Misplaced Priorities?
If you have been reading Joe Noland's blog (look to the right of this post) you will know that he has been discussing the issue of the Army losing its first love and the misplaced passion for souls. While agreeing with my former boss to a degree I thought much of what he was saying was "part of the job." Administration and the such was part and parcel of being an officer.
In my current position, I am an administrator. OK, now many of you can wipe the silly grins off of your faces and quit shaking you heads. You probably would never have thought that I would have admitted that I am administrating. Many of you who are working with me are probably thinking, "He's not an administrator." Lest you think that I have lost my questioning mind or passion for mission; think again. Part of the reason I try to be on the road and take engagements out of the office as I do is to share in mission.
It just so happens that I spend most of my office time in the "process" of ministry. I see it as a ministry to others in a way. My hope is that in the process, I have not become overbearing in requesting information and the necessary reports that I must collate for our various funding streams and other agencies with whom we work.
My hope is that I am lightening the burden of my brothers and sisters, in order that they may minister more effectively.
Over the last few weeks, I have been disheartened to hear how many of my colleagues are overwhelmed by the business of ministry. Many are struggling to keep their heads above the tide of emails, reports, budgets and papers. These are good people, who are competent and have good work ethics. Often I have heard them say to me, "This is not what I was called to do." I don't have much to say. The job of a corps officer in the West is difficult, especially when it comes to administrating shelters, soup kitchens, day care centers and other social programs which I see as part of our ministry. These are ministries in my opinion that should attach themselves to corps. They are rich opportunities for reaching people with the Gospel.
Unfortunately, even with the opportunity, I see the administration eating up some of my colleagues. So much is expected of them that I am not sure that they can get it all done. Yet, many of my DHQ/THQ colleagues, who work long hours too, have one focus (which is important) and often don't see the rest of the picture and pressures our CO friends face.
It is difficult in our dual roles of pastor/administrator to strike a correct balance. If I lean to one side, I want to be a person of mission. I am not sure that is incompatible with the need to be a good administrator. I am wondering with all of the great outreach and ministries we have, if we have asked our officers to take on misplaced priorities? We should require a great deal of our called people, but do we require too much? I also wonder about the role of our soldiery in our social programs and other ministries. Many are content to let the professional Christians do it and slow to be involved. I wonder if that is because we have become a movement that has not encouraged their participation enough, because of the need for us to professionalize our social services to maintain funding. Or have we reached people who are too limited to join in these types of ministries?
Is it a matter of misplaced priorities? Or is it more comfortable for us to administrate and not really be involved with the lives of people? Is it a crutch to say that, "I was not called to be an administrator?" Do my colleagues have a point?
I am struggling with this today, because I have so many friends who struggle at this moment with this part of their ministry.
I would like to hear from you all on this matter. I hope that laity and officers will weigh in. I think we may be nearing a crossroads in the Army on this matter.
What do you think?
In my current position, I am an administrator. OK, now many of you can wipe the silly grins off of your faces and quit shaking you heads. You probably would never have thought that I would have admitted that I am administrating. Many of you who are working with me are probably thinking, "He's not an administrator." Lest you think that I have lost my questioning mind or passion for mission; think again. Part of the reason I try to be on the road and take engagements out of the office as I do is to share in mission.
It just so happens that I spend most of my office time in the "process" of ministry. I see it as a ministry to others in a way. My hope is that in the process, I have not become overbearing in requesting information and the necessary reports that I must collate for our various funding streams and other agencies with whom we work.
My hope is that I am lightening the burden of my brothers and sisters, in order that they may minister more effectively.
Over the last few weeks, I have been disheartened to hear how many of my colleagues are overwhelmed by the business of ministry. Many are struggling to keep their heads above the tide of emails, reports, budgets and papers. These are good people, who are competent and have good work ethics. Often I have heard them say to me, "This is not what I was called to do." I don't have much to say. The job of a corps officer in the West is difficult, especially when it comes to administrating shelters, soup kitchens, day care centers and other social programs which I see as part of our ministry. These are ministries in my opinion that should attach themselves to corps. They are rich opportunities for reaching people with the Gospel.
Unfortunately, even with the opportunity, I see the administration eating up some of my colleagues. So much is expected of them that I am not sure that they can get it all done. Yet, many of my DHQ/THQ colleagues, who work long hours too, have one focus (which is important) and often don't see the rest of the picture and pressures our CO friends face.
