Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 34

Five Solutions for the Weary Pastor: A Personal Note to Church Members

Pastors are tired.

Many pastors are tired because of all the work they did leading to Easter Sunday, 

But it’s really bigger than that.

Pastors are tired because culture is no longer friendly to churches and to church leaders. Pastors are tired because of internal church conflict. Pastors are tired because of the barrage of social media conflict. Pastors are tired because everyone in the church wants them to make a decision. 

To be clear, pastors are not complaining. Instead, they are internalizing their struggles. Frankly, because most pastors have few outlets to express their frustrations, their mental health is eroding. Some are quitting vocational ministry. Some have thoughts that are just not healthy. 

Though this post is about pastors, I am addressing it to church members. Please read the rest of this article. Read it for your pastor. Read it for your church. Read it for the sake of the Kingdom.

Church members, here are five modest proposals for you to consider. 

1. Pray for your pastor daily. Even if you take just a couple of minutes a day, pray for your pastor. Get the word out. Take the leadership and get other church members to pray for your pastor.

2. Don’t ask your pastor to make every decision. Most pastors are “decision weary.” Unless the issue is critical, see if you can find solutions other than going to the pastor with the problem or need. 

3. Let your pastor know you want to be a part of the solution so more members can be equipped for ministry. The local church was never meant to be a pastor-driven ministry. All church members are to be doing the work of ministry. Let me encourage you to be at our webinar tomorrow (April 13) where we introduce “Church Equip.” Encourage your pastor to be there as well. It will be a time of joy and hope. Here is the registration link: https://churchanswers.com/webinars/799923/ 

4. Be a source of unity. Don’t join the bandwagon of critics about churches and pastors: “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10, NLT). 

5. Seek to be a Great Commission Christian. Pray for opportunities to share what Christ has done in your life. Invite people to church. Start a new group in your church where you invite those not in a church to join you.

Obviously, this list is not exhaustive. But it can be a good start. 

By the way, thank you for taking time to read this article and listen.

P. S. Don’t forget to join us tomorrow to introduce a major new initiative called Church Equip. Register here: https://churchanswers.com/webinars/799923/

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7 Reasons Even Church Leaders Need Hope—and How Church Answers Can Help

We recently celebrated Resurrection Sunday, a day filled with hope and anticipation. That’s not to say, though, that everyone leading a church that day was living in hope. In fact, many church leaders need hope. Here are some reasons why:

We don’t really let the power of the resurrection affect every part of our lives. We’ve made Resurrection Sunday a once-a-year event, and we only talk about resurrection the rest of the year.We don’t know many people who are just filled with hope. Too many people we know are struggling with hopelessness themselves—and we get caught up in that wave.We’ve just come through some tough years that have drained us. Many churches I know are back to pre-COVID attendance, but the last few years have taken their toll on many church leaders.The weight of Christian ministry can be heavy and overwhelming. Our work can be painful. . . lonely. Just the weightiness of our calling can sometimes weaken our spirits.Our present-tense responsibilities overshadow any future-tense hope. Today’s work is never-ending, and tomorrow is yet to come. Sometimes we’re just trying to get through the day—and hope is somewhere in the distance.Ongoing personal sin has turned our heart toward self—and thus away from the God of hope. Our own lack of faithfulness to God always drains our hope. That is inevitably the case, for unfaithfulness robs us of God’s blessings in general.Trying to lead a church toward growth is often plodding, slow work. We’re often trying to turn a ship around that has been only floating for some time. Change doesn’t happen easily.

This hopelessness among church leaders is one reason why we at Church Answers will be introducing in June The Hope Initiative, a simple, reproducible, 30-day outreach strategy that helps turn a church outward and renew a leader’s hope. Our beta testing has already shown this strategy to be effective, and I encourage you to check it out here.

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Predicting Your Worship Attendance for the Next Year

Can you really predict your church’s worship attendance for the next year? Our answer is “maybe.”

I know such certainty gives you a lot of comfort!

Here’s the reality: the answer is in God’s hands. His Spirit can move as He pleases.

So why would we even attempt to project worship attendance? It’s a fair question.

Looking at Correlates

At the risk of boring you, allow me to explain the issue of correlates. A correlate is two or more factors that seem to affect each other. For example, we might say that drug use is a significant correlate of property crime.

