Reading: 4.1—Time Allotment

Skill 4: Managing Ministry Time

Time is a resource, perhaps the only resource, that cannot be replaced; cannot be replenished. It moves from one second to another and when that second has come and gone, it’s gone forever. When money is lost, other money can be generated. If people pull out of a venture, for whatever reason, other people can be recruited and mobilized. But time, once lost, can never be found or regenerated. Even when time is used wisely, that same time cannot be used again. There is, of course, an expression that speaks of saving time, but time can’t really be saved. It can only be used well or used poorly. Managing Ministry Time is about just that, using the time that is available well before it’s lost into the past, never to be seen again.

Churches have multiple rhythms. There is the weekly rhythm driven by Sundays that occur every seven days, there are holiday rhythms driven by Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, and there are seasonal rhythms driven by the four seasons of the year with their established patterns, such as the start of school in late August or September and the unique dynamics of summer vacations. For many there is the ebb and flow of monthly, quarterly, and/or annual responsibilities associated with regional or national denominational commitments and affiliations. These rhythms can dominate a pastor’s or church leader’s time, if that pastor or leader allows such domination, or time can be intentionally harnessed and leveraged for maximum wise usage. The bottom line is that using ministry time well is a disciplined choice, and using ministry time poorly is the result of not making that choice. Though my focus in this writing is on pastors, the principles and tools I’m about to cover could apply in most any walk of life.

4.1 Time Allotment: Pastors are often overwhelmed by a time crunch and, as we have observed, time is a resource that cannot be replenished. Once a minute, an hour, or a day goes by, it cannot be recovered. So, ministry time management is of extreme importance because demands and expectations placed on a pastor will continuously expand, but time will not. Time will remain constant, never expanding to accommodate these increasing demands and expectations. Note that this treatment only addresses the management of ministry time. I’m not going to address a pastor’s total time or how to manage work-life balance. I’m confining my remarks to managing ministry time, whatever that time frame happens to be for a given pastor. I will say this, though. Managing ministry time well typically results in more time for life outside of ministry, so in that sense, we are bleeding into work-life balance considerations.

The place to start with managing ministry time well is by quantifying the amount of time per day or per week that will be devoted to ministry and, then, quantifying the ministry that is to be accomplished within that time frame. By intentionally allocating appropriate time for completing each ministry element, a pastor can begin to take control of time. Consider these Scripture passages:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Colossians 4:5 

I’m not going to dive deeply here into a full exposition of these words from the Apostle Paul. I simply want to draw attention to the connection between wisdom and making the most or the best use of time. Consider these words about wisdom to be words of wisdom in regard to managing ministry time. 

In practical terms, pastors should quantify all that is required of them and quantify the sum total of ministry time that is to be employed to meet these requirements. Chances are, there will be more that is required than there is time for completion, creating tension between the poles of setting some requirements aside in order to keep quality high, or compromising on quality in order to address everything. If so, the next step will be to prioritize these requirements in terms of importance and urgency. Let me refer you to Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, that has become a standard reference in the marketplace. In this book, Covey graphically depicts the Time Management Matrix as follows:

Quadrant 1 contains the Important and Urgent. These requirements need to be met because they are Important. Most likely because these requirements weren’t met in a timely manner, they have been put off until the last minute, thereby making them Urgent. (Note: this is a different kind of urgency than Kotter’s Establish a Sense of Urgency that we encountered in Skill 3). Of course, we want to invest our time in what’s Important, but, because time hasn’t been managed wisely, urgency has manifested, creating stress and, more than likely, compromising quality. Bottom Line: Wise time management avoids Quadrant 1.

Quadrant 2 contains the Important and the Not Urgent. These requirements need to be met because they are Important, and, because wise time management has led to addressing these requirements before they are Urgent, they are addressed in a manner that is Not Urgent. Consequently, stress is avoided and being able to address these requirements without the pressure of an impending deadline allows time to focus and meet these requirements with high quality. Bottom Line: Wise time management lives in Quadrant 2.

Quadrant 3 contains the Not Important and the Urgent. These requirements aren’t truly priorities, but, because they haven’t been dealt with in a timely fashion, they have pressed up against a deadline, creating urgency. This urgency forces immediate attention, likely driving the Important away from being dealt with while Not Urgent. This will result in the Not Important being addressed under pressure, probably at the expense of quality, while later having to address the Important while Urgent instead of Not Urgent, creating pressure in meeting those requirements and, again, compromising quality. Bottom Line: The worst possible scenario lives in Quadrant 3.

Quadrant 4 contains the Not Important and the Not Urgent. This begs the question, “Why is what’s not important being done at all?” OK, in the real world, there will always be occasions when the Not Important will surface and will simply need to be addressed, but by addressing the Not Important while Not Urgent, at least there is no pressure and the Not Important is not pushing the Important to the brink of urgency. Bottom Line: Wise time management relegates the Not Important to the Not Urgent.

The Bottom Line of Bottom Lines here is that the more ministry time you spend in Quadrant 2, the more wisely you will be using your ministry time. 

Managing Ministry Time well is a function of allocating time according to all that needs to be done spread across the designated time frame for ministry activity, further refined by evaluating the importance and urgency of each requirement in order to devote the lion’s share of ministry time to those requirements that are important but not yet urgent.