You asked what is the good of August! (Not really)

I think every pastor should be sure of the following in August:

  • Sermon series for all fall and four Sundays of Christmas. (And four from Habakkuk fit so well with the hard questions of life, like Ukraine, China, pain, etc)
  • Simple goals for September through August, 2023!  Best based on your main values or missions statement.  Easy to form
  • What you will do Christmas Day, Sunday, this year.
    • Duplicate services Christmas Eve and Day so people come one or the other.
    • Sunday service on Saturday evening.  None Sunday morning or a video service they can watch with family.  (Three families will 🙂
    • Large churches: repeat services Friday and Saturday and maybe one or video Sunday.
    • Nothing that weekend.  Please reject this one.
  • Think through with oversight board the advantages of having fiscal year be September — August rather than calendar year.
  • Think through the oversight board’s review of the pastor and when and how.  (I have a really good one.)
  • See what day your wife thinks you should take as your day off this fall.  (If she says Sunday, take this as a flash warning.)
  • Read Deeper by Dane Ortlund.  Best book on personal growth.
  • Rethink your master schedule and allow someone like me to critique it.
  • Reevaluate staff meetings.
  • Make sure your personal discipleship group is starting with the TLC factor in mind– Time together,  Love,  Content of Scripture that meets the heart.  (I have a great two-year guide, all verses on church and character.)