Times of Transition
Written by Duncan on August 4, 2010 – 11:33 am -I’ve moved into a time of transition this week, ending my 8.5 years as a mission consultant with the Queensland Synod on Saturday, and moving towards my next role as Presbytery Minister with Canberra Region Presbytery in January 2011. The next five months are still full time working with the Uniting Church, in three different roles. I’m working half time as “supply minister” with Indooroopilly Uniting Church in Brisbane, quarter time with Pilgrim Learning Community, and quarter time with Canberra Region Presbytery.
One of my colleagues suggested that the arrangement sounds like a recipe for exhaustion. It may well be. Juggling roles is not easy. It requires new disciplines and rhythms. And of course it involves many layers of induction.
Transition so far has involved signing over the work phone number into my own name and transitioning from a Nokia to an iPhone. The process was complicated and stressful, more than it should have been, but the phone’s working fine now. I’ve also transitioned out of a work Dell laptop into a Mac Book Pro, spreading out transfer of files and systems over two months. And I’ve handed in the work lease car, a Toyota Camry, moving to a temporary loan of a 1994 Holden Barina, which, of course, needs a fair bit of maintenance to get up to a decent roadworthy standard.
Three new offices. One shared with Henry Swindon at Indooroopilly on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. One shared with Karyl Davison at Trinity College on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And an office in Pilgrim Place in Canberra.
I’ve put the Canberra time into four visits to ACT and a national conference in Gympie. The Pilgrim job is focused on developing and brokering resources for pastors around the competencies of evangelism/mission/church planting, community development, and Christian education/youth work. The Indooroopilly role is focused largely on their evening gathering and strategic work around systems and strategies.
I’d be interested in clues people have for working in multiple part time roles.
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Postkiwi Duncan Macleod posts on life, faith and culture in Australia, drawing from his involvement in the creative industry, the Uniting Church, the blogosphere, generational research, the emerging church and life on the Gold Coast.
Duncan is the editor of The Inspiration Room, a site showcasing advertising, design and other work produced by the global creative community.
