Preparing for a new year

We are at the final day of 2024. It has been an interesting year. Since retiring as a Regional Minister with our denomination I've had the privilege of serving three churches as Transitional Pastor. I never thought at 75 years of age I would return to serve as the pastor of a church, but this year I accepted that role. I have not served as the pastor of a church since 2001, so I feel I have a lot of catching up to do. I sure hope an old dog can learn new tricks because a lot of what I knew as a pastor in 2001 isn't necessarily helpful in 2025. If nothing else, becoming a pastor again has helped my prayer life!

I spent some time last week cleaning out file drawers. One drawer was full of my old sermons. They have all gone to the dump. I looked at a few of them before pitching them, and they were pretty bad. They certainly were not suitable for today. I wanted to make sure that I forced myself to prepare new messages that would be more timely today than these would have been. Of course, that means I have to work on sermon preparation again, but, fortunately, that is one of the things I enjoy most about ministry.

Part of my preparation for the new year is another commitment to read through the Bible in 2025. I've purchased a new version I've not read before so I'm ready for January 1. I have also encouraged my church to join me, and several of them have told me they will do so.

Our church got a new website in 2024, and we plan to begin streaming the sermons as quickly as we can get the right camera to do that. No one in our congregation has any experience in filming a service or putting it on social media so we will have a learning curve as we learn how to do this. 

On a personal level, our youngest grandchild turned 18 last weekend. Talk about something that will make you feel old!

My auction business is doing far better than I ever thought possible. We took most of December off to catch our breath and relax a little. We do an online auction every two weeks, and we only missed one auction in 2024, and that was so we could set up for a live auction we were doing. Our building is full again, our trailers are full and people are wanting to bring us more. I'm very thankful we are able to serve people in this way. As I've written elsewhere, I see this as an extension of my ministry.

I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I set goals based on the priorities I believe God has given me. Despite our busy schedules, one of my goals is for my wife and I to spend more time doing things we enjoy doing. There are some places she wants to see, and I plan to make that happen this year. 

2025 can be an exciting year for anyone who is willing to open themselves up to the opportunities it offers. I want to experience everything God has for me in this coming year. I hope you want the same thing, but it takes intentionality, preparation and work on our part. 

Those who do not believe

 I am currently reading another book that looks at the thinking of atheists. The author has debated a number of the so-called New Atheists and has studied their books and their thinking for some time. It is an interesting look at their thinking and their absolute refusal to accept the concept of God despite the overwhelming evidence for His existence.

For the past few years I have been very interested in apologetics and have read quite a bit in that field. In that reading, there are many references to the thinking and arguments presented by atheists. Their circular reasoning makes it almost impossible to believe that they actually believe what they claim to believe, and their lack of logically thinking is astounding. Many of these are scientists from various fields who seem to hold philosophy in contempt. They continue to make statements that are self-defeating, contradictory, and circular. They seem unable to see that their beliefs would lead to a world that would be chaotic and could not last.

Take just one argument that is sometimes the topic for debates between atheists and theists. Does objective morality exist? The theist believes that because God exists, objective morality exists. There is a standard of right and wrong that is not subject to vote or to personal beliefs. The atheist, believing there is no God, also does not believe that any objective morality exists. Each person decides his or her own moral code. Some believe that culture determines right and wrong. But, whose culture? As the writer of this book asked in one debate, are you talking about the culture of the Nazis or the culture of Mother Theresa? Are you talking about a culture that cherishes it's babies or one that sacrifices their babies to their god? Such a belief in subjective morality would lead to chaos and would lead to the destruction of our society.

Why do they not see that? These are brilliant individuals, but they appear to be blind to their refusal to see what countless millions have seen over thousands of years. There is a God who desires to be known and worshiped. Why can they not see the many prophecies foretold in the Bible that have come to pass? Why can't they accept the archeological evidences that demonstrate the truth of the Bible? 

Perhaps their reason is financial. Some of these individuals have made a great deal of money from their books and the speaking opportunities these books have provided. It's pretty hard to sing a different tune when the one you've been singing has made you wealthy.

Some atheists refuse to accept any concept of God because to do would force a change in their moral behavior. The well-known atheist Aldous Huxley once said, "I have motives for not wanting the world to have meaning, and consequently assumed it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption...For myself, as no doubt for most of my friends, the philosophy of meaningless was essentially an instrument of liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom."

