes of each workplace:

Panera Bread - administration, discipleship, counseling, coaching, communication, planning
Home Office – reading, writing, studying
Church Office – staff meeting, elders meeting, membership interviews, counseling, service planning
Public Library - sermon prep and teaching prep

Thirdly, the daily breakdown usually unfolds like this:

Panera Bread – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8-5
Home Office – Nightly 9-12
Church Office – Tuesday 9-5; Wednesday night 6-9
Public Library – Saturday morning 8-1PM

You may be wondering why I choose to work the majority of my time at Panera.  Here’s a few reasons:

1.  I want to live as a missionary. As I work, I want to be mindful that people around me are lost and need the gospel. I structure my work at Panera to encourage interruptions for everyday conversations and hear the stories of the employees.  I learn my community by hearing their questions and find myself able to stay somewhat connected to the 94% of my neighbors who are unchurched and unbelieving.  If I am exhorting our members to live evangelistically or missionally, then I should seek to live exemplary in that manner as well.

2.  I want to be considered a pastor of third places. I have come to know the stories of most of the employees at Panera.  J.J. is a young man who two months ago lost his brother in a tragic accident.  As far as I know, there was no other Christian to minister to him.  I was able to encourage him and pray for him during this time, which has in turn created an openness in him to the gospel.  Audrey is a lady whose husband is like me–Assyrian and Iranian, both of whom are believers.  Kyle is a mystic and seeker, being brought up with a New Age spirituality and almost weekly wants to engage in gospel conversations.  Then there are the other regular patrons, many of whom like me are looking to connect with folks in the community for various reasons.  I want to be on the frontline of pastoral ministry for the unchurched, and that means these people knowing that I care for them, living among them, and desire to minister to them (and not just be a drive-by Christian).

Read the rest HERE

 

I love it when people share aspects of their lives that are generally overlooked with regard to their potential helpfulness. This is one such post by Timmy Brister. In it, he details what a typical work week looks for him, and the reasons why. I find this both helpful and encouraging, because in it I see the type of thoughtful deliberateness that I pray God will grace me with. Believe me, I know that no plan for productivity/effectiveness is fool proof, but thinking through whats and whys is something we're all capable of to a degree. I suffer from "Spontaneousism," a condition that disallows me from properly planning and executing efficiently. (I jest partly, but mostly it's very true of me). Anyway, I'm really helped, primarily in thought process but also in practical living out my days by this. I hope you will be too.