HOW-TO: Schedule your week for maximum effectiveness

Editor’s Note: The following was written by veteran Texas pastor Chris Osborne, who will join The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty this January as professor of preaching and pastoral ministry. This article originally appeared in the fall 2019 issue of Southwestern News (pg. 29). 

Time! It is the bane and blessing of all pastors. Time spent aiding people in their walks with the Lord is a blessing and rich in the pastor’s life. However, the demands are extraordinary. Any given week can have two funerals, two sermons to prepare, a heavy counseling load, and our families need our presence. Then add phone calls and middle-of-the-night hospital visits.

So, how does one walk this path? Anyone who gives a simple answer to this has no idea how tiring and hard it can be. But a lot comes down to one very practical, easy-to-say, difficult-to-do act: manage your week.

Use the day’s natural thirds—morning, afternoon, evening—and give two to your church and one to your family. I give my mornings to prayer and sermon work and my afternoons to appointments and staff issues.

And when it comes to family time, make it an appointment. It is not a lie to tell someone you have an appointment to see your child play sports, because your family should have priority over anything else in your life, and giving them certain appointment times is wise and helpful.

Similarly, you need a day off. The Sabbath was there before man sinned, and if it was needed then, it is certainly needed now. I take two afternoons off a week instead of one day, as that helps in my flow of life better than just one day off.

This next idea may not be permissible in some churches, but it was one of the best things we ever did at Central Baptist Church in Texas: cancel Sunday night. The Bible never says Sunday night worship is demanded and cannot be changed. This allows you to expend great energy on Sunday morning and have the afternoon to enjoy your family.

Finally, take a sabbatical when your church allows. OK, this one can’t be weekly. But work this into your personnel policy so you can take it when needed.

There are no hard and fast rules, but these have been helpful for me in 42 years of ministry, and I hope they will be for you.