Others might refuse to believe in God because they believe that the arguments for God are weak and lack scientific credibility. This is a common complaint from many atheists. But, what about the credible scientists in many fields who do believe in God and point to science as the foundation of their belief? How do they ignore their colleagues who profess a strong faith in God?

In the 17th century Blaise Pascal argued that if Christianity has a 50 percent chance of being true then it would be rational for a person to live a Christian life. This has become known as Pascal's Wager. I believe the evidence is much stronger than 50 percent that there is a God Who has revealed Himself in Scripture, and faith in Jesus Christ is the way to know this God. I struggle to understand how anyone can look at the evidences with an open mind and not come to the same conclusion.

Leaders see further down the road

 John Maxwell states that leaders see more than other people, see farther that others see and sees before others do. That is a very good description of a leader. As pastors we should see further than others see. Some have said that our visions should be so far out that they will not be accomplished during our time in the church. In my experience, I saw the need for the church I was serving to add a new fellowship hall to further its ministry opportunities. That addition was not completed before I left that church to accept a new ministry opportunity.

President Biden won the applause of many people when he announced he was canceling the student loan debt of nearly five million people. The Supreme Court struck down that order saying the president didn't have the power to do that without Congressional approval, Now, the Department of Education has announced it would withdraw its efforts to deliver its plans to forgive student loans. Among the reasons they cited for this decision was that they could not complete their plans before President Biden left office. While the president's motives may have been right, he failed to see that his plans would not be fulfilled.

This is not intended to be a political post. It is a post on a basic leadership principle. Leaders are those who can see further than others can see and see more than others can see. While the student loan forgiveness brought a lot of support for the Democrat party, it was clearly unconstitutional when it was first proposed. Ether the president did not see that, or he ignored it in an effort to earn the support of the students whose loans they hoped would be forgiven. Either way, it was a failure of leadership.

As pastors, we need to spend time thinking through any changes we want to make in our congregations or ministry. Without such thought we run the risk of unintended consequences. Early in my pastoral ministry I proposed eliminating a position in the church as unneeded. We lost a family because the person who held that position felt I was accusing her of stealing money from the church. The proposal itself and the way I handled it was a disaster. I never thought that of her, but the damage was done.

I should have shared my thoughts with the lay leaders of the church before I announced them to the church. They would probably have cautioned me of the perception my proposal would generate. Instead, I plunged ahead without seeking wise counsel, and created unnecessary problems for myself and the church.

Jesus cautioned against going to war without first considering if you have enough forces to guarantee victory. Pastors should never propose changes in the church without thinking through those changes. Are there possible unintended consequences connected to those changes? If so, you need to eliminate them before proceeding. 

New year bring changes

We have a number of changes as we begin a new year. Like many, we have done away with our home phone. I had to laugh when I called the phone company and told them I wanted to cancel our home phone. The young lady asked why I wanted to do that, and I explained I was tired of all the scam calls we received. She laughed and said, "That's the reason I canceled mine last week. I can't argue with that logic."

I am also now paying my bills online. For the past few years, my son has teased me saying I was the only person he knew who wrote checks. It was true. However, in December the post office evidently lost all the checks I sent out on December 1. The people I paid on that day for the items they sold in my auction did not receive their checks until at least December 12, and I had to write another check for one individual who came to the auction center to get it. Two utility bills were overdue thanks to the post office. I paid those bills online only to have the checks reach them a few days later. With the cost of stamps and the recent problem I had with the post office, I'll now be paying my bills online.

This is a lot of change for an old man! But, we live in a rapidly changing time. There are also some new changes that are more positive.

Once again, I will re-read through the Bible in 2025. I've done this several times in the past and look forward to doing it again. Each time I do this I buy a new version of the Bible I do not have, and I've already purchased that Bible. It has never failed that when I read through the Bible I find things I missed in the past. I invite you to join me this year. You only have to read three chapters a day, and at the end of the year you will have read the entire Bible. It is a great way to grow deeper in your spiritual life.

I also have a devotional book written by David Jeremiah that I will read as part of my devotional time each morning. I am a huge fan of his ministry and look forward to the daily reading from that book.

As the pastor of North Madison Baptist Church, I am excited about the changes that will take place there as well. We will be doing more with our website including posting the sermons each week for those who cannot worship with us. New ministries are being planned to serve the people in our church and community. I'm very excited about the possibilities for the church in the upcoming year. If you do not have a church home I invite you to join us and be a part of what I believe to be an exciting future. 

