won ’ t be working so hard to keep this stuff straight . You ’ ll have better focus to get it all done .
2 . OVER-COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEAM During more complex and important ministry events , we tend to think everyone gets the magnitude of the event and will step up their game . As in , “ Hey , everyone knows Easter is our big Sunday ; they ’ re going to prepare more , show up on time , prioritize ….” Wrong .
People outside of the bubble of church staff ( and uber-volunteers ) are thinking more about chocolate bunnies and their kids ’ spring break and finally getting outside to enjoy the weather .
So , if you have extra or higher expectations for your volunteers during this season , make sure you over-communicate those to them .
And tell them why : “ We are going to have a bunch of lost people walk through our doors in a few weeks .”
3 . REMEMBER YOUR SPOUSE AND KIDS Don ’ t sacrifice them on the altar of the Easter service . Is Easter important ? Sure , but not that important .
The last thing you want is your family resenting the church ( or even God ) at Christmas and Easter because you ’ re never around ( or you ’ re too stressed out to be “ present ” when you are there ).
4 . BREATHE , PRAY , BREATHE . REPEAT . Remember that list of to-dos you put together ? Take time to pray over that . I read recently that when we fail to pray , we fail to treat God as God . He ’ s bigger than that list and wants to help you tackle it ( or even pare it down , if you let him ).
And take some moments to stop and breathe deeply . Big belly breaths . Expand your diaphragm and fill your lungs . Then exhale it all .
Sometimes a little intentional breathing does wonders for our stress levels .
5 . EXERCISE Unless you ’ ve developed the habit to stay on a regular workout schedule , this is something that probably goes out the window during busy seasons .
In fact , for some people , it went out the window years ago and is somewhere buried in the backyard , along with their good eating habits . ( which - no judgment from me … I ’ m speaking from experience .)
But just like the intentional breathing , some exercise can help reduce stress levels and give you more energy .
NOTE : Now ’ s not the time to start a new 90-minute-a-day , insanity-type program . You ’ ll want to be able to physically hold a microphone without wincing .
6 . GOD ’ S BIGGER THAN ONE SUNDAY It ’ s easy to think that it ALL rides on this one Sunday . Is there a chance nominal Christians will be convicted by the Holy Spirit to come back to the Lord during these services ? Yes . Is there a chance lost people will be saved ? Without a doubt .
But God is bigger than one Sunday . He ’ s working on those people in other ways . Your service just might be one small twitch of the needle moving in their hearts .
So put your service in perspective of eternity and God ’ s sovereignty . In other words , relax a little . He ’ s got this .
7 . PLAY AND REST Whatever it is you enjoy doing — hitting golf balls at the driving range , hiking , painting , writing songs , shopping ( God help you …), tinkering with old cars , restoring furniture , shooting hoops , playing Monopoly with your kids , whatever — do some of that .
You may not have as much time during this season as you do other times . But you need some restorative activity .
And speaking of restorative activity , you also need rest .
It ’ s easy to burn the candle at both ends during seasons like this . But your body doesn ’ t care that it ’ s Easter . It still needs 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep .
So don ’ t neglect that .
The bottom line is this : You have another 39 Sundays left this year after Easter . Don ’ t burn yourself out .
Besides , the time after Easter is really what I like to call GO TIME .
There are at least six months before the craziness of Christmas starts pressing on you , so it ’ s prime time to work on developing your ministry .
These months of “ regular ” worship services will allow you the margin to work on growing YOU and growing your team . The demands of each Sunday are still there , but not as intense .
So after the craziness of Easter settles down , make sure to search for some resources to train your team and grow your leadership . We can help with that too . Click here for a free training kit on how to get your team to Practice BEFORE Rehearsal .
Matt Miller Matt lives in Cincinnati , OH with his wife Kara and their daughter Melody . He ’ s the Head Coach of WorshipTeamCoach . com and WorshipWorkshop . com , two sites that help worship leaders make every Sunday exceptional . If you want to explore coaching or mentoring with the WorshipTeamCoach team visit this page . WorshipTeamCoach . com WorshipWorkshop . com
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