Become a Border Guard for your Corps Officer – Part 1: The Clock

What are the most vulnerable spots for your Corps Officer?  As part one of this series of posts, I want to talk about what you can do to help your pastor make the best use of time.

I have just been listening to “Healthy Boundaries,” the latest installment of Focus on the Family’s Pastor to Pastor Audio Series.  It is available for free download at www.parsonage.org, and has been quite thought provoking to me.

As I listened, I thought not only of borders in my life that I have had some success (and some failure) at maintaining, I also thought about what soldiers can do to help protect their Captains (nothing against Lieutenants or Majors; I just happen to be a Captain).

Please understand that I do not have a perception that there is a perfect CO out there.  But I strongly believe that each officer has room for improvement.  In addition, if you believe it, you as a soldier can do something to help your officer succeed.

A Corps Officer is under attack on many fronts.  In this post, I will talk about the very vulnerable area of time.  Here are some practical things you can do to help protect your officer in this difficult area.  It’s not an exhaustive list, but it seems like a good start.

1. Encourage balance in schedule – Ask your Captain, “Are you getting enough sleep?” or “When is the last time you took a day off?” or “When is your next date night with your spouse?”  Trying to meet the needs of the community and congregation can be overwhelming for officers, especially when you consider that the job is never done.  One biblical command that Salvationists have a hard time obeying is Commandment #4 – “Remember the Sabbath Day.”  Asking some caring questions like “Can you take all your vacation this year?” can remind your officer that you care and that taking time off is important.
2. Offer to help – The work ethic of officers, while well-meaning, can lead to exhaustion and burnout.  Let’s face it, we all love servant leaders, but without a border guard in this area, we all can be vulnerable to temptation.  Take some time to find out what you can do to lighten your officer’s load.  It’s easy if you simply observe what your Captain does on a regular basis.  One of the biggest helps to me was when one of my soldiers offered to fold the bulletins on a Sunday morning.  Sometimes the smallest task can be overwhelming especially if it’s the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”
3. Run Interference – Sunday mornings are the worst for interruptions.  It is often the busiest, most harrowing day for an officer, but it’s also the time when everyone sees the pastor and is tempted to ask questions or present a problem.  It might be a time when you simply stand as a bodyguard, suggesting to others that an issue might be able to wait for a phone call on Monday morning.  Don’t get crazy or uncaring, but after a short time, people will get the hint to wait, and your officer will be able to concentrate better on the already large list of things to take care of on Sunday.
4. Suggest a lighter schedule – A corps schedule can get extremely busy.  Sometimes the Corps Council’s first idea to solve a problem is to add another program.  While this is at times a good thing, maybe saying “No” or dropping another less important meeting in order to introduce a new item is just what the time doctor ordered.

If you help protect your Corps Officer’s schedule, you can be a more effective border guard for your pastor. 

Maybe you have a suggestion to add to my list.  If so, please add it as a comment.