Taking personal responsibility

On our recent flight to Austin, Texas to visit our son I read John Maxwell's book High Road Leadership. This is a book I would strongly recommend to anyone in a leadership position. The principles found in this book are pertinent to anyone in a leadership position whether that be in a church, a business, a non-profit or even a family. In one section of the book Maxwell writes about the importance of each person taking responsibility for themselves.

So many want to play the "blame game" and try to focus all their shortcomings onto others. A large section of our population see themselves as victims and spend enormous amounts of time feeling sorry for themselves and waiting for someone to come along and rescue them from their problems. Maxwell had the good fortune to have been raised by parents much like mine. Countless times growing up my parents reminded me that society owed me nothing. If I was to have anything, be anything or accomplish anything it would come because I earned it. It sounds like his parents taught him the same values.

He lists several areas of his life for which he had taken responsibility. Because he has taken personal responsibility in these areas he has enjoyed tremendous success as a speaker, a writer and a leader. I am convinced that anyone who assumes responsibility in these areas will also enjoy far more success in life than those who wait on someone to come in riding a white horse to rescue them. I share them here.

Attitude - Although we cannot control all the events of our lives, we can control our attitude. A positive attitude will defeat a negative one every day.

Time - Each of us are limited to the same number of hours each day. We must be responsible for how we use those hours and avoid distractions by lesser demands on our time.

Priorities - One way to maximize our time is to work as much as possible on the things we have identified as the most important every day. We cannot allow others to determine our priorities.

Potential - Only one person is responsible for your personal growth, and that is you. If you are not growing as an individual it's no one's fault but your own.

Passion - I have attended and benefitted from a number of motivational seminars, but motivation is an inside job. No one can truly motivate another person. The best they can do is to create a climate in which you can motivate yourself. It's up to us to maintain the passion we feel.

Calling - Each of us have unique gifts that are to be used to fulfill the calling God has on our lives. While it is appropriate to seek godly counsel regarding calling, this is something each person must decide for themselves. When we work in the areas for God has created us, we will enjoy much more success.

While the list is Maxwell's, the commentary following each item is mine. Taking responsibility for each of these areas every day is not easy. There are always going to be people who will try to take that responsibility from you. We cannot allow that to happen if we want to be people in leadership.

Christmas trip

Yesterday evening my wife and I returned home from Austin, Texas where we had spent a few days visiting our son and grandson. We don't get to see them as often as we would like, but we always try to make it down there a few days before Christmas. We enjoyed some great Texas bar-b-que at Terry Black's famous bar-b-que restaurant. We go there every time we are in Austin because it is some of the best bar-b-que I've ever eaten. We go shopping and do some other things, but mostly we just hang together as family.

I often think back to previous Christmases when I was younger. Extended families got together which meant there were plenty of cousins to play with. Later, after Faye and I married, we spent part of Christmas Eve with her eight brothers and sisters and all their kids. Her brother had a nice pole barn which we cleaned up and used for the get-together. He and I would go out into the woods and cut down a large cedar tree and take it to the barn. It was so big we had to pull it behind a tractor. When we put it up we tied the top to the rafters to make sure it didn't tip over. Tables were set up, and a big feed was enjoyed by all. Afterwards, there were lot of presents to unwrap. We would then leave there and go to my parents for a much smaller celebration.

I cherish those memories because it's not possible to repeat them today. My wife's remaining siblings got together last Saturday, and my brothers and sisters will get together the Saturday after Christmas. Many members of the family won't attend because they live too far away. Just like our recent trip to Austin, we were not able to see two of our grandchildren because one is in school in Pennsylvania and another one works in Maryland. You adjust, but it's not the same as the memories I have from my childhood.

Life happens, and change is inevitable, but many Christmas traditions remain. Churches will present Christmas programs, choirs will sing anthems, live nativity scenes will demonstrate to the world what that first Christmas might have been like. Churches will see increased attendance this coming Sunday.

But, most important of all, Christmas will happen. We will be reminded that because of this babe born in a manger, there is hope in the world. Despite everything happening, we have hope because the Son of God came to earth as a babe lying in a manger. Joy is available to all who believe in Him despite the junk that may be happening in their lives. Lives can be transformed because because over 2,000 years ago a Jewish child was born in a little, insignificant village in Israel who just happened to be the Son of God.

