The Ministerial Director > Getting Started > Pick Out Two or Three "Startup Tasks"

There is so much possible breadth in the work of the Ministerial Director that it’s sometimes hard to know where to start in. Of course, establishing relationships with your pastors should be a priori, but you will also need to begin work on other things as well.

Rather than try to tackle everything, start with 2 or 3 attainable, measurable tasks that you can begin with. Some ideas will express what we mean:

•Start up a pastors e-newsletter

•Create one really good presentation on an area of pastoral life (professional or personal) that will be encouraging and supportive for your pastors, and then arrange to present it at each of your area pastors fellowship groups

•Write an article to be put in the conference’s major communications vehicle on how members can support their pastor during pastoral appreciation month (October)

•Learn something nice about each pastor, and then write them a brief note or send them a card affirming them for it

•If you are given some flexibility in this area, begin to think through how you are going to develop pastoral interns. Begin the process of gathering different models that you can use, and then create an ad hoc pastoral advisory of experienced pastors and work through the options until you find the one that you feel most comfortable with. Present your work to your president and ask to be allowed to implement it

•Make it a practice to call one or two pastors every week just to ask how they are doing. Ask them how you can be of service to them

•Begin to assemble a list of resources for counseling for pastors and their families

•Find out who the pastors are who are near retirement age and begin planning something for them when you know they will be attending their last workers meeting as a full-time pastor

Getting a few of these things under your belt will give you a good sense that you are beginning to think more intentionally about your pastors. This will lead you to even more ideas that you can implement as your work progresses. Next...