We cannot necessarily prove that drug use causes property crime, but drug use is often pervasive when you look at data on property crime.

Back to Church Issues

We often look at correlates to help us understand church practices. And we can say confidently that some common factors are present in churches where the attendance is growing, particularly if the annual attendance growth rate is 10 percent or higher.

The big picture for growth in churches is Great Commission obedience. But that factor is general and can be vague. The question we sought to answer is, How does the church obey the Great Commission most effectively?

For example, we’ve learned that the frequency of evangelism activity in your church is a highly important correlate to your church’s attendance growth over the next year.

Predicting Attendance Growth in Your Church

We created a free tool that can help you predict growth (or decline) in your church for the next year. You can get it here: https://churchanswers.com/grow.

It is a fallible tool, but we still think it is a useful tool. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete and score.

While we hope the tool is interesting, our greater hope is that the tool can be useful for seeing Great Commission growth in your church.

Answer the questions as accurately as possible. The questions themselves are based on correlates, so you can immediately see where improvements are possible.

Let Us Hear from You

After you’ve completed the tool, we would love to hear from you. We are always in a learning posture, so your feedback is helpful to us.

Even more importantly, your feedback is helpful for the Kingdom.

And that’s what really matters.

https://churchanswers.com/grow

 

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Celebrating and Reaching Gen Z

I recently wrapped up recordings for Season 1 of our Church Answer’s Women Podcast, At The Table, with two interviews highlighting the joy and need of coming alongside Gen Z that will release on April 14th and 21st. Like every generation, they are often marked by negative stereotypes such as tech obsessed or anti-social and again like every generation there is so much more than what is perceived or talked about on the surface.

I don’t write as a sociologist or a researcher, but as a mom, minister, and leader who truly does want to see Jesus transform the hearts, minds, and souls of this generation coming after me. From the day-to-day conversations at the coffee shop with some of our college students to car rides on the way home from school with my own son, I see so much to celebrate and to encourage, and so many opportunities to call them toward the young men and women they are created to be.

Let’s Celebrate Them

1) They are resilient. The Covid 19 pandemic turned education, extracurriculars, relationships, and dreams upside down. They have had to battle immense pressures to catch up in their studies and re-engage social life in new ways. Statistics tell us they are battling mental health struggles more than ever and yet they are taking courageous steps in talking about their struggles, getting help, and encouraging others to seek help.

2) They are adaptable and creative. They are so familiar with technology and the new innovations of the day that they are quick to problem solve and figure out new technology as well as have new ideas for old problems. When given a problem they are quick to think through ways to tackle it that we would consider outside of the box.

3) They teach us how to engage differences. Unlike earlier generations, they do an incredible job of having conversations across differences. Whether over politics, race, or religion, they find themselves voicing their viewpoints and opinions and listening well to one another. They have deep empathy for people and want others to feel heard and valued.

4) They care about justice. This is one of the things I love most about them and watching God work through them. They care deeply about big and heavy topics and want to make a difference on things that matter.

I love how Roberta Katz describes Gen Z: “a typical Gen Zer is a self-driver who deeply cares about others, strives for a diverse community, is highly collaborative and social, values flexibility, relevance, authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership, and, while dismayed about inherited issues like climate change, has a pragmatic attitude about the work that has to be done to address those issues.”

A study from Barna concluded that “Curiosity about Jesus is widespread in the open generation. Teens in the U.S. are far more intrigued than their global peers, with 77 percent being at least somewhat motivated to keep learning about Jesus throughout their lives.”

When I look at Gen Z, I see young people who are hungry for relationship, meaning, and belonging–and possibly now more than ever–they are seeking these out and asking for answers. And the real question to be asked is: are we willing to pause, evaluate, and shift some of our perspectives and practices in order to meet them where they are?

Let’s Reach Them

1) Relationships are key. True life change and investment happens through relationships. Think of how much our church services are siloed into different age groups and gendered activities. Oftentimes the main worship gathering is the only time a church is fully together in one place, yet rarely do we make it a priority to go and say hello to the teen girls huddled together or the boys who are in the lobby waiting to go into service. Our students and young adults will never feel valued and a part of the family if we don’t engage them. Start with a hello. Ask them about their week. Follow up by asking them to grab a smoothie or ice cream sometime–or go to one of their ball games.