My prayer for each of you who reads this blog is that you have experienced the transforming power of Jesus Christ in your life. You do not have to live with the guilt you feel over the things you have done wrong in your life. You do not have to live with a fear of death because you do not know what eternity holds. This Christmas season is the perfect time to ask Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior. Allow Him to cleanse you of every wrongdoing in your life. Experience the freedom of knowing that your sins are forgiven and the joy that comes knowing that you are part of the family of God. If you do this, I can guarantee this will be the greatest Christmas you will ever experience.  

Top 10 Books for 2024 1-5

 Today I'll share the remainder of my favorite reads for 2024.

5) Ignite by Nelson Searcy. I love Searcy's passion for the church and for people. I have most of his books in my library, and I've heard him present at a leadership conference in which we were both teaching. This is an excellent book for church planters and for pastors serving churches that need to relaunch (like me). He shares the tools he used to grow his new church plant in New York into a strong, vibrant congregation. I first read this book a few years ago, and felt it would be helpful to re-read it as I have begun serving as a pastor of a church that needs to rebuild. I'm putting some of his suggestions in action.

4) Transformational Church by Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer. This is another re-read in 2024. One of the missing components in many churches is discipleship. Evangelism is one side of the Great Commission coin; discipleship is the other side. Churches that see people's lives transformed by the power of God are churches that disciple their members. The authors give many helpful insights on how churches can begin to do that.

3) In Search of a Confident Faith by J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler. This book has so many highlighted passages, underlined paragraphs and notes written in the margin I hardly know where to start writing about this book. The authors address how to deal with the doubts one may have about God and faith. They point out the differences between distractions of the head and distractions of the heart. They point out how hurts in the past can impact our beliefs now and offer some help to conquer those past hurts. This is a very good book for pastors and lay persons alike. None of us are beyond having periods of doubts in our own lives, and this book can help us address those.

2) Wide Awake by Erwin Raphael McManus. The author challenges us to stop settling in our lives and to begin to live our best lives now. He (like myself) believes that God has an amazing plan for each of our lives. Our lives can never be full until we understand what that purpose is and begin to live it. Each of us had dreams when we were younger, but as we grew up those dreams often faded away. Perhaps we need to reawaken those dreams and dare to become the people God created us to become. This book can help you do that. 

1) The Unstuck Church by Tony Morgan. Drum roll please! This is my favorite book for 2024. It must be because I read it twice in a row, and I've never done that with any book. As a region minister in our denomination for 14 years, most of the churches I worked with were stuck and didn't know what to do to get unstuck. Now that I am a pastor again, I am in a church that is stuck. Every day as I read this book I found things that I can do and things the church can do to get unstuck. The author warns the reader on the back cover that this book will offend you, and he's right. Some of the things he writes hurt, but they need to be said, and we need to listen. If your church is stuck, and research indicates that at least 80 percent of the churches in American are, then you need to read this book.

This is my list for 2024. These books spoke to my heart and were timely for my current situation. I believe they are all worthwhile reads for anyone in church leadership. I will close by mentioning that if you click on the link and order any of these books I may receive a small compensation, but this is not the reason I publish this list each year. I want others to know what I have found helpful to my life and ministry.

Top 10 Books for 2024 6-10

 Regular readers of this blog know that I average reading about 50 books each year. I just finished my 50th book for 2024, so I thought I might as well go ahead and share my top 10 reads for the year. This year I re-read a lot of books I had previously read. I also didn't read as much fiction as I had been reading. After being called to serve as pastor of North Madison Baptist Church I thought I had better retool my pastoral skills! That eliminated the Star Wars books! Anyway, here are my favorite reads 6-10.

10) The Church and the Single Mom by Jennifer Barnes Maggio. I have a burden for the single moms living in our community. According to the past census report, there are 1,700 single-parent homes in our county. I would assume at least 1,500 of them are single-moms. I am encouraging our church to begin a ministry to serve these individuals, and I admitted to them I didn't have a clue how to begin. Reading this book is helping me identify some ways we can begin to serve this population.

