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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Leader's Schedule

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph. 5:17)


Time management in ministry is one of the most important things for ministers to gain control of, especially for people persons who love to talk and visit. I must admit this is an area of discipline I was fortunate enough to gain valuable insight from admired pastors and began to set a pattern for what works best for me.


One of the things I enjoyed from Blackaby’s chapter on time management is his analysis of proper scheduling in order to stay on God’s agenda. He says, “God never burns people out. He never piles on more than someone can handle. Therefore, wise leaders realize there is no way they can satisfy the desires of all the people who clamor for their time.”


As a pastor of a growing congregation on two campuses, I cannot best serve the needs of our church by availing myself to everything that vies for my attention. If I do, then I sacrifice the primary for the secondary. Therefore, I have developed some routines that have changed very little over these last 10 years. In case you are not aware of my weekday schedule, here goes:


Monday – Time for evaluation of the previous Sunday. I evaluate and address some weekly spiritual check-up questions:


“How much time did I spend in personal Bible study and prayer last week?”

“Did I personally share the Gospel within the last 7 days?”

“Am I holding something in my heart that is hurtful and divisive?”

“Did I give God my best?”

“Did I lead in my area of ministry with excellence?”

“Do I minister like I am a “fisher of men” or a “keeper of the aquarium?”

“Is my passion for Christ’s church increasing or decreasing?”

“Am I giving my best because I believe the best days of the church are ahead and not behind?”

“Am I desiring average or awesome?”

“Is there anything happening in my life privately that, if it became public, would damage the Church and my future ministry?


Starting the week with a little spiritual heart check is a good way to prepare me for the week ahead. Afterwards, I try to clean and organize my desk, make out my “to do list” for the week, draft any correspondence that needs to go out, etc. In short, I am usually a little brain dead on Monday, so I really don’t do a lot of in-depth message preparation. I visit the hospitals. I listen to Adrian, John MacArthur, Alistair Begg, and other favorite preachers to get my tank filled. Then, I meet with my men’s small group that evening.


Tuesday – A good morning of study, followed by any scheduled appointments in the afternoon. If there are no scheduled meetings, I utilize the time for calendar planning, etc. Occasionally, I have committee meetings on Tuesday nights.


Wednesday – Staff meeting at 8:00 AM, followed by a full day of sermon preparation and prayer. I do not take appointments at all, unless an emergency arises. This makes for a long day, especially for days like yesterday, with lunch in my office, dinner at church, followed by quarterly business meeting at the north campus, then a leadership team meeting at the south campus, pulling into the driveway at 9:45 AM. A good day, but a long day.


Thursday – Study time in the mornings, followed by some writing responsibilities (Monday Morning Manna, etc.), individual staff time if needed, office stuff or appointments in the afternoon, etc.


Friday – I spend the day with the most important person in my life (outside of Christ) – My beautiful wife. When I can, I speak at Celebrate Recovery.


Several years ago a very wise older pastor shared great truth with me: “If you do not make a plan for your time, someone else will.” The apostle Paul would describe that as a “trustworthy statement worthy of full acceptance.” So, please be patient when you call to speak with me and I am in study. Let my secretary know if your call is urgent, and she will let me know asap. I try to keep my door open for you without neglecting my primary responsibility: preaching and prayer.


Henry Blackaby says, “Great leaders want their lives to count, so they use their time wisely.” I do not consider myself a great leader, but I do want my life individually and our ministry corporately, to count! These are evil days. Let’s make the most of our time for the glory of God.


Until Next Week,


Dr. Derek

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