It is difficult in our dual roles of pastor/administrator to strike a correct balance. If I lean to one side, I want to be a person of mission. I am not sure that is incompatible with the need to be a good administrator. I am wondering with all of the great outreach and ministries we have, if we have asked our officers to take on misplaced priorities? We should require a great deal of our called people, but do we require too much? I also wonder about the role of our soldiery in our social programs and other ministries. Many are content to let the professional Christians do it and slow to be involved. I wonder if that is because we have become a movement that has not encouraged their participation enough, because of the need for us to professionalize our social services to maintain funding. Or have we reached people who are too limited to join in these types of ministries?
Is it a matter of misplaced priorities? Or is it more comfortable for us to administrate and not really be involved with the lives of people? Is it a crutch to say that, "I was not called to be an administrator?" Do my colleagues have a point?
I am struggling with this today, because I have so many friends who struggle at this moment with this part of their ministry.
I would like to hear from you all on this matter. I hope that laity and officers will weigh in. I think we may be nearing a crossroads in the Army on this matter.
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 2:42 PM
10 Comments:
I read his blog, and argue with the screen, leave my seat to return to re-read later. I send comments sometimes (though as you know they are not published. But I read his posts and am challenged by his statements.
Head above the tide, sometimes.
But its not the stats or reports or emails. (Email sure does make communication seem so much more efficient, to be able to have a hard cpy with signature at a moment's notice...but I will say that though expedient, it is not the most effective manner of communication. The typed word does not carry the inflection of a person's voice, carry the full timbre of a person's words.)
Head, going under, without doubt.
It is true that we wear so many hats in the Army and temptation to get caught up in "busy" work is a constant struggle. I feel I struggled more with this in the beginning of my officership. I was often tossed about by what others expected of me. I kept waiting for someone to tell me what my priorities should be. Now I believe that if we each individually prioritized keeping the heart of the mission the heart of the mission that it would indeed affect the community as a whole. I believe it is my responsibility to prioritize and I have found more often than not that my leaders have supported this whole heartedly.
Administration is a gift of the Spirit according to 1 Corinthians 12:28.(NIV) It guides and leads people, moves the mission forward and keeps us accountable. I do not have this gift but I know that there are often many things that I do, not because I have the gift for them but because they need to be done. However, if you have ever met a person with this gift....to me it is astounding! They, by the Spirit seem to be able to categorize, remove redundancy for the body and keep people moving forward by their gifted planning skills and delegation. Often these people go unappreciated because the gift is not as public as preaching, teaching or evangelism.
Writing the word evangelism reminds me that I do not have this gift either but as a believer, a spirit filled person, I must still look for ways to evangelize. I think the gift of administration is the same. I must do it for the sake of the mission.
In saying all this it always helps when leadership understands the daily pressures of corps officers and when appropriate “cut us some slack” so to speak when we are overwhelmed. Sometimes I am overwhelmed because of my own poor planning or laziness. This is different from the other times when I am overwhelmed because of the interruptions of life and crisis ministry in the lives of those God has given me to serve.
This is not an easy subject because of the many individualized situations.
Yes, Larry, you would expect that I read his blog. And I visited them last week in Palm Springs. We did talk about a few of these issues, too. He still has much to give -- ideas, ideas and more ideas -- it's hard to rest when God's Spirit burns within you and spews idea after idea. Nice to hear from you. Haven't blogged in while, but not and again I'm in the "sphere!"
This comment has been removed by the author.
Steve,
I am not sure why you have let it fly on Joe Noland. This post is essentially about the way sometimes administrative duties crowd out ministry. To that degree I see where Joe is coming from.
I believe that the structure of the Army does crowd out soldiers from social services, but I also believe that many of our soldiers, see themselves as soley church members and don't really see the marriage of mission and ministry.
Larry,
Allow me to rephrase blog lest my passion be mis-understood as disrepect for a leader of whom i have great respect.
I'll post back a little latter
Nothing highlights our misplaced priorities than the battle in which we've engaged against Greenpeace for their portion of a bequest...sad times...
rob,
i know that is going on in your neck of the woods. how is it affecting the morale of the troops?
We've been taking hits - from the inside. Essentially, we're told that we're not to talk about it.
I can tell you that this so-called dichotomy between administration and ministry (which for our purposes I will call direct service "exists" in every organization. Service to people is a necessary liberator to "service to paper." One of the ways in which I have kept from being bogged down in paper is that I remember those files represent people, and those numbers represent the people that can be helped through the ministry, even if I am not directly serving them.
Now as for soldiers doing the work of social service ministry...that's a whole other story. There are a few free-standing rescue missions near my home, and I am going to see what the Lord will open for me to do there. If every third soldier in the Corps followed through in a similar fashion....how good would that be? Miss you all, be blessed!
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