Did you just ever have to drop out of sight for awhile? I have had one of those seasons here the last few weeks. I have been having to lead some budgetary adjustments on two fronts. It hasn’t been fun.
I have garnered data from around the country that most (not all) churches are looking at 10 to 15% drops in income. And hence various kinds of budget cuts. There comes a point where the only soft point for adjustments is salaries.
What do you do when you have to cut? What do you do when you are one who has been released or asked to take a salary cut?
Character is forged at these moments. And the future of our ministries are set.
Here are some thoughts:
1. Don’t look for scapegoats…if they’d just preach better…Or if worship would be better or if the slobs would give more we wouldn’t be here. Nope sorry. All you can say is “I don’t really know.” I don’t have complete knowledge so I have to trust. Seeking blame is a human response. We should seek to answer this question, “how will I contribute from here on.”
2. Don’t get dramatic. People have cut before and then flourished later. I am not the first or last guy that is killing themselves to take a pay cut. Don’t call any special prayer meetings. Just make the adjustments and work hard.
3. Don’t fail to plan for an optimistic future.
4. Don’t forget to trust. Our hope isn’t in other’s wallets or our own. It is in him.
5. Don’t forget to give thanks. There are usually more things going right than wrong, worthy of praise to God.
6. Don’t miss a good opportunity to adjust expectations and how you do things. Times of cutbacks can produce greater productivity and more intelligent use of resources.
7. Don’t get more complex. Make things even simpler. I am endeavoring to make even my messages simpler.
8. Don’t miss an opportunity to see where you can improve. I am. I don’t think all critics are accurate nor should they be listened to always. But a good dose of self-evaluation is really important sometimes. Avoid the temptation to try and get others to assess themselves. It’s really none of your business usually.
9. Don’t be afraid. I know when I face tough times of anyone’s making I get nervous about what others think about the job I am doing. And they usually think more of me than I think they do. Don’t fear not having enough. You will have more than enough. It just might come in other forms than you think. Sometimes you just have to say I am pretty sure I can’t meet all the expectations on me and — that’s ok.
10. Don’t get mad at the people who lead the cuts. My cut is about twice what I had hoped. But the facts spoke for themselves. I don’t think any who determined the cuts (along with me) could do anything else. And true leaders want to bear as much of the brunt of things as they can so others can have an easier path. This is a huge test of character at these times.
That’s all I have to say for now…… but these times bring to mind a lot of thoughts to be shared.
