Margin

Lockdown is over, and Christmas is coming. One way to thrive in the busyness is by retaining margin. 

Remember the days of exercise books at high school, needing to draw margins on the left hand side of the page? 2 centimetres, I believe. I’m still not sure why we had to draw them. But leaving space on the left-hand side did create a sense of order, space, and clarity. Not only that, it was a discipline.  

In leading teams at church, we quite rightly focus on resourcing teams Sunday by Sunday. But something that often gets overlooked is creating margin – extra time and capacity in the schedule. In particular, creating space for things to go wrong, for creative experiments, and for relationship as components of a thriving ministry. Margin doesn’t occur naturally – it takes effort. For many of us, time in lockdown has given us that margin. So how can we hold on to it?  

Space for things to go wrong  

Things going wrong should not be seen as an anomaly. We should expect that things will go wrong, and find ways of normalising that. There are just so many moving parts in a Sunday church service, it’s unrealistic to think everything will run to plan. A mic cable is faulty, song lyrics slides need editing, a guitar string breaks… Troubleshooting takes time. If we feel rushed in the process, chances are that more mistakes will get made. So, we should start rehearsals earlier than seems necessary. We want time not just to rehearse the songs, but to fix things that go wrong. There is a reason touring bands soundcheck mid-afternoon, well before doors open! All the required processes take time. Allowing that time helps to create a sense of calm and lightness, the very environment we need to execute our roles well. Allowing time removes the drama from troubleshooting.  

As we seek to shape our services in ‘undistracting excellence’ (John Piper’s phrase) so that all service elements are presented clearly, margin is central. One common scenario where margin is sometimes overlooked is the ‘two services back to back with 30 minutes in between them’ situation. It leaves very little room for logistical realities and troubleshooting. Church is not just about getting people in and out of a room. It is also a production – sound, lights, visuals. Even when the same personnel (musicians, sound people) are involved in both services, as they should be, things go wrong and need fixing. The first service can run overtime. And those serving need a break, a chance to grab a coffee, and reset.  

For those in music pastor/leader roles, we should contend for margin when decisions about services are being made. Clear explanations of the need for margin on Sundays will be immensely helpful for decision-makers who are balancing a range of factors. And in providing margin on Sundays, we are caring for our teams by helping them execute their ministries in a sustainable and enjoyable way.

Creative experiments 

It’s possible to fill our weeks with planning for Sundays. But then there is an art to knowing when to draw the line, entrust Sunday’s services to God, and move on to other things. What are those other things? What will we invest our time in? I’ve found it essential in ministry to allocate time for creative experiments. These are activities that are not ‘essential’ to delivering a Sunday service, but may enhance church life in unexpected ways.  

Google’s famous ‘20% Project’ encourages employees to use 20% of their paid hours to work on a personal project that might benefit Google. Gmail was developed by one employee this way! The program was influenced by a 1948 program from manufacturer 3M requiring employees to give 15% of their time to personal projects.  

20%? 15%? That might be hard to come by in under-resourced church life. But even a few hours a week can make a huge difference. Rather than asking ‘What needs to get done?’, the question becomes ‘What might be possible?’. Recently, some members of our evening congregation started a choir. They sing classical, four-part harmony pieces, and from the moment they started singing together, they sounded amazing! I have assisted in the smallest of ways – like arranging a rehearsal space at church for them. During lockdown, the choir decided to record a version of ‘Be Thou My Vision’, each member contributing a part. I spent a few hours contributing a part. One of the choir’s leaders mixed the audio and edited the video, and the result was so good that we ultimately included it in our Sunday church services to mark the end of lockdown! It was a huge encouragement to us all. We are now planning for them to sing an item in our Christmas services. All because of a creative experiment.   

Other experiments might include songwriting retreats, a jam night, or a creative segment (art, drama, poetry) for a Sunday service. As we seek to empower team members, we can encourage them to come forward with ideas they may have, and support them in giving it a try. Nothing to lose! So much to gain.  

Relationship 

The underpinning of ministry is relationship. We are called to love one another over and above achieving tasks. And in the busyness, relationships are often the first thing to suffer. Because they take time – lots of it! We know this from our personal relationships. But too often in ministry we have the ‘task list’ front of mind, and unintentionally treat our fellow team members (and friends!) as a means for achieving those tasks.  

So, how can we insert margin into our days so that we can slow down, and have time for people when they interrupt us? How can we proactively call people or meet for coffee just to say ‘how are you’? These things are not ‘productive’. They are ways to love people. And when we know we are loved, we are more willing to serve wholeheartedly.  

So, when it gets busy leading up to Christmas: 

• Stop. Breathe. Take a walk. Ask yourself “What is essential here? And what could I leave for now in order to create some margin?” 
• Try to avoid ‘over-functioning’ by busying yourself and fixating on tasks, not delegating, and compensating for other people. We are all part of a team, and we do the best we can. Some things may remain ‘undone’. We entrust it all to God.  
• Call a very good friend. Talk it through. There is immense power in externalising things that are in our heads. It may help re-orientate us, helping us to focus on the things that matter.  

• Ask yourself ‘What would this task look like if it was easy?’. This can be really helpful in reducing projects or tasks to their core elements. All those things we worried about? Maybe not worth it.  

Remember, margin is not just the gap between other things. It is its own thing. So, if it helps, write ‘margin’ on your to-do list, and then tick it off when you’ve spent that margin time. However we can achieve it, having margin in ministries is a way of being kind to ourselves and to those around us – a crucial dynamic in serving faithfully and lovingly. 

Greg Cooper
Turramurra Music Church Training
Gatherings Music Pastor at St Judes Anglican Church in Melbourne