One popular belief is that pastors have all the time in the world to do ministry and that they are never busy. This is far from the truth as many pastors and ministers all around the world struggle to fit all the tasks they have to tackle into one day.
Every full-time vocational minister has had problems in avoiding erratic schedules at one point or another, and often things can get out of hand because of all the things that we think we should do. However, many of the things that we do on a weekly or daily basis are actually things that we shouldn't have to do.
Bi-weekly board meetings and multiple Bible studies in a day are just two examples of things we shouldn't be doing, but this list could go on and on as many pastors spend a lot of time on things that shouldn't be eating too much of their time. Instead, here are five things that pastors should be investing time on.
Ledership Development. Paul's charge to Timothy was not limited to feeding the flock, but training leaders who would feed others as well (2 Timothy 2:2). When we raise both lay and vocational leaders who will lead small groups, outreaches and other church programs, we multiply ourselves and increase the scope of our ministry.
Devotions. Ministry is an outflow vocation meaning we can only give out what we have received. This only shows how crucial it is that pastors receive a strong dose of God's presence and word everyday and this is done through daily devotions. It must be said that devotionals for ministers must be separate from study time for the purposes of teaching.
Teaching and Preaching. Jesus gave Peter one specific instruction three times before going up to heaven- feed and take care of His sheep. It is and will always be the job of church leaders to preach the Gospel and teach Biblical foundations.
Strategic Meetings. Pastors are not just ministers of the word of God but also providers of strategic and operational direction. One way that leaders can maximize strategic meetings is to make it more appointing and delegating than it is task-oriented. Focus on assigning people to tasks.
Family Time. How many pastors have failed in ministry because they failed to minister to their families? As leaders, we must be proactive in scheduling out those times that we can spend with our family. Churches that have a problem seeing the importance of reserving thursday mornings for some quality time with the kids and Saturdays off to date the wife will soon see a pastor burnt out and failing in ministry.
