Overfunction Junction

I suppose its no coincidence that many people working in professional ministry are overfunctioners.

I'll bet if we each took a moment to think about it, we could pinpoint the moment when we began "taking one for the team", "picking up the slack", or that most insidious of parlor tricks, "doing it ourselves if we want it done right."

The truth is that our relentless need to be so damn dependable tends to help turn other people into emotional, theological, ecclesiastical cripples. (Yes, that's not a nice word, and this is the only context in which I use it.) And that does not even begin to touch what it does to our very own selves. There comes a point in time when there just isn't any dignity in cutting a 20-year-old's meat anymore.

I hit The Wall recently. You know, the one you hit when you have done too much for too many for too long. (If you are an overfunctioner and do not think such a wall exists or that you have ever hit it, congratulations. You win. You are worse off than I am.)

Last night, I sat in a meeting and had a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished. With me at the table were a half-dozen or so attractive, intelligent, competent, winsome church leaders. Some are clergy and some are elders. I listed the things that needed to be accomplished. I told them I would do one of the things, and asked them to please each take one off the list. None of the tasks was beyond the skill set of any of the people of whom I was asking. They were each short duration, no-followup-required, one-time only tasks. I waited, pencil poised to check off each task with a name.

We waited in silence for what felt like hours, but I'm sure was about 40-45 seconds. I said, "We'll move on to the next agenda item as soon as we get these things assigned."

Silence. I kept waiting, trying to stay patient. It was very uncomfortable in the room.

I said, "Well, we'll table these for the next meeting, then."

Finally somebody spoke up, "But they have to be done before May___, when the ___________meeting takes place. Our next meeting is too late."

I asked, "What do you suggest we do about that?" No response. I then moved on to the next agenda item. Just before I closed the meeting, I clarified the situation: "Just to be clear, we won't be making any of the phone calls, writing any of the letters, or sending any of the emails (except for one) we need to in order for the _________ to happen, correct? Is there anything else this committee needs to not do before our next meeting?"

And, no, I'm not doing any of those things. And my email--the one I agreed to send-- already got sent this morning.

I don't pimp Jesus and I don't beg colleagues.