I’ve never liked meetings. I think it’s the way I’m wired. 10 minutes into a meeting and I’m ready to leave and go DO something! That’s why the idea of going into a church staff meeting without my MacBook Pro on my lap is out of the question. You see, I can’t just sit and listen. I have to be doing something. This brings up a question. Why have I always thought that meetings are for the birds?

Meetings are for the birds when:
1) they get off the point
2) one person dominates the conversation
3) rabbit trails get followed when more important things are at hand
4) the leader won’t make a decision
5) no one talks
6) 95% of the dialog has nothing to do with your ministry

Meetings can be a big old waste of time. But they don’t have to be. Nor should they be allowed to be. Tonight I had six of our children’s ministry leaders over to my house for an informal meeting. We sat in the basement and talked about what’s working well in our children’s ministry and what needs to improve. Then we made some decisions.

This meeting worked because it had a purpose. Everyone knew the purpose going in. I gave everyone a heads up about what we would be talking about so they would be prepared to contribute to the discussion.

This meeting wasn’t for the birds. It was well worth our time. We discussed current priorities, talked about who is responsible for doing what, and where we hope to be a few months down the road.