The Solution To Meeting Fatigue

[Michael37]

5 hours ago, Neighbor said:

But must stop this digression, and try to call for exploring a meeting on the meetings to be found as Biblical within the Bible. Fact is this whole board is a meeting, one without a time restriction or limitation, long as one is not profane they can attend and share as well as take in. How very cool is that! 

It is very cool, and a valuable option for me.

There is something called Meeting Science, much on the Net about it, but I'm more inclined towards Meeting Sense.

A very aged sister in the Lord was an avid meeting goer, and had many gatherings on her agenda. She would be transported to and from our Sunday afternoon Home Ekklesia, and attended to in many other ways during the week. I recall one occasion she was picked up and upon arrival at our meeting became unsure if she had locked her door, so her driver went all the way back to her home to check. She had. It was a ten kilometer round trip.

She was quite deaf and would often interrupt others speaking because she was unaware they were speaking. As we were being prayerfully led into Communion one time she noticed a sheet of paper in my hand, and loudly asked, "What's that you've got there?" It was a song sheet which I was going to sing from as part of the Communion celebration but as another member was still speaking I put my finger to my lips in the age old gesture for silence.

That was the last time she came to those meetings, telling the coordinator she wasn't going to be shooshed. 

Bad Michael. 

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, Michael37 said:

Bad Michael. 

I'm reminded of a venerable brother who believed that my name was "Bill" (it isn't). I saw no harm in that and never bothered to set the record straight, but someone else felt the need to try one day.

After being informed of my correct first name the fellow pointed toward my direction and exclaimed, "No, that's Bill!"

I loved it. 

[Neighbor]

6 hours ago, Marathoner said:

"No, that's Bill!"

Ha, reminds me of when I first was hired at a local church body. I had been introduced to 12 elders, 12 deacons, and many deaconesses. I did not remember many names. Anyway,  on my second day as I was standing in the lobby a car pulled up and a man ran in panicky voiced saying that there was a man that looked dead laying on the front  lawn, by a ladder, next to the palm trees.

 I ran out to see a deacon I had met the day before next to the ladder, on his back,  just coming around from unconsciousness and moaning. I leaned over and said "Fred, Fred, Are you okay?" He looked around a bit in bewilderment and then said plaintively, "my back my back."

I ran inside and asked the secretary to call 911, that Deacon Fred has fallen off a ladder and hurt this back. She looked bewildered but started dialing as I  ran back out  to keep Fred stable. I told him, "Fred don't move, paramedics are on the way."

He moaned, looked around and said; "Whose Fred?  Did I fall  on someone when I fell off the ladder and hit the palm tree?"

Turned out his name was Harry!

I had monthly meetings with the deacons including  "Fred" for fourteen years. He would often kid me about our first encounter.

Ah Deacon meetings, gad a whole evening of reporting facilities and budget status to the deacons and getting feedback, guidance, and instruction too. Could get rather interesting when push came to shove on budgets, but the meetings were a necessity for good financial management and accountability. Not all that is worthwhile is fun too.

[FJK]

21 hours ago, Neighbor said:

BUT doesn't even that require meetings to determine what the goal that is good is to be? Should it not be confirmed in some formal manner rather than a random going about, each to his own way?

Sometime we need to ask ourselves "How important is this?".

What would happen if you didn't attend that meeting, or if it didn't take place at all?

We all tend to overestimate our own importance but the truth is that life will go on without us and it probably wouldn't even notice that we were gone if we weren't there.

[Neighbor]

13 minutes ago, FJK said:

What would happen if you didn't attend that meeting, or if it didn't take place at all?

Actually it happened when I got ill one time. The deacons then had nothing to meet about. Next month we had twice as much material to go over.  Meetings aren't so bad even if they are difficult ones- long as progress is made  on handling what needs be handled.

As I said; it ain't always fun, but it  tends to not get overwhelming if meetings get held on a scheduled basis and all prepare well for them.

I have found that regular meetings do have a good effect. They do bring individuals together to hammer out issues  before the issues  can foster into huge  discordant chaotic events of adverse consequence.

[Neighbor]

Maybe it is not meeting fatigue that occurs as much as it is a strong desire not to have to face  personal accountability on a regular basis?

