I have written previously about the important role that urgency plays in organizational life. Most churches and ministries are inherently resistant to change, and without urgency they readily accept the comfort of the status quo. 

So while urgency is important, not everything is urgent. A recent headline reminded of this truth: “Indiana dispatcher helps boy who called 911 about homework.” The 10-year old boy was having trouble adding fractions, and since his parents weren’t home, he called 911 for help. On the other end of the line, a kind 911 operator who liked math was glad to help.

While the story may be unique, the underlying issue is not. How often has someone come to you with an “urgent” problem that they wanted you – the leader – to fix? A person is concerned about the theology being taught in a class. Or an upcoming event isn’t being given enough publicity. Or a family is considering leaving the church because they’re unhappy with the youth ministry. 

Just like the boy who couldn’t add fractions, the issue seems urgent to the person that brings it to you. But is it urgent for your church or ministry? Should you rearrange your priorities doing to deal with it? Probably not. 

And yet, leaders often allow these issues to hijack their days. It’s difficult to keep from being sucked into someone else’s urgency, especially when they’re looking you in the eyes and asking for (or demanding) your attention. 

So what should you do in these cases? First, try to take a deep breath and slow down. Give your brain time to think about what you’ve heard. Does the issue truly require immediate attention and are you the one to give that attention? As you think about this, you may decide to:

• Encourage the person to solve the problem on their own. “You should talk to the teacher about your theology concerns.”
• Redirect the person to someone else. “Have you talked to the youth director about the family in question?”
• Deal with the concern at a later time and/or limit the time you spend on it.
• Tell them you understand their concern, but you don’t see this as an urgent issue. “I’m sorry that you’re unhappy with the publicity, but I believe we have a good process for making these decisions.”

At the end of the day, you get to decide whether you’re dealing with fractions or with a real 911 issue. 

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