Why I require our staff to work on Christmas Eve
I’m not a huge rule maker. I like to operate in freedom and so I try to leader others that way. I’m strict about very few things.
(Can I be completely honest? — I’d rather break a rule than keep one. Certainly I love to write better rules.)
I’m a little different on Christmas Eve.
I’m strict. I write rules. An ole controlling leader.
Our ministerial staff works on Christmas Eve.
Period. No excuses.
That’s harsh, isn’t it?
Christmas Eve is a big deal in this church. Always has been. Long before I became pastor.
We now have three services to accommodate crowds, but the church has always had one packed service that is live on television. Near 100,000 people in our region watch the show and the past couple of years we’ve rebroadcast the show several times on Christmas Day. It’s somewhat of a community event.
But there’s another reason.
Culturally speaking, Christmas has in many ways become the new Easter. Not theologically of course — you can’t trump the Resurrection — but as an opportunity to reach lost people.
They’ll come at Christmas. It’s a culturally acceptable thing to do. A familiar affair. Get dressed up (or not) and gather together to sing familiar Christmas songs. It’s a great family tradition.
And who can’t love a baby in a manger story? You can attract people at Christmas like no other time of the year.
We would never think of staff missing Easter. It’s an “all hands on deck” kind of day.
So, I make Christmas Eve a priority and require our staff to be here.
(Now, in complete transparency, if there were extenuating circumstances with a staff member we would certainly consider them.)
And sure, it’s difficult on families to understand. I get that. My family has to sacrifice also. We live four hours from our family and we now miss Christmas Eve together.
But if we had a job as a police officer or at a hospital emergency room, no one would question why we had to work. It comes with the job.
And in church work, Christmas Eve, if it’s done well, can be a great part of the job. Lives are at stake. It’s a vital work. An “all hands on deck” kind of day.
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.