2) Don’t be afraid of doubts. Gen Z wrestles through many differing viewpoints, questions, and even doubts about their faith. Although this can be scary not knowing where they will land, it is an opportunity to tackle hard things together. From gender identity to justice issues, to our orthopraxy and traditions, they are asking questions seeking depth and truth. The temptation for us is to feel disrespected or insulted when they ask questions, but what if there is something more? Listening well and learning together are invitations toward connection and growth.

3) What is celebrated is embodied. How you speak about your teen, what you celebrate about your student ministry, and the wisdom you learn from your college students and young adults is noticed by them. If we constantly point to how God is using them and how they are being image bearers in unique and hard ways, they will not only see God, but they will live out who God made them to be. Gen Z (much like all of us) wants to wake up each day with purpose and mission. What an incredible privilege to get to link the creative and unique ways they image God to a broken world and then cheer them on as they take up the mantle to be lights in the midst of darkness–so that right now they will make a difference on their campuses, with their teams, and in their neighborhoods. 

Further Resources on Gen Z:

At The Table Podcast episodes 24 and 25 (coming soon)
Gen Z Reacts with Sam Rainer
Growing Young Curriculum from Fuller Seminary
Free E-Book The Greatest Decision

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This One Meeting Revolutionized How I Listen to My Church Staff

“You’re missing an opportunity to listen,” the consultant told me. He was kind but blunt. I knew he was right.

“Start meeting with each team member one-on-one, at least once a month.”

I followed his advice and have not looked back. These one-on-ones have helped me lead the church staff unlike anything else.

Setting up these meetings is simple. I reserve several blocks of time throughout the year, and my team signs up via Calendly, which I highly recommend to help manage your calendar.

The purpose of the meeting is twofold. First, these one-on-ones exist for church staff to bring to me any items they believe need my attention. Second, I ask about their families, spiritual walk with God, and how they are doing in our church work environment.

I spend about thirty minutes in these one-on-one meetings. The first fifteen minutes are dedicated to church-related work. The last fifteen minutes are spent discussing more personal items, like how their children are doing, their favorite sports team, or upcoming vacation plans. The conversations are usually light-hearted, but occasionally staff share some of their personal struggles. It’s my time to be their pastor.

Thirty minutes each month may not seem like a lot, but over time, the cumulative effect of these meetings starts to build relational capital. A monthly meeting will amount to six hours of one-on-one time in a year.

The impact of this investment is enormous.

It’s good to be in the moment with each staff person one-on-one. The goal is to prioritize their needs and concerns rather than imposing mine on them.

Here are some tips to make these meetings more successful:

Keep them short. Thirty minutes should be sufficient.Put your computer, phone, and other devices out of sight. Be present and focus entirely on the staff person.Be optimistic. Don’t let your foul mood turn the room sour. Research shows a leader can have a contagion effect if he or she starts a meeting with the wrong tone.Elevate these meetings. Do not cancel them with your team. Send the message they are important.Let your staff lead the conversations.Make it clear they are the ones bringing any agenda items. Your goal is to listen.Ask questions. Don’t give them directives in these meetings unless they ask you for one.

What questions can you ask to be more effective as a listener? Here are ten suggestions:

How can I help equip you in your ministry role?What are your current priorities?Is there anything you need me to do to understand your perspective better?What excites you most about the next twelve months?Do you have thoughts on something that you have not felt like you can share?Is anything slowing you down or preventing you from accomplishing your goals?What kind of ongoing feedback would you like from me?How do you feel most supported in your ministry role?What is your favorite part of your week? Why?What are you reading? What are your favorite podcasts? What have you learned from them?

You should not ask all these questions at every one-on-one, but you may find one or two helpful depending on the staff person and the situation. Don’t treat these meetings as another task on your list of things to do. Instead, consider the time as critical to relational health. End the meeting by asking the staff person if they have a prayer request. Then take the last few minutes to pray. The goal is for the person to leave the room feeling valued, respected, and informed.

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The Right Way to Seek Pastors and Church Staff for Your Church

Almost every week we at Church Answers hear from search committees (or their equivalent). They are frustrated because they can’t find quality candidates for pastor or church staff positions. The process has taken much longer than they anticipated. Members of the church are getting restless and, sometimes, critical.