9) The Post-Quarantine Church by Thom S. Rainer. This was one of my re-reads. Covid hit most churches hard. People stayed away from church even when it was announced that it was safe to return. Those churches who thought they would return to normal once the pandemic ended were wrong. We now live in a new normal, and only those churches that can adjust to that new normal will thrive. Rainer points out that there are now three groups of people the church must serve: Digital-only who are unable to attend church services, Digitally-transitioning are those who are mostly connected to the church digitally but may attend occasionally; and Dual citizens who are connected to the church both through digital ministries and in person. This is a very good book for pastors and lay leaders to read who want to know how to move forward.

8) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. I have never published my top ten list without at least one book by Maxwell being on the list. He is a must read for anyone in a leadership position. In fact, I have his latest book on my desk which I will start reading next week. I have read the referenced book several times and heard him teach from the book. It has shaped my leadership style more than any other book or class. I only wish the book had been available earlier in my ministry.

7) I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. This book is not an easy read but one that I found very helpful. It is a book that points out the blind faith that atheists and skeptics must have in order to sustain their rejection of God and shows how reason and logic will always point one to belief in God. I love reading apologetics, and this is one of the best to give you a reason for your faith and give you some tools you can use to share that faith with others.

6) The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett. Deconstruction is a new term in our postmodern age. It refers to the process by which people walk away from their faith in God. Several well-known Christian authors and musicians have announced in the past few years they no longer believe in God. Countless others have made the same choice. I read this book to help me understand what is happening and to give me some tools to use if someone comes to me saying they are in the process of deconstructing. This book did not disappoint. If you have not known someone yet who is going through deconstruction of their faith, you will. This book can help you work with those individuals.

Tomorrow I'll share the final five books that made my favorite list for the year.

Character trumps vision

 Readers of this blog know that I often write about vision. Vision is the key to any successful endeavor. As a Resource Minister in our region I always began my first meeting with a pastor search team by asking for the vision of the church. Not once in 14 years could any pastor search team tell me their church's vision. I then explained that without a vision how could they know what they needed in their next pastor. If they didn't now where God was leading them, how could they know if the person they might interview was capable of taking them there. A few churches allowed me to help them discern a vison from God, but most just wanted to continue their search for a pastor. Those churches are still wandering around in the wilderness.

Vision is key, but one thing is even more important. That is the character of the leader. As Jon Gordon writes in The Power of Positive Leadership, "You can have the greatest vision and mission statement in the world and be optimistic and positive, but if you are not someone people want to follow, they are not getting on your bus. People follow the leader first and their vision second." John Maxwell says that leaders have to have the heart of the people before they can expect the people to follow them. The leader's character determines whether or not others will follow him or her.

When I began my first pastorate the youth told me they wanted to go to King's Island. When I announced at a business meeting we would be taking the youth to that amusement park it was made very clear that I wasn't taking the kids anywhere. My first business meeting as a new pastor made me think being a pastor might not have been such a great idea! Later that evening one of the lay leaders called and explained the reaction I had received from those attending. There was a history I knew nothing about that triggered the response.

Jump forward about 15 years later. Some of our members were at a piano store and asked me to join them. The store had a sale on an electronic piano that was similar, but a step above the one our pianist had in her home, and it was less expensive than she had paid for hers. I was asked what we had to do to buy the piano, and I explained they all knew the Baptist history. We need to form a committee and let them discuss it for a few months before the church votes. While they knew all that, they also knew the sale ended that day. I explained the other option was that we buy the piano. We did, I put it on my credit card, and it was delivered the following Monday. The church voted to reimburse me for the piano, and there was not a single objection to our buying it.

Why the different reactions? Over the years the congregation got to know my heart. I had earned their trust. They were willing to follow me because they knew I loved that church and would do nothing intentionally to hurt it. It was also important that I had not made the decision to buy the piano alone; the decision was made with three other trusted leaders in the church.

It takes time to model character to a congregation. They have to know first of all that you love them and want only the best for them. Once that is settled, then they become willing to follow your vision. If they determine you do not have their best interest at heart, or if your character is lacking in important areas, they will not follow you.

What to read?

 Anyone who has followed this blog for some time knows that I love to read. My goal is to read 50 books a year, and I am on track to do that again this year. The vast majority of books I read are non-fiction although during the Covid shut-down I started reading non-fiction books as well. Now that I have returned to pastoral ministry my reading is more focused on ministry and theological books. Unfortunately, this presents me with a problem.

