{"id":5136,"date":"2015-03-03T21:09:58","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T19:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=5136"},"modified":"2018-09-01T14:15:28","modified_gmt":"2018-09-01T11:15:28","slug":"seven-things-a-pastor-shouldnt-do-on-mondays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/seven-things-a-pastor-shouldnt-do-on-mondays\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Things a Pastor Shouldn’t Do on Mondays"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting a pastor to take a day off can be difficult because it’s a never-ending job! Unfortunately, ignoring the Sabbath principle can lead to dangerous results like burnout!<\/a><\/p>\n

Even when a pastor does take a day off it’s often not as restful as it should be. Here are some helpful hints for pastors, and others, on their day off.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7 Things a Pastor Shouldn’t do on Mondays<\/h3>\n

Let’s start with a few things you should avoid on Mondays! I say Mondays because that’s the day I take off and I know many other pastors who take that day off. However, this applies to whatever your day off is.<\/p>\n

1. Go to the office.<\/h4>\n

I know you just want to check on a few things and you think it will be quick but you know what’s going to happen. While you’re there you’ll remember a few dozen other tasks that really need your attention, and you’ll probably notice that the janitor missed a couple of things when he was cleaning the sanctuary, and you don’t really want to bother him, so you might as well get it yourself, and then Mrs ______ walks in with a disgruntled look on her face and says she really needs to talk to you about how the Children’s Church program is being run, and….<\/p>\n

Ok, I think you get the point, stay away from the office on your day off!<\/p>\n

2. Counsel anyone.<\/h4>\n

In my experience there is very rarely a case where someone can’t wait one day for counseling. Sometimes it’s tempting to squeeze that person on in on Monday but you have to think about yourself too. You just finished a marathon day of preaching and ministry. You’re tired physically, mentally, and spiritually you’re probably a little drained. You might not be in the best condition to listen to someone’s problems and give good advice.<\/p>\n

They can wait.<\/p>\n

3. Turn on his computer.<\/h4>\n

So you just spent most of last week in front of a computer screen prepping for your sermon and answering e-mails. Take a break from screen, let your eyes and your mind rest. You know it’s going to be nearly impossible to avoid work once you’ve sat yourself in front of the glow of your laptop.<\/p>\n

You don’t need it.<\/p>\n

4. Check or write email.<\/h4>\n

Ok, I know we just talked about not turning on your computer, but you probably have a device in your pocket that can also check your e-mail. It seems so easy and quick but it will drain your mental resources quicker than you think.<\/p>\n

Don’t do it!<\/p>\n

Those e-mails will still be there tomorrow.<\/p>\n

5. Plan ministry.<\/h4>\n

Do you know what kind of plans pastors and preachers make on Mondays? They usually make plans for resignation or in better cases retirement! Save the plan making for a day or two later in the week when any disappointments from Sunday are a bit further out of your mind’s reach.<\/p>\n

6. Have meetings.<\/h4>\n

Some meetings don’t lend themselves well for any day of the week but Monday should be off limits for any meeting!<\/p>\n

Unless, it’s a meeting with you and a good cup of coffee.<\/p>\n

7. Make ministry related phone calls.<\/h4>\n

You don’t really do this do you? Write that number down in your calendar and forget about it until Tuesday!<\/p>\n

7 Things a Pastor Should Do on Mondays<\/h3>\n

Ok, I can’t leave you with just the negative side. Yes, it’s a day off and maybe all you’re going to do is lay around on the couch all day, but unless you really bombed your sermon I think you want to do more than that on your day off.<\/p>\n

Here are some suggestions.<\/p>\n

1. Get some fresh air and exercise.<\/h4>\n

You’ve probably been sitting a lot so get out, enjoy God’s creation, get some fresh air and move your body.<\/p>\n

A healthy pastor is holy pastor!<\/p>\n

Well at least he feels holier and his mind will work better when his body isn’t falling apart.<\/p>\n

2. Do something with your hands.<\/h4>\n

I learned this from my father. Use your hands to create something or fix something. There’s something about working with your hands that clears and frees your mind to think.<\/p>\n