Likewise, we hear from pastors and church staff who are considering a move. They are often frustrated because of the lack of responsiveness of search committees. We heard from one pastor who was initially contacted by a search committee. The initial Zoom interview went well, and the committee indicated they wanted to take the next step with him.

But he never heard from the search committee . . . until two years later. They told him that he was their top candidate. But he had accepted the call to another church six months earlier.

“The Way We’ve Always Done It” Is Not Working

Many search committees use a process that became ineffective about a decade ago. They collect resumes from a wide range of recommendations, from ads, and if they are affiliated, from their denomination. They are usually able to get a large stack of applications and resumes.

Because search committees mostly include laypersons with busy schedules, they only meet once a week. The process becomes laborious–and often painful. 

I will not take time to repeat here the specific flaws of this process. For now, I will note two major flaws. First, there is often no attempt to match ministry and cultural philosophies between the church and the candidate. Even if the candidate is doctrinally aligned with the church, that does not mean that he or she is a good fit for the church.

Second, search committees take many unnecessary steps that prolong the process. Many who serve on a pastor or church staff search committee are doing so for the first time. The only way they know to proceed is the way search committees have done it in the past.

What Is Working

I am an advocate of hiring a good search firm to find a few candidates to present to the search committee. Search firms have gone through this process countless times. They know what they are doing. They have proven methods to match churches with candidates.

The most common objections I hear to retaining search firms are twofold. First, the church does not want to pay the reasonable cost of the firm. I can assure you that calling the wrong person to the church is a lot more expensive and painful than retaining a search firm. 

Second, some churches object because they think that hiring a search firm removes God from the process. Just like the Holy Spirit can work through a search committee, the Holy Spirit can also work through a search firm. And the search firm provides multiple candidates for the committee to prayerfully consider .

Another key way to find qualified candidates requires the church to present information that clearly depicts the identity of the church. That identity, of course, includes doctrine and denominational affiliation, if any. But it should also speak about the community in which the church is located, specific cultural issues of the church, and philosophies of ministry.

A Good Example  

Deek Dubberly is the lead pastor of First Baptist Church of Rincon, Georgia, a suburb of Savannah. His church is seeking to call a next generation pastor. Deek and the church produced a great video for prospective candidates to consider. 

I am grateful Deek is part of the Church Answers community and shared the video with the nearly 2,000 members in the community. Note how he talks about the community of Rincon and Savannah. Note how clearly he articulates the philosophy of ministry for the candidates. The church wants a team player and not a next gen pastor to develop a siloed ministry.

I won’t give away the full content of the video. With permission from Deek, I am sharing it with you.

Enjoy it. You will be blessed.

 

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How Sensible Pastors React to Harsh Public Criticism

One pastor had a group of people circulate a petition to get him fired. They tried to get signatures in the foyer as members walked into church for Sunday services. Another pastor experienced the creation of a Facebook page dedicated to criticizing every aspect of his preaching and leadership. In a small town, a pastor became the fodder for regular op-ed pieces in the local newspaper. They were not flattering.

In each of these cases, some would claim the criticisms were warranted. Perhaps they were right. Or maybe the critics had impure motives and were overly harsh.

Criticism can be either constructive or destructive. Constructive criticism comes from a pure motive to help the one criticized. Destructive criticism grows out of selfish motives and desires to tear down the one criticized. Criticism can also be either public or private. Both have a place. Typically, the critic should start with private conversations and escalate to more public statements when others are at risk. In rare cases, a whistleblower may need to inform the world about a particular situation.

Consider the below matrix. This article addresses destructive and public criticism, which is often harmful. How should sensible pastors react after receiving unwarranted, harsh public criticism?

Decide if a public response is necessary. If the critic intends harm, a response—private or public—may cause more problems. This kind of criticism is often short-lived (less than 24 hours), and people will move on to other targets. The first step is to determine the duration and damage of the criticism. If the critique has legs and will trample on a lot of people, then you will likely need to offer a public response.

Don’t expect fairness. Perhaps an ideal church, organization, or business exists where leaders are treated with total equity. I have not found one. The reality is positions of power must be checked by bottom-up accountability. But this accountability comes from people who are often not aware of the efforts you made to solve problems. You make a decision, and people question it. At times, you will receive unfair public criticism. Pastors must shoulder this burden. Is it fair? No, but leadership is ultimately about sacrifice and service, not fairness.