Relating that to accountability to God, It may be best to have an every morning  or evening session with God. The meeting heading and main topic;  "Is it right between you and me? Are we good? Do I need do something or change something?"

[Starise]

At work I have several regular meetings including a weekly zoom with a bunch of folks and I'm not thrilled about most of it but I understand it's mostly necessary and I try to do my part.

Church "meetings" OTOH, I wasn't sure of the intent or jist of the discussion because there are business types of meetings and spiritual meetings in churches. I'm very happy not to be involved in the business end of church meetings, however I love my men's group every two weeks and I love the home groups as we call them where some of us get together. I don't see those as meetings but as Christian gatherings which I find to be very edifying. We share, we pray, we read the word and discuss it. How could any of that be bad and why would anyone want to avoid one of those meetings UNLESS it's been a long week and you need some rest?

I have been pressed or felt pressed into some situations, which is I guess, what @Michael37 was most driving at. I didn't really want to join the choir but said yes because they are my friends and I just did it. I had some other responsibilites not long ago as well that didn't feel like the voice of God calling me to do it but the voice of men. The bible tells us if a brother asks us to go a mile we should be willing to go with him twain, yet sometimes people build these programs of men and then need to fill the seats. When I recognized that I began to say no.

 

[RdJ]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:35 PM, Michael37 said:

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss Meeting Fatigue.

Some people are tired of meetings.

Other people are meeting fanatics.

I know of some saints who go to as many meetings as they can, often across numerous denominations, whatever is going.

When I was more active in ministry leadership there were meetings of some description for me to attend every day of the week. Sometimes I had multiple meetings on the same day.

One Sunday after the morning service I had lunch and lay down to rest before I was due to lead our group known as the Faithsingers, into one of about 20 resthomes we did a circuit of. We would sing well-known hymns, share testimonies, give brief devotional messages, pray for, and fellowship with the elderly and infirm in these facilities. I had been doing this ministry for about 2 years. At times our party would number over 20, and we had good times of fellowship and ministry, culminating each year in a Christmas Concert when caregivers would bring as many resthome residents as they could to our auditorium for numerous performances and items and refreshments.

I lay down to rest and waves of fatigue swept over me. I was beat. I phoned the founding member of the group, a senior saint who had lassoed me for its leadership, and explained that I was extremely tired and would he mind if I didn't turn up.

Well he did mind. Oh no, I had to be there as he had organised a musical couple from another denomination to come and see how we functioned so they could set up their own group. He strongly insisted I come and lead our group, as if no-one else could, and in spite of my exhaustion I rolled out of bed and arrived at the designated resthome as required, making it known to all and sundry that it was the last meeting of the group I would be attending.

For me the solution to meeting fatigue is simple. Avoid the pressure to be present at more meetings than are merited.

Gal 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  (23)  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
 

Oh I thought you meant work meetings. I only like practical short meetings with a tiny group. The rest, since covid they don't care if you skip em sometimes. I always just sit there. My mind wanders off while someone tells a dull story about no idea what they're talking about.

I always loved going to every church meeting. Especially prayer. Even at 6 am. If people don't want to go to church meetings it can be that they are wrong, but also that it's boring. So often it's only for old people or just some stupid babbling from whoever.

Once we went 2 hours with train and taxi (too early for busses) to a church far away and a guy made jokes about drinking beer and the kids painted an egg box. All that effort and money to come there for nothing. I rather watch Brownsville on youtube. People stood in line for hours for that.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Renskedejonge

[Starise]

45 minutes ago, Renskedejonge said:

I always loved going to every church meeting. Especially prayer. Even at 6 am. If people don't want to go to church meetings it can be that they are wrong, but also that it's boring. So often it's only for old people or just some stupid babbling from whoever.

I agree some meetings can be boring. I once had to leave a church because every Sunday was nappy time for me. That pastor was better than sleeping pills. AS I grow older I attend with some who are older as well. I hope what they say doesn't scare the young away. It seems ok to me.I'm probably old so just shoot me.

 

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, Starise said:

I'm probably old so just shoot me.

Well I was going to give your "report" at this meeting a thumbs up until l read that last sentence.

Can't do that, can't even think that.