Time devoted to planning, to say nothing of prayer, pays-off in the long run many times over. If ever there was a vocation that need not be in a hurry, it is the cure of souls.
Sunday comes so fast; it can be tough for preachers to take a breath. Sometimes you are glad just to have something to say again. God is merciful.
We preachers cannot change the calendar or slow the passage of time, but we can at least get out ahead of Sunday a little bit. So, as we turn the page on a new year, let me encourage you to resolve to take periodic retreats for prayer and planning. Even if only for a day, these little respites rejuvenate your spirit and organize your labor.
But someone might object, “I just don’t have the time for that.” To which I respond: Be more tortoise and less hare. We do well to learn the moral which the ancients appended to Aesop’s famous fable: festina lente, “make haste slowly.” Time devoted to planning, to say nothing of prayer, pays-off in the long run many times over. If ever there was a vocation that need not be in a hurry, it is the cure of souls. Fruit is borne with endurance.
That said, you do not want the day to be squandered. Nothing is more frustrating than carving out some solid time to focus and do deep work, only to waste it wondering what to do. So, let me offer some practical guidance for how to make the most of your day of prayer and planning.
- Put it on the calendar
Treat your prayer and planning day like an important appointment, because it is. Even consider including it on the church calendar in the bulletin (especially if you are at a smaller church or if folks generally expect you to be around the office). Stuff on the calendar happens; stuff that is not, does not. It is as simple as that.
And how often should you schedule such days? Monthly is awesome if you can swing it. I shoot for quarterly and line it up with the big movements of the church and ministry calendar. If you can only do it once or twice a year, you probably want to look at making it a longer (2-3 day) retreat.
- Set realistic goals
I once knew one preacher who would plot out a whole year’s sermons in a day or two at the end of the year. I do not think that, for the vast majority of us, this is either feasible or advisable. Make your goals more modest. I generally aim to have the big-picture theme and some hymns selected for 6-8 Sundays. Before Lent and Advent, I may take a day whose goal is choosing and outlining a theme for the special services. Some guys will use these days to map out their next sermon series. These are good and reasonable goals for a day’s planning. Better to undershoot and give yourself more time for prayerful rest than to overshoot and feel hurried and unproductive.
Better to undershoot and give yourself more time for prayerful rest than to overshoot and feel hurried and unproductive.
- Create an itinerary
Here I will unabashedly bear my Type A soul for all to see. Plan your planning day. Some will insist such a day should be reserved for riding the spontaneous wave of the Spirit, and to them I say, “Cowabunga!” For the rest of us, it is important to have a plan, lest the valuable time be wasted as you decide what to do first.
Generally, my day has a combination of the following: Reading, writing, prayer walks, and napping. I will devote the morning to study and planning, and then take a prayer walk before lunch.[1] A nap usually follows the noon hour, and then some leisure reading, a little more planning, and cap it off with another brief walk to close the day. This strikes a nice balance of rest and productivity; your planning day ought to include both.
- Choose a location outside the norm
Most every parish has that generous saint who owns a cabin she has offered for your use. Take this blessed person up on the offer. If it is more than an hour away, you might consider making an overnight of it, which is great, but in all likelihood makes it a less-regular occurrence.
If you do not have the parishioner-cabin at your disposal, there are plenty of other options: A study carrel at the local library, a private room/corner at the coffee shop, a retreat center or camp, or even outdoors when the weather is nice. The point is to get away from the routine.
- Pack strategically
You can overdo it with your books. This is not the time to prep for the apocalypse or a desert island library. Just take a few essential volumes: English Bible and Nestle-Aland, one or two commentaries, hymnal, and one other book of theology or leisure reading. By limiting your pack, you force yourself to focus. For this same reason I recommend not bringing your laptop (unless there is no internet) and leaving your phone in the car. Limits are the precondition for focus.
Sundays come quickly. There is nothing preachers can do about it. We can be better prepared for them, though, by taking regular prayer and planning days. And (just as importantly) we can be a little less stressed when Sundays do come. So, embrace your inner tortoise, preachers, and make haste slowly.
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[1] You may also decide to fast for the day and forego lunch as well.