I really miss the Lifeway bookstores. The reason I miss them is that I could go in and check out the books before I bought them. Today, I was in Louisville and stopped at a shopping center that has a Barnes and Noble bookstore. At first, I thought they were gone as well as a Whole Foods store was in the building they had previously used. As I drove through the center I realized they had moved into a smaller building on the other side of the center. When I entered I found that their religion section contained mostly popular books and offered nothing related to ministry or theology.

Most of the books I buy now come from Amazon. As I'm reading, I may find a reference to a book that seems like it would be a good one to read. When I order it I am sometimes disappointed. The book may not be what I expected it would be. Sometimes the font is so small or light that I find it difficult to read. Some books are written at such an elementary level that they offer little worthwhile, and others are written for an academic audience that makes me think the author was more interested in impressing people with his or her knowledge of big words than in offering something that would be worthwhile to the average reader. Occasionally, I find that the book is so poorly written or edited that it is almost unreadable. Several books have gone into the trash can after reading just a chapter or two. Having published books myself, I remember my editors insisting that the books were edited properly, clear in what they were saying and readable. I wonder what has changed. Of course, these problems could largely be avoided if it was possible to review the book before purchasing it, but that has become very difficult to do.

This year I have focused on re-reading some of the favorite books in my library. Fortunately, there are many! As I read them I find there are many things written in them I've forgotten or overlooked in my earlier reading. I just finished one published in 1993. It now has much more highlighting and notes written in the margin that it had after my earlier reading. Yes, some of it is outdated, but a lot of it still makes sense in 2024. I found some things I hope to introduce into the church in the coming year.

I know the brick-and-mortar bookstores are unlikely to return, especially the Christian-oriented ones, but I miss them. They provided a service to those of us in ministry that online shopping never will. Their demise is just one more thing that has disappeared from our world that this old man misses.

Finding peace in the ministry

While serving as a Region Minister in our judicatory one of the things that troubled me was the number of pastors in the churches I served who were simply waiting until they reached retirement age. The pressures of ministry had wore them out, and now they were just counting the days until they could retire. Essentially, they had given up on ministry. Some were still serving their congregations well, but others were just going through the motions. Some were obviously battling depression, but none of those pastors were willing to see a doctor and get some help. I felt sorry for the pastors and also for the churches they were serving. Those churches were not getting the kind of pastoral leadership they needed.

I can understand why some pastors feel beat down. They are serving in churches I often referred to as "widow makers." During my time as Region Minister I finally told two churches I would work with them to get healthier, but I would not recommend another pastor to them until they worked through their health issues. Not surprisingly, they were not interested in working on health issues so I never worked with them on finding a new pastor.

Fortunately, most churches are not like that. Often, in those churches, when a pastor feels overwhelmed it is self-inflicted. Most people enter the ministry wanting to impact people's live. Many of us struggle to say no to almost any request. It doesn't take long before our schedules are so full of meeting the needs of others that we have no time for self-care or for meeting the needs of our families. We begin to feel like we are in a vise. The pressure can continue to build until we feel overwhelmed.

So how do we deal with this pressure? What can we do to recapture the joy we first felt when we entered the ministry? We can start by learning to say no to some things. We do not have to touch everything in the church. We do not have to attend every meeting. We do not have to run over to someone's house when their cat stubs it's toe. We can learn that it's OK to let a phone call go to voice mail. We can learn that not everything is an emergency. 

We can learn to own our calendars. I suggest setting aside time each week for personal time. Put it on your calendar. Add some time on your calendar to spend time with your family. Have a date night with your spouse, and put it on your calendar. If someone asks to meet with you during those times just tell them you already have an appointment at that time.

Build margin in your life. If your calendar is packed full you have no time for true emergencies. That adds stress to your life. You can't control when you will need to do a funeral or deal with a crisis in your family or in someone else's family. If you have no margin, you'll be trying to do too many things at the same time. Talk about stressful!

Determine your priorities and work with those as much as possible. If you are responsible for preaching remember that Sunday comes every seven days. You must make that message a priority, and that doesn't happen if you start working on that message on Saturday night. If your church is having a special event that you are required to participate in, start early preparing for that. The week before is not the time to start. I had an instructor in Bible college who had plans drawn up four years in advance for events he was responsible for leading. I'm not suggesting anything that extreme, but I also never saw him stressed about anything. Start early planning those special events and you'll have much less stress.

There's more you can do, but if you'll start with these simple steps, you'll find ministry to be much less stressful.