Keep calm and use facts. Maintaining a good reputation is a biblical requirement for pastors. I can understand the visceral reaction of defensiveness when faced with a public attack. Most want to defend their good name. The problem is you escalate the issue when you respond emotionally. In most cases, a calm and matter-of-fact response is best.

Attempt to learn from unwarranted attacks. When faced with harsh and public criticism, you will expend energy. It’s up to you to determine what type of energy. Will you learn something? Or will you waste the opportunity and devolve into rage, paranoia, or exasperation? Perhaps the critique has no basis at all. Nevertheless, you can still learn from why and how the critique was offered.

Use humility as your tone and transparency as your tactic. Public criticism often requires a public response. Grandstanding will make the critic look like the victim. Holding back information will raise suspicions of you and give credence to your critic. Respond with a tone of humility. Give everyone all the information at the same time. Generally, you’ve got one shot at a response. Do it right the first time. People are sensitive to gaslighting. When information dribbles out, you appear as if there is something to hide. Be sensible, not sensational.

Show empathy to your critic. Your feelings about your critic’s feelings are irrelevant. Church members need to know you have empathy, even for the most erroneous detractors. You can build a bridge by demonstrating an understanding of their emotions while at the same time refuting their claims with facts.

Public criticism is an inevitable part of pastoral ministry. It will happen but hopefully not often. You are especially vulnerable when the complaints are overly harsh and out in the open. Sensible shepherds will respond in a way that benefits the church, even if it hurts personally.

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Seven Reasons We Preachers Don’t Always Know What Our Church is Thinking . . . and a Reason to Get a “Know Your Church Report”

I can’t remember how many times I was surprised by what my church members were thinking, even though I was their pastor. What I thought was the case wasn’t always so. How does that happen?

1. We assume we hear everything in the course of ministry. We know we don’t, but we act as if we do. After all, we’re constantly with our church folks over the course of a week, and we’re always talking with them.

2. We assume people tell us what they’re thinking. In many cases, of course, they do (and even painfully so at times). Many others, though, don’t tell us anything. They don’t tell us when they’re rejoicing over our ministry, and they don’t tell us when they’re struggling with it.

3. We assume everyone in the church is comfortable coming to us. We’re the shepherds. We love them. We want them to come to us with concerns. We tell them that, inviting them to set up a meeting. Still, some folks simply aren’t willing to bring their issues to the pastor—even though they may talk with others.

4. Sometimes those struggling with the church are planning their response behind the scenes. I’m not arguing that’s a right move, but I am saying it happens. Sometimes we don’t know about a problem until the forces have already united against it. They’ve intentionally kept their distance.

5. We focus more on telling than on listening. After all, that’s our job. We proclaim the gospel. We cast vision. We make announcements. We give advice. We do counseling. We lead staff. We do so much communicating proactively that we sometimes fail to listen, even when others are seeking to share their concerns.

6. Sometimes our heart and mind are already thinking about the next place of service. We’re trying to pastor the church we currently lead while also dreaming about the church where we want to be. When our heart’s divided like that, we’re likely not even paying attention to what’s happening around us.

7. We never ask them what they’re thinking. This may be, in fact, the primary reason we don’t always know what our church is thinking. Seldom do we take opportunities to hear from folks like small groups, focus groups, or student groups. Even less often do we seek to survey the entire church about their thinking.

That’s the reason I’m such a fan of the “Know Your Church Report” available through Church Answers. I’ve used this survey in some format for more than 20 years, and I find it to be an incredible resource to understand your church. I encourage you to consider using it.

 

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What Is the First Step on the Path to Discipleship after Someone Joins the Church?

They have visited your church frequently. They felt that your church should become their own church home. They went through a membership class. They are now officially part of the church body.

Now what?

We get that question, or questions similar to it, on a regular basis at Church Answers. In essence, church leaders are asking us to suggest a path of discipleship for their church members. Where do they go after they join the church and complete a membership class?

The Common Path

We typically suggest that church leaders emphasize the importance of regular gathering or attendance in worship services. Additionally, we recommend that members get in a small group. Church members get connected relationally to others in small groups. They tend to serve in ministries more readily and give more faithfully if they are in small groups.

