Pastors have very busy schedules. Pastoring a church can be one of the most demanding jobs that someone can have. There are countless needs of the individual people on top of all of the organizational responsibilities, such as volunteer teams, the board, finances, and program planning. (Notice that the responsibility of writing and teaching content has not been mentioned yet.) Ministry is more than a job; it is a calling. Ministry will take all you can give it, and the job will never be complete. The pastor is also expected, and rightfully so, to have a near-perfect marriage and be a model parent. Over time, leading a local church can be absolutely overwhelming. Many pastors burn out and leave ministry because of the expectations and demands.
The pastors who enjoy ministry the most and are the most successful are those who are able to manage their time and energy well. They say no to the things others can do and yes to the things only they can do. And these pastors are able to get more done with less time. How can this be possible? With an understanding of proper time and energy management, any pastor can create a custom schedule that allows them to get everything completed with some time left over.
6 Time Management Tips for Busy Pastors
1. Big Rocks First
In his book 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, Steven Covey shared the principle of “Big Rocks First.” Imagine if you had three types of aggregate: sand, small pebbles, and big rocks. Then you had one big jar to put them in. The illustration starts with someone putting in the sand in first, then the small pebbles, and finally, the big rocks. The person performing the illustration cannot get everything in. There are big rocks that are left out. But, when the same experiment is done by putting the big rocks in first, then the pebbles, and finally, all the sand is poured around it, everything fits! The difference between experiments one and two is that the big rocks were put in first instead of last.
This illustration has great implications for leaders. Leaders have big rock priorities, pebble size (medium rock) priorities, and sand size priorities. The problem is that many leaders fill all their time up with small-sized priorities. The same problem occurred in the book of Acts. As the Gospel advanced and the church grew, the needs grew with the church. The Apostles knew that they could not feed widows all day. Such needs had to be met, but those needs could be met by someone else. So, they prayed and came up with a plan. They chose seven men with integrity and a great reputation to handle the small and medium-sized rock needs. They focused on the big rocks, such as teaching and studying the Word of God. The church continued to grow and began to reach non-Jewish people because of the expansion.
Pastors have those five big rocks or responsibilities. Each pastor has to focus on writing content each week and delivering that content. That is a big rock. Another is praying and being spiritually refreshed. Pastors also need to ensure they have people coming through the front door with outreach and marketing. Leadership selection and development is another big rock that they must focus on. And then, there is the responsibility of reviewing metrics and helping identify where the church needs to improve.
The key is for the pastor to identify what their big rocks are and then put their time into them.
2. Do Not Violate the Big Rocks Schedule
After the pastor has identified their big rocks, they must add them to their calendar. These appointments are the most important tasks that they have to accomplish every week. Notice there is a reason these tasks are now called “appointments.” Most people usually think that appointments are with people. And often, pastors will push a task, no matter how important, off to a meeting with someone who has a small need. Once the time-blocked appointments are set, then the pastor must not violate them. These appointments are sacred. Yes, there will be the exception when an emergency arises. However, emergencies are only 5% of the time, not 95%.
Once a big rock is set as an appointment, the pastor must be accountable to meeting with that task and make any other meetings fit around that meeting.
3. Big Rock Appointments Should Be Time-Blocked
It is important for pastors to time-block their big rock appointments. They should set a start time and an end time. For instance, the pastor could set an appointment with the big rock task of sermon preparation. This could include looking at a future series, outlining a new series, and working on the teaching notes for the sermons coming up. They could set a start time for 8:00 a.m. and a finish time for 11:00 a.m. Any other appointments should come before or after. The pastor could then take the three hours and prioritize the most important and needed sermon preparation first. They could set their time with God on a certain day each day and ensure their appointment with God is not violated. It could be a time block of 30 minutes to an hour in the morning before starting their next big rocks tasks.
4. Use Your Best Energy for the Most Creative Tasks
Everyone has their “superpower” energy time throughout the day. This is a 90-120-minute window when someone thinks at their best. For most leaders, this could be a morning block or two-morning blocks. Think of it this way. Each leader has a green, yellow, or red zone according to their energy levels. The green zone is probably two 90-minute blocks each day. This is when a leader can create content and have the margin to think about the big picture for their church. These tasks could include writing sermons, planning a series, writing a leadership lesson for staff and board, or writing a ceremony, such as a wedding or funeral. These are primary tasks and will require the best energy.
Then there is the yellow zone where the leader can think and decide but not at the level where the green zone time block was. A leader probably has 90-120 minutes of yellow zone time. This would be the best time to return calls, answer emails, or set up appointments with people. Then there is the red zone energy time block. This could be called the “Do Not Disturb and Don’t Ask Me to Decide” zone. This is when a leader is mentally tired. They can still be physically energetic, but mentally they are zapped. This is the worst time to make decisions, create content, and think long-term.
Each leader needs to know when their green zone is and not to schedule yellow or red zone tasks then. They should time block and keep it locked. Once a leader starts to violate these different zones, then they hit writer’s block, lack planning, make poor decisions, and get very frustrated. For instance, a pastor could set Tuesday morning from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. as their content creation green zone time block. They could set 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. as their yellow zone for emails, calls, and scheduling. Their lunch hour from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. could be utilized as a meeting time with a congregant or staff member. After they return from lunch, a pastor could use the 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. hour as their yellow zone, part two, and then save 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. as their final red zone when the phone is off, and they have mental downtime.
5. Say No Without Explaining
Finally, the pastor has to learn the hardest part of time management: saying “no.” This may be the biggest issue. Most pastors do not keep a rigid schedule. They say “yes” to everyone and at all the wrong times. Pastors must learn to say, “I am sorry, but I cannot meet then.” There is no explanation needed. Most pastors operate under the guise of guilt, so they never say no. Saying “no” enables the pastor to say “yes” later, thus being far more productive.
Time and energy management are essential for a pastor to have a healthy relationship with ministry. If they are able to say “no” to the wrong things at the wrong time and “yes” to the right things at the right time, then they will experience far more joy and fruitfulness while serving their local church.
