Seventeen

The Pastor’s Work Schedule

“I punched the time clock in and out every day for

twenty years. Now though I come to the office at the

church and it is just me. There is no one around all

day long. How do you get anything done?”

         

Most pastors have heard the little joke; “We pay

you for working an hour a week.” I used to laugh

at it but now I don’t.

Pastoral ministry is unusual in many ways; certainly

it is unlike any other job I’ve had. People used to

working 9-5 may have a difficult time adjusting to the

work schedule typical of the pastoral ministry. They

may have a difficult time realizing they are working

when they are simply reading the Scripture, studying

for a sermon, or reflecting on some theological point. I

have known more than one person who could not

adjust. The fact is, it has taken me most of my life to

feel comfortable with the lifestyle of the pastoral

ministry.

Additionally, pastoral ministry will be difficult for

those who are unable to motivate themselves and

schedule their own time. The work is open-ended

without clear beginning and ending points. It is often

the case that there is no one to observe, much less

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monitor, the progress or pace of the workday. This is

especially true for the small church pastor.

To cope with the peculiarities of the ministry I

created a schedule for myself. I try to get an early start.

Scripture reading and prayer come first. Sermon and

Bible study preparation follow. Then, as I am my own

secretary, I deal with correspondence and e-mail, and

make and return phone calls. Generally this work is

accomplished by noon. Some days this actually

happens. However, if I am too anxious about fulfilling

a schedule, I will become frustrated and irritable. The

pastoral ministry is unpredictable and allowances for

the unexpected must be made.

Pastors can find themselves working seven days a

week, ten to twelve hours each day, if they are not

careful. Therefore, I encourage pastors to observe a

Sabbath rest. If Sunday is able to be the actual Sabbath

rest despite the worship and preaching, teaching, and

other ministry, well, that’s fine. But it may be necessary

to find another day. It is vitally important to rest from

our labors as the Scripture teaches.

I have found that it helps to break the workday

down into three segments: morning, afternoon, and

evening. If I am not careful, I will work morning,

afternoon, and evening. Much of pastoral ministry goes

on in the evening so unless time is taken off during

the day, a morning or afternoon, a pastor will end up

working way more than is healthy. After a while, weeks

or months maybe, exhaustion will set in. It is not

unusual for a pastor to work 70 to 90 hours a week

without realizing it.

If I’m working in the morning (and I always work

in the morning), and I’m going to be working in the

evening, I’ll want to be able to rest some in the

afternoon. If I have nothing in the evening, then I’ll

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The Pastor’s Work Schedule

work in the afternoon. But I try to avoid working all

three segments of the day. This is an ideal anyway. I

admit to working six days a week; I am rarely able to

take a complete day off. Things happen in the ministry;

people and their problems can not be easily put off.

Vacations are generally a problem for me. First there

is the preparation required in order to leave, and then

there is the tremendous amount of catch-up upon the

return. Some vacations have produced more work than

work itself. Despite the problems it is important to get

away from time to time.

Short trips, a day or two in duration, seem to work

well for me. These are more easily managed and

financed, and they require less preparation and catchup.

My kids need the week or two away on vacation

though; the longer vacations are more for my girls than

for my wife and I.

The pastoral ministry has some resemblance to

artistic pursuits. The musician, the artist, the poet, the

novelist—these require time for reflection, time for

free-form thinking. I have a custom of sitting at night,

usually outside in good weather, thinking over the past

day and thinking through what is coming up the next.

I clear out the old day and get ready for the new day.

From Scripture I have learned to let the “evil” for the

day be sufficient for that day. It is taking one day at a

time, praying that God will give me the “bread” for

the coming day and thanking Him for the provision

for the past day. I try not to worry overmuch about the

day coming up until I get to it. When tomorrow arrives,

I’ll let yesterday go. It’s like the baseball player who

forgets about the last at bat and focuses instead on the

one coming up. Whether the result was a strike out or

a home run it doesn’t make any difference, the process

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For Pastors

is the same—forget about the last one; focus on the

next one.

People unacquainted with the pastoral ministry

might not appreciate the lifestyle. Furthermore, pastors

should not compare themselves to those who are

perhaps fortunate enough to have a regularly scheduled

work routine.

People may not realize that teaching a one-hour

Bible study may involve hours of preparation. In

addition, the work is not necessarily over when the

Bible study or prayer meeting is concluded.

Sometimes, when the meeting is officially over, the

real work is just beginning. And few see this. Then

again, it is not so easy, after engaging in serious ministry

with people well into the night, to be able to go home

and fall right to sleep; there is wind-down time. The

pastoral ministry demands a whole different approach

to work. A pastor must be sensitive to that and not be

apologetic for it either.

Someone might reason, “You’re not doing anything,

you’re not active, you’re not running around, you’re

not physically producing something.” Regardless of

the misunderstandings, going for a walk to think about

things, taking a drive, going to a park, sitting by a

stream—these times can be very important. We don’t

have to always be engaged in concrete action. It is, in

fact, important to sit and look and listen.

         

Consider the various work schedules you have had.

  How is the pastoral ministry different?

  Are you a self-motivator?

 Do you feel comfortable working alone?