We know if a church member attends worship faithfully, is active in a small group, serves in a ministry, and gives generously, he or she is likely to grow as a disciple. Such is the reason we’ve included these key points on the discipleship path.

But we knew something was missing. That led us to reconsider the first step in the path of discipleship. 

A Reconsidered First Step

The conversation went something like this in a consultation where we were helping a church develop and clarify a process of discipleship. “Thom,” the pastor began. “We love the path you’ve given our church. It provides a lot of clarity and gives us a clear plan forward.” He paused for a moment. “But,” he continued, “we really need something else beyond these points on the discipleship process. We need our members to know the big picture of what it means to live like a believer in Christ.”

Comments like those from that pastor led me to write I Am A Christian. After someone becomes a member of the church, they should get the big picture of what it means to live for Christ. Such is the purpose of this work. I Am A Christian offers straightforward biblical guidance on serving, witnessing, giving, and praying, all within the local context of your church.

The late Francis Schaeffer addressed this issue from the perspective of engaging culture over fifty years ago in his classic book, How Should We Then Live? He knew how critical it was for believers to know how to live in a challenging culture. I Am A Christian addresses that same issue in the context of the local church.

The Process Begins

That same pastor told me he planned to use I Am A Christian in all of the church’s small groups. He felt that every church member needed this guidance not only to become involved in the life of the church, but to know how to live outside the walls of the church.

It is with great excitement that I announce the release of I Am A Christian. We can only anticipate how God will use this book as the first step beyond church membership.

I pray it will make a difference in the lives of Christians.

I pray it will make a difference in the health of churches.

____________________________________

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Why Work from Home Won’t Work for the Church

A philosophical tug-of-war is occurring in the work world. To what degree should people work from home, and how much time should they spend in the office?

Some CEOs are mandating a permanent return to the office on all workdays. Others allow their workers to be remote, even working in other states. Many are splitting the difference with a hybrid approach.

Studies are beginning to show the value of working in an office setting with your colleagues. The bonds between companies and workers are fragile and only made weaker by too much remote work. People say they want remote work because it satisfies short-term desires, only to find out later they suffer because of it.

What about the church?

Long gone are the days of required office hours from 9 to 5 on Mondays through Fridays. Good riddance. Pastors don’t need to sit at desks for hours each day. But the pendulum should not swing too far the other way. For example, it would be unwise if every church staff person worked from home and rarely came into the office.

I’m not advocating for rigid office hours, but having a couple of office days is important. Why? Five reasons stand out.

Collaboration: God did not design each member of the body to work in isolation. Church teams work best together and not in silos. Communication tools like Slack can help fill in the gaps, but there is something to the ability to swing by someone’s desk and ask a question.Mentoring: Physical presence is crucial for relationships to be healthy. Experienced and knowledgeable pastors can adapt to remote work because of the years spent doing onsite ministry. Younger and newer pastors need time in person with mentors to develop and mature. So much of ministry is learned by observing and repeating older pastors’ good habits and strong disciplines.Creativity: You can listen to each instrument of a symphony independently, but the expression and emotion of the song are absent unless you hear everyone playing together. There is a creative energy that is lost through a screen.Productivity: Some work is suited for a home environment, like writing sermons. A lot of church work, however, requires interaction with people or the church campus, such as first impressions, worship ministry technology, and child safety procedures in the classroom. Without time on site, the prep work would be rushed on Sundays.Camaraderie: Jokes and laughter are much better in person than through a screen. My team enjoys harmless office pranks that would otherwise be impossible with remote work.

What is an example of a schedule that works? I will share my typical week. I work six days a week and am onsite three and a half days a week. Part of the onsite time, however, may include breakfast and lunches with church members, community leaders, and other pastors.

Monday: Writing sermons from home all day.Tuesday: Meetings onsite at the church. Available for lunches with members.Wednesday: Working from home in the morning and at the church after lunch.Thursday: Office work in the morning and afternoon, available for lunches with members.Friday: Working from home, usually writing.Saturday: Sabbath and family day.Sunday: Onsite morning to evening and available for lunches and dinners with members.

I’m not advocating for rigid office hours, but having a couple of office days is essential. For my church team, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are when almost everyone is onsite. 

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