Day 98: Home Office Pastors
Here is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. I hear of many pastors that do not have an office at a church and don't care to spend the money to rent an office. This usually leads to just one option and that is a home office/study. At first this may seem like a great idea and one you could easily fit into but on the other hand it can be very difficult as well.
In my case my wife and I have a 1 year old daughter and a 2 year old son that we adopted last year. The perk of me being a pastor with a home office is that we don't have to pay for daycare because my wife is a nurse and works full time during the day. Without this sounding bad, the downside of this is that you are around the kids ALL the time. Sure you have a home office and perhaps one that has a door that you can simply close. This allows you to escape being around the kids but it does not prevent the screaming, crying, etc. that you will still hear. To say you will have a quiet time with kids running around on the other side of the wall is impossible. For us this model works. Tracy works in the day and after dinner when she is home I then go to the office and take appointments.
You have to make it a point to sometime find your own space. If this means going for a ride, go to your church, or simply take a walk...it is important you do so. Work from home pastors have a difficult task. With any job or pastor with an office at a church or rental they can simply be gone for the day and come home. With us when you finally do get to go to church for a Wednesday or Sunday service guess what? You bring your family with (and that is a great thing) but it is nice to be away for a little bit now and then. Any other job, career, vocation, etc. you leave your family at home and go to work.
At the cost of maybe sounding a little cold hearted....you have to get away. Take advantage of finding some quiet time so that you can find sanity. You hear in marriage counseling that it is good to be away from each other now and then for a few hours or a day. The same holds true here. You will find yourself with a greater love for your family which is really the most important and where ministry begins.
In my case my wife and I have a 1 year old daughter and a 2 year old son that we adopted last year. The perk of me being a pastor with a home office is that we don't have to pay for daycare because my wife is a nurse and works full time during the day. Without this sounding bad, the downside of this is that you are around the kids ALL the time. Sure you have a home office and perhaps one that has a door that you can simply close. This allows you to escape being around the kids but it does not prevent the screaming, crying, etc. that you will still hear. To say you will have a quiet time with kids running around on the other side of the wall is impossible. For us this model works. Tracy works in the day and after dinner when she is home I then go to the office and take appointments.
You have to make it a point to sometime find your own space. If this means going for a ride, go to your church, or simply take a walk...it is important you do so. Work from home pastors have a difficult task. With any job or pastor with an office at a church or rental they can simply be gone for the day and come home. With us when you finally do get to go to church for a Wednesday or Sunday service guess what? You bring your family with (and that is a great thing) but it is nice to be away for a little bit now and then. Any other job, career, vocation, etc. you leave your family at home and go to work.
At the cost of maybe sounding a little cold hearted....you have to get away. Take advantage of finding some quiet time so that you can find sanity. You hear in marriage counseling that it is good to be away from each other now and then for a few hours or a day. The same holds true here. You will find yourself with a greater love for your family which is really the most important and where ministry begins.
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