When a pastor begins serving a church, he or she comes with a vision the Lord has placed in their heart. In each case, this vision includes growing and expanding the church to reach more people for the sake of the Gospel. Pastors’ days are filled with meetings, to-do lists, and administrative activities. This is time that the pastor could be fanning his or her vision into flame (2 Timothy 1:6). Exelio ChMS can help.
According to LifeWay Research, nearly 20 [percent] of pastors leave pastoral ministry due to burnout. This is a staggering reality for the church. Out of all the reasons someone may decide to leave pastoral ministry, burnout should not be one. So how can you make your pastor’s life easier? There are at least six ways.
Implementing a strategic and easy-to-use church management system: ELEXIO was created with pastors and their staff in mind with the goal of streamlining church processes. Most pastors are always on the go. If your church attendance records, member information, volunteer lists, and other key information are kept inside the church office, then the pastor is constantly [traveling] back to or calling the office for the information he or she needs. What if pastors can simply pull up the information they need on their phone? ELEXIO ChMS has created a way to make this happen.
Creating ease in contacting volunteers: Let’s say a pastor goes to meet with a local widow in the congregation. She mentions she needs to move houses but does not have the ability to lift and physically move anything. The pastor can jump on the mobile church management system, type up a short message, and send it to the right volunteer. Creating an easy to use system for pastors not only helps save time; it also equips them for whatever situation may arise.
ELEXIO ChMS also eases the workflow: This helps pastors not only talk about their vision but also provides the tools needed to make that vision become a reality. Contacting people in the church by voicemail, text message or email is simple with this software management.
Separating the pastor’s vacation time from events he or she needs to attend: One way to motivate your pastor to take a breather is to encourage him or her to take regular vacations. Having personal time to decide what to do and what not to do helps [to] relax an overly burdened pastor and creates space for that pastor to return refreshed and ready to tackle the lists awaiting him or her at work.
Understanding that the pastor works for the church, not his or her entire family: What profession hires one person with the expectation that the entire family will also work for them, too? Some churches expect for a pastor’s wife to be involved in weekly Bible studies, attend every event the pastor attends, write personalized letters to members of the church, make phone calls, and visit those in need. When it comes to a pastor’s children, the expectations can sometimes be even worse! If other professions don’t demand the entire family to work, why should the church? Alleviating this pressure makes the pastor’s job easier because it decreases the pressures at work and at home.
Ensuring a pastor has time to rest: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11) God clearly lays out the importance of rest in his Word. Why should a pastor be exempt from this truth? Expecting a pastor to work Monday through Friday and then prepare for his sermon on the weekends is a tricky balance. Encouraging your pastor to take a rest and understanding your view of the weekends and [that] your pastor’s view of the weekends is different, will help create space to make your pastor’s life a little easier.
Your pastor’s goal is to shepherd your church into a deeper relationship with the Lord and to help spread the Gospel to those in need. Creating space for your pastor to [breathe] and walk out what the Lord has called him to do makes your pastor’s life easier. Our team at ELEXIO is made up of pastors, elders, children’s ministers, youth workers, and volunteers. And we get it. Software alone isn’t what you need. What your church needs is a partner who understands that reaching people and building lives is the win. So focus on ministry, because we’ve got your church management, accounting, website, and online giving covered.
