Telecommuting for Jesus
Pennsylvania State University studied 12,833 telecommuters and found that telecommuting programs are beneficial for both the workers and their employers. The results showed more job satisfaction, less stress, improved work-family balance, and higher performance ratings by supervisors.
Sounds great!!!! So how so you work in a church or non-profit and do this???
It’s not easy. The first hurdle is the boss, and then all the people who give to support your mission. Then the real hurdle: Your ego.
I bring this up because those who work in these sectors sometimes have the biggest problems with the work-family balance issue. There are always more people to help or more souls to save. And there is always a group of people cheering you on as you sacrifice all to do so. So how do you figure out what to do?
The first step is to get to know yourself better. Ask yourself some of the tough questions:
Who am I trying to impress? What am I afraid of? What am I trying to control and why?
As you answer these questions, you may find that telecommuting is not your solution, but rather just choosing to go home when it is time to go home (and then actually focusing on home when you are there!)
Most of us are actually choosing to neglect what we say is important in order to do things that get us positive attention from those we want to impress. We just use the “working for God” as an excuse to get our egos fed.
The New Economy
My son and I have a game we play almost every day - it’s called “What’s the price of gas today?” He is great at remembering what and where and keeping me informed. I almost always get the lowest price around!
At one intersection close to our house there are several gas stations. Two of the stations are usually within a few cents of each other, while a third station is at least 10 cents more. Guess where the lines are.
While the more expensive gas may be a better quality, no one is there.
There is a change from “see how much I paid”… to “see how little I paid”
What does that mean for churches and non profits? More than you think.
The decades of self indulgence are coming to an abrupt halt. Giving to “bigger and better” is dead. If you want to survive, you need to know the new rules.
For years church buildings have been the height of self indulgence. I remember one church that was constructing a family life center (gym). When I asked why..the response was that the YMCA was really crowded in the mornings, and also 20 minutes farther than the church. I appreciated that answer because most churches just don’t have the guts to confess their real motives for what they build and why.
Each month our staff gets together and tells stories about the lives that we have seen changed through what we do. It is incredible to hear those stories, and know that what we do really does matter. We routinely run out of time before we run out of stories.
I have asked other groups to tell me their changed lives stories. There are blank stares, and awkward silences. If I ask them about their next building project they can talk forever - and in great detail, down to the type of carpet they are using.
Those who support the local church are no longer going to be moved by the expensive carpet or the new building: They are going to be moved by the lives that are changed.
It is time to rethink the purpose of our facilities, worship centers, offices, classrooms and gyms. It is time to look at the needs of our communities and see how what we already have can be used to make the human condition a bit better (or a lot better). It is time to stop rationalizing multimillion dollar projects that are really just monuments to ourselves. It is time to open up, and use what we have in ways that we have never thought of before.
If you don’t have those stories to tell - then its time to close your doors.
