Drowning in a sea of hats
What does it profit a church to have all the volunteers in the world if they all burn out?
“Other duties as assigned. “
That’s the dreaded phrase at the end of every job description, but it’s there for a reason. We never know what kind of things are going to be requested of us on the job, and that’s especially true when working in the church. As a pastor, my other duties as assigned have included unclogging toilets, folding bulletins, taking people to doctors appointments, yard work, and many, many contractor tasks that I was not licensed or trained to do.
Every person has to wear a lot of “hats” in life. A man with young children has to hold down a job, take care of the house, save for his kids college, teach Sunday School, volunteer at youth camp, run the computer at church, and keep the spark in his marriage. A college student has class, a job, helps with family, and volunteers at church. A mother manages the family household, buys groceries, keeps kids healthy, does laundry, pays the bills, volunteers in the nursery and on the praise team, and has a job of her own on top of all that! Change the roles or ages of the person to grandparents, single people, or anything else, it still ends up with too much to do and too little time. We have so many roles and responsibilities it feels like we are drowning in a sea of hats. Some of those things we can’t escape, but a church can be one of the worst places about shoving more “hats” on people.
Every leader should know that part of their job is doing whatever needs to be done. As a pastor that means filling the baptistery, changing the toilet paper, fixing the Internet, or anything else that might come up. When good volunteers are at a premium like in a church, both volunteers and staff members find themselves with a plethora of “other duties as assigned.” Most church leaders have learned to be a jack of all trades, helping the church to be the best it can be. The servant’s heart of so many leaders shine through as they strive to serve and help the church carry out its mission. But when the church drowns people in a sea of hats, always asking more of them, it seems the opposite of the call of Christ.
Many people just give up some of those roles when it feels like too much. A family quits going to church, or a father walks out, a marriage grows cold, kids go uncared for. When most people feel overworked the response is to either double down and work harder or just lay some of those hats aside and quit. Quitting often leads to guilt that we let others down, and working harder often leads to resentment at how hard working and under appreciated we are.
When drowning in a sea of hats, the best way out is the same way as when struggling in the water: call for help. It’s often the last thing we do though, afraid that others might think us weak, or out of fear of letting people down. But just as no one would fault a person drowning in the ocean who yelled for help, churches and families shouldn’t blame when their people call for help either. Church leaders should always be on the lookout for those who are drowning under the weight of expectations in life, and be the first ones to offer a hand out of the rolling waves.
Just as a lifeguard watches the waves for the drowning, so should church leaders watch their waters to see who might be drowning in a sea of hats. The signs might be subtle at first: a parent who shows less joy, a volunteer going through the motions, or even just hearing and seeing a person less.
The primary way pastors and leaders can combat someone drowning in a sea of hats is the same way a lifeguard does: keep your eyes on the people. This is the primary calling of any church leader, and means we must care for and watch out for people in danger. Shepherds are not called to manage organizations, but to care for people. Caring for people means knowing someone who needs to step back in a hard season, or who has been working for a long time without a rest, or has a lot of other things going on. It might mean telling a volunteer they are doing too much, and telling them to step back. What does it profit a church to have all the volunteers in the world if they all burn out?
Church leaders should have regular and honest check-ins about life beyond church with their leaders. We should not be satisfied with a “how you doing” on Sunday morning, but spend time with people to know what’s going on in their lives. This usually happens in hallways at church, at a ball game, or over a meal. We should be proactively looking for those who need help before the situation arises, even calling people back who are going too deep, or taking on too many roles at the church.
The church has been tasked with a great work, but we can trust that God will see it through to completion. God has called us to plant and water, but He is the one who brings the increase. If you are drowning in a sea of hats, just call for help. Jesus calls all those who are weary and heavy laden to come to him, and he will give you rest today. Be honest with yourself, honest with Christ, and honest with others, and you will find the rescue that you need.