What Does Our Church Program Say About How We Value The People We Lead?
[00:20] What Does Our Church Program Communicate?
Church programs don't just communicate what we value as an organisation. They can also communicate how much we value the people we're asking to participate in them.
Every decision about what we schedule, how often we meet, and what we expect people to attend places a demand on someone's time.
Sometimes, without intending to, churches can develop very high expectations of people's availability without considering the load they're already carrying, their lifestyle, or whether what we're asking them to attend is actually beneficial to them.
So it's worth stepping back and asking:
What does our church program communicate about how we value people?
[01:40] Rest Is Part of Being Free
One area where this becomes particularly important is rest.
The biblical principle of Sabbath isn't simply about following a rule. It's connected to the idea that God's people are no longer slaves.
Rest is something people are allowed to have.
Even within the biblical Sabbath commands, rest wasn't reserved for a privileged few. Everyone—even the animals—was given permission to stop.
For church leaders, that raises an important question: are the rhythms we're creating allowing people to rest, or are we unintentionally taking that rest away?
[02:50] Are We Taking People's Free Time?
Church leaders often have a different weekly rhythm from the people they lead.
Because of that, we can look at someone's calendar, identify a gap and think:
"They're free then."
But that gap may actually be their rest.
It may be family time.
It may be the only space they have available to recover from the rest of their week.
Rather than simply appropriating people's available time, perhaps we need to have conversations before scheduling things.
Even if it's impossible to find a time that suits everyone, simply asking communicates something important:
We value you, and we value your time.
[04:00] When Church Rhythms Don't Work for Families
Mel shares her experience of working on a church staff where Friday was the designated day off for most ministry staff.
For many staff members, that worked well. They could have Friday and Saturday off before returning to work on Sunday.
But it didn't work for Mel's family.
Her husband Josh worked Fridays and had Sundays off. That meant Saturday was the only day Mel, Josh and their daughter could consistently spend together.
And when church events were scheduled on Saturdays as well, there was very little space left for their family to simply be together.
It raised an important question:
Where is the reprieve for the family?
[05:30] Guarding the Space That Matters
That experience changed the way Mel now approaches Saturdays.
Rather than seeing Saturday as an available space in the calendar, she intentionally guards it because it provides a rhythm of rest and connection for her family.
That rhythm has benefited their health—relationally, spiritually and more broadly.
But protecting that space can sometimes be interpreted as a lack of commitment.
That's where churches need to think carefully about the culture they're creating.
Does commitment to church require people to continually sacrifice the rhythms that keep their families and relationships healthy?
[06:40] When the Structure Makes Ministry Harder
The challenge became particularly noticeable when Mel had a young child.
During one period, around 14 church events were scheduled on Saturdays within a relatively short timeframe.
For a family already trying to navigate work, ministry, parenting and a young child's needs, those additional commitments had a significant impact.
It also raised a broader question about ministry structures.
Are the structures we've created making it unnecessarily difficult for some people to participate in ministry?
For example, if church rhythms consistently conflict with the realities faced by young mothers, are we unintentionally making it harder for women with young children to pursue a ministry calling?
Sometimes the problem isn't someone's commitment.
It may be the structure we've created.
[08:00] "Your Time Is Mine"
When churches create programs without listening to the people expected to participate, we can unintentionally communicate:
"Your time is mine."
That's very different from treating people with dignity.
Healthy church planning involves stepping back, asking questions and listening.
It can also help people evaluate the pace of their own lives.
Our broader culture may encourage constant activity, but we still have choices about where we invest our time, what matters most, and whether we need to slow down.
Church should help people develop healthy rhythms—not simply add more activity to an already overloaded life.
[09:40] Is What We're Offering Actually Valuable?
Valuing people's time isn't only about when we schedule something.
It's also about what happens when they get there.
If we're asking someone to give up an evening, attend another meeting or add something to an already full week, the content should be worth their time.
That requires churches to be mature enough to invite honest feedback.
Was this meeting helpful?
Was it well prepared?
Did people gain something valuable from being there?
Or did they attend primarily because they felt they were supposed to?
[10:50] Don't Make People Attend Just to Tick a Box
Sometimes people continue attending church meetings not because they're receiving value from them, but because they want to demonstrate that they care.
They make an appearance.
They tick the box.
But if that's the primary reason people are attending, we need to ask whether we're respecting their time.
This is particularly important when we're asking volunteers or leaders to attend additional meetings outside their existing commitments.
If we're adding something to someone's schedule, it should genuinely be of value to them.
[11:20] Value Your Leaders' Time
Leaders' meetings deserve significant preparation.
These are people who already love the church.
They're already contributing.
They're already giving their time.
So when we ask them for even more of it, we should honour that contribution by making the time worthwhile.
Poorly prepared or unnecessary meetings can eventually create frustration—particularly among capable leaders who immediately recognise when their time isn't being used well.
Valuing leaders means valuing the time they're giving us.
[12:20] Does It Actually Need to Be a Meeting?
Sometimes the problem isn't the content.
It's the format.
Do we really need to bring everyone together for another evening meeting?
Could the same conversation happen one-on-one?
Could three people catch up together?
Could it happen over Zoom during a lunch break?
Could it become part of an ongoing discipleship conversation rather than another event on the calendar?
People already have jobs, families, children's activities, dinners to prepare and countless other responsibilities.
Thinking creatively about how we meet can be another way of communicating that we value their lives beyond church.
[13:30] What Does Our Program Say About How We Value People?
Ultimately, our church programs communicate something.
The meetings we schedule.
The events we expect people to attend.
The times we choose.
The content we provide.
The amount of preparation we put into it.
All of these things tell people something about how we see them.
So perhaps before adding another event to the calendar, there's one question worth asking:
Does this show people that we value their time?