During my first year in college ministry I was fortunate to work with someone who was concerned with MORE than just what I could bring to the ministry there... she was also concerned with my development as a young minster.
In particular, this savvy campus minister was interested in helping my learn how to establish healthy boundaries as young minister, the kind of boundaries that would set the stage for good health at home and at work... back then... and on into my future.
She said, "you need to remember two things to be healthy in this business:
you should never work more than two of the three time periods of the day
AND
if you wait to go home 'after all of the ministry is done' than you will never go home."
Both of these pieces of advice have been HUGE for me throughout my years in college ministry.
The first helped me to understand that with all of the evening activities that often accompany ministry with college students, that I needed to plan my days and weeks accordingly. If there were going to be events or programs that would require me being out in the evenings than I should stay out of the office, and/or off campus, during the morning or afternoon.
If you're not used to keeping this kind of schedule, it can be a hard pattern to adjust to, but I can tell you that it has served to keep me sane and fresh for the past 13 years of ministry with college students... and it also helped to further emphasize the second piece of advice.
The second comment about 'not waiting to go home' has often served to remind me that Jesus is the savior of these students... NOT ME.
Yes, I am called to love and serve these students... and to give of myself fully! But I am also called to be the best husband and father that I can be... and that requires my time. I believe I am meant to be an active and engaged member of a local church... and that too takes time. I believe God wants me to enjoy Him through some passions and hobbies that have absolutely nothing to do with investing in college students... more time. And I believe that God wants me to create space in my life to simply be... yep, still more time.
I am very thankful for my friend Alyson (Scott) Crews for sharing these timely pieces of advice with me... advice, that over the course of my years in ministry has cured into timeless wisdom.
So what timeless wisdom would you share with someone new to ministry?