Maybe that’s why Jesus was a carpenter.<\/p>\n

3. Spend time with your spouse\/family.<\/h4>\n

Let your family know you care for them and love them by focusing some attention on them. They’ve been kind to you by letting you study for your sermon late into the night. Now is the time to refresh your relationship with them and thank them for being there.<\/p>\n

4. Listen to a sermon.<\/h4>\n

You just gave your people your hard fought spiritual work. You need to begin refilling your cup. Put on some headphones and listen to one of your favorite preachers and don’t critique his sermon while your listening. Just listen and learn for your own spiritual good.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

5. Read your Bible for yourself.<\/h4>\n

Read it without looking for a sermon outline. Read it without thinking too much about the Greek verbal aspects. Read it and look for the application you and you alone need to make in your life!<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

6. Do something fun.<\/h4>\n

Yes, you’re a pastor and you talk about serious things but don’t let fun disappear from your vocabulary or your life. Play with your kids or grand-kids, have a hobby, do something that brings joy to you and others.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

7. Sleep in.<\/h4>\n

Shut that alarm off, sleep-in even if it’s for 10 mins, your body and your mind will thank you. Later in the day you can take a nap too!<\/p>\n

Questions: If you’re a pastor how do you manage your day off? If you’re not a pastor maybe you should forward this post to your pastor.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting a pastor to take a day off can be difficult because it’s a never-ending job! Unfortunately, ignoring the Sabbath principle can lead to dangerous results like burnout!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[175,247],"class_list":["post-5136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-pastor","tag-sabbath"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/photodune-7248334-tired-businessman-sleeping-at-work-yawning-s.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-1kQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3827,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/why-american-pastors-dont-stay-and-the-need-for-faithfulness\/","url_meta":{"origin":5136,"position":0},"title":"Why American Pastors Don’t Stay and the Need for Faithfulness","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After six months of visiting churches in the USA I'm beginning to think that many American pastors have ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder)! Yes, I'm talking about short sermons and even worse the short tenures in their churches. According to the Barna group mainline protestant church pastors hop congregations faster than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/DSC07951.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/DSC07951.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/DSC07951.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1825,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/2-days-with-25-church-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":5136,"position":1},"title":"2 Days with 25 Church Leaders","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"December 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have to say \"thank you!\"' to \u00a0all who were praying for us this past weekend. \u00a0Misha and I traveled to the city of Nickolaev, about 2 hours from Odessa. \u00a0We were invited to share the Good Soil evangelism and discipleship seminar with a group of church leaders from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DSC01713.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":402,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/medical-outreach-in-lemani\/","url_meta":{"origin":5136,"position":2},"title":"Medical Outreach in Lemani","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"May 20th our medical team visited the village of Lemani which is about 1.5 hours from Odessa on an estuary of the Black Sea. Pastor Anotoliy and his wife Alla have been working to plant a church in the village for the past couple of years. They hold services each\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Updates"","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1034,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/the-laying-on-of-hands\/","url_meta":{"origin":5136,"position":3},"title":"The Laying on of Hands","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"July 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday about 400 people showed up for a unique service at our church. We held the meeting outdoors to accommodate the large # of guests, who despite the 90+ temperatures came out for this important event. Mikhael has served as a deacon in our church since it was started about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_0177.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_0177.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_0177.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11811,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/pastor-fedor-bespalov\/","url_meta":{"origin":5136,"position":4},"title":"Pastor Fedor Bespalov","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"April 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"God uses some of his children in unique ways to encourage, to inspire, and to equip others for the ministry. Such was the case with dear Brother Fedor, who moved into the presence of his Savior on March 28th 2019. I found in him a rare passion for God, love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DSC02592.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DSC02592.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DSC02592.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DSC02592.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DSC02592.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/DSC02592.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4289,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/a-surpising-lesson-from-the-mark-driscoll-debacle\/","url_meta":{"origin":5136,"position":5},"title":"A Surprising Lesson From the Mark Driscoll Debacle","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"September 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve never been to a service at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. However, I do have family who attend Mars Hill and a few other friends who are involved in the church. So I\u2019ve been watching the unfolding drama of Mark Driscoll from a far with some interest. It\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Updates"","block_context":{"text":"General Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/driscol.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/driscol.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/driscol.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5136"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9656,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5136\/revisions\/9656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}