Dads and grads receive a lot of attention during the month of June. But this is also the season when many church programs near their finish line. For some ministry leaders, this means added responsibilities. This can also mean more hours and more stress. 

June might feel like the final leg of your ministry marathon and your lungs might be screaming for you to stop. You might find yourself dreaming of a post-marathon collapse, but if you choose to jump off the treadmill before cooling down, you will feel the effects of this decision for the rest of the summer.

Cooling down is essential for the well-being of yourself and the people around you. The discipline of gradually slowing yourself to a stop will help you recover from what you just completed and also prepare you for what’s next. The result is better short-term health with the added bonus of long-term sustainability.

Your mind, body, and spirit need adequate recovery time and slamming on the brakes after exiting the highway is a dangerous idea. I’m not suggesting that you cancel your vacation plans or ignore the urge to recline your chair. These are critical components to the leadership cycle. Just make sure that you ease into your recovery time so that when you fully disengage from your ministry responsibilities you can recuperate more restfully. 

Here are some suggestions for your cool down cycle:

• Use your rear-view mirrors 
  Look back on the past season of ministry. What went well and why? Did you reach your goals and accomplish your ministry objectives? What will you do differently next time?

• Check your blind spots
  Is there a critical issue or challenge that will require additional attention over the summer? Think of scenarios like leadership needs, technology changes, new initiatives, or approaching deadlines.

• Express your gratitude  
  As you evaluate the past season, pay attention to the contributions that your team members have made. Find creative ways of thanking them and do this in ways that they will most appreciate.

I was crazy busy. The church where I had been serving as a senior associate pastor had asked me to fill in as lead pastor while we searched for a new lead. I was trying to do both jobs and found myself running way too fast.

During this intense time, I came across a book called, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson. Swenson, a medical doctor, reflects on a time when he was very busy with his practice and speaking engagements. One night, he and his wife sat down by the fireplace. They wrote down all of their commitments/responsibilities on a piece of paper. They then crumpled up the paper and threw it into the fire. They decided to start fresh - to reset their lives with margin, believing that this is what God wanted them to do. They took out a new piece of paper and began writing down the things they felt God wanted them to focus on.

In many ways, it felt like my life was out of control. I longed to be able to do what the Swensons did. Little did I know that God would give me that opportunity.

Over the next year and a half, my wife and I sensed that God was calling us into a new ministry. This transition gave us the opportunity to think afresh about our life purpose and what we thought God wanted us to pursue. The key for us was to plan with the idea of margin in mind. How could we position ourselves for long-term effectiveness? How could we live to have discretionary time, energy, and other resources so that we could respond more rapidly to the needs and opportunities that God placed before us and to process life in a deeper way?

Here are four margin-protecting practices that have been important for us:

  1. Schedule “down time”

If we schedule “down time” into our calendars, we’re more likely to do it. It’s also easier to say "no" to a pressing demand when we already have something else scheduled at that time. We can honestly say, "I have another commitment on my calendar that I need to honour." 

  2. Set boundaries

It’s important to put fences around the time and activities we need for restoring ourselves. For example, we generally don’t answer our phones during meal times.

  3. Unplug from technology periodically

Taking surveys is a chore. This is what most people will think when you ask them to take your survey. And yet, the results from a well-designed survey can help you determine the next steps to take in order to accomplish your ministry goals.  

The key is designing a survey that people will want to take. Here are several tips on how to design excellent surveys that will provide you with excellent data. 

  1. Establish a clear purpose

If you can’t state the purpose of your survey in one sentence, don’t go any further. You’ll be wasting your time and the time of those who do it. 

Once you identify your purpose, make sure to communicate this effectively. When people understand purpose, they feel empowered. Instead of feeling like a chore that has to get done, the survey can function as a tool that will serve their leaders well.  

  2. Create incentives

Simple incentives like a drawing for a gift card can often motivate people to complete a survey. Plus, a unique giveaway can also serve as a reminder that the survey is happening. 

In addition to physical incentives, help your audience understand that their feedback is an important part of your decision-making process. While it is true that people want to be heard, people will be even more motivated to share their thoughts if they feel assured that their opinions will make a difference. 

  3. Craft every question to serve the overall purpose of the survey

Ask yourself what you’ll do with the responses you receive. If you don’t know why the question is important (or what changes you’d be willing to make based on the responses), the question should be removed.