What does a pastor do in a week

This should be interesting.

Cheers,

Jim

 

It depends on the pastor.

Joseph Botwinick

 

In general, a number of years ago most stated that they took about ten hours per sermon/study so take that times the number of services he prepares for for starters. Then add any calling they do, mundane everyday stuff that they get stuck with like phone the plumber, pick up the mail, sort the junk mail

Have seen a lot say it takes twenty five hours per sermon. In general most of the studies/sermons I have been subjected to could be put together in about an hour or two :-( as I said gentlemen IN GENERAL.

I can personally invision fifteen to really polish one up and deliver it. Depending on how you prepare after it is ready to give, you might take a couple hours of going over things.

Then if you are janitor and grounds keeper, well we know how long that takes, or maybe many congregants don't :-(

Then add how many meetings per week??????

 

Well, I agree that it depends on the Pastor, obviously some churches are structured diffently, but:

Mine starts out with about 2 hours of prayer before he arrives at church on Sunday. He teaches one of the Sunday School classes, he preaches, he meets visitors after the service, he does lunch with certain members of the church after the service, he is back a few hours early to pray before the evening service. So Sunday is pretty much all God's.

On Monday he is supposedly off, but I run into him at the hospital, I know he will make and keep counseling appointments if people say Monday is the best time for them, he'll do wedding reherhals and funerals. I happen to have handbells on Monday nights, and I always find him in his study working on sermons and prayers on Monday nights.

Tuesday is the prayer-staff-meeting. The any prayer request turned in between the previous Tuesday and that Tuesday is prayed over by the full ministry staff at that meeting. That isn't the first time they've prayed for the requests, but it is "to be sure they don't miss one." This can and does take hours. Issues that came up during the previous Sunday are discussed, and if possible dealt with. If they aren't "quick fixes" then solutions are worked on. He squeezes in letters of recommendation for people, helps track down things for people, visits the shut ins personally, and then goes back to prayer and bible study. That evening is vistation night, he never misses.

He teaches on Wednesday nights. He tries to spend most of the day doing bible study, prayer and sermon prep.

Thursdays are his normal counseling days. When he doesn't have people there for that, he's doing prayer and bible study. Again, this isn't "theory." Just surprise him at his office sometime and you'll find him buried in the bible.

Fridays are usually full of youth things, the community center and food kitchen work. He likes to be there to help minister.

When we sponosor the homeless at our church, he stays the night. When we have mission trips through World Changers, he goes.

He has to schedule time for his own family, or he wouldn't HAVE a family.

 

Terry from some of your previous posts it appears that either you have a very sarcastic side about you ....or you have some issues with pastors... ???

 

I would say there are 3 pastors I have been involved with (not my current one) enough to know something about their weekly routines, and all I know for sure is that it can be very difficult to budget time for sermon and teaching preparation, visiting, meetings, counseling sessions with members (or others) who think he should provide snap answers, responding to compliments and complaints [this I know from what little preaching I have done] and still have time for family and personal things... and on top of all this, at any given moment he may be called to a grieving family with a sudden tragedy, to try to talk a member's cousin's friend out of a suicide attempt....

All weeks do not have many or lengthy meetings, sermons may vary greatly as to how much research and preparation time, there may be few or no counseling sessions or sudden surprises. But even so, he must be there and be available. If you have had to stand watch, you know you are still working.

Some things I have posted have not been particularly complimentary of pastors, I realize. I hope this post shows I do understand some of their constraints and that I'm not totally ignorant of how difficult it is to be effective in such a demanding role.

 

Or maybe, Terry, hit the head of the nail

 

Lets See

Sunday before 9 am - don't know
9am-10:30am - Either lead the odd occasional Sunday School - or lead worship group that week - prayer time
10:30-12:30 - Main service - Could be preaching the sermon - Leading the worship group - doing the readings - or any other special event - any combination of the above up to and including all of them
12:30-2pm - Lunch -
12:30-4pm - In case of business meeting
after Lunch don't know - but Ive seen them downtown shopping - so Im assuming time off/family time

Monday
before 9/10am - dont know
10-12 - come into office - pick up messages - usually have meetings scheduled that day - all day - and when not in meetings - responding to emails and making phone calls to newcomers who filled in the info sheets or members who had requests
12-2 Lunch - However the odd meeting is scheduled there
2-5 - See 10 to 12 but add in a healthy chunk of prayer time
after 5 head home - and family time

Tuesday
before 9/10am - dont know
10-12 - come into office - pick up messages - usually have meetings scheduled that day - all day - and when not in meetings - responding to emails and making phone calls to newcomers who filled in the info sheets or members who had requests
12-2 Lunch - However the odd meeting is scheduled there
2-5 - See 10 to 12 but add in a healthy chunk of prayer time - supposedly sermon prep starts at this time
after 5 head home - and family time


Wednesday
before 9/10am - dont know
10-12 - come into office - pick up messages - responding to emails phone calls - Sermon prep and prayer
12-2 Lunch - However the odd meeting is scheduled there normally just with office staff
2-5 - See 10 to 12 but add in a healthy chunk of prayer time - Today is major sermon prep
after 5 head home - and family time

Thursday

don't usually see anyone - but sometimes they will come in and do a shortened version of Tuesday

Friday

Usually a shortened version of Monday and out of there by 3pm.

This is counselling day - and they have agreement with professional Christian counsellor to let her use the office space.

Now they do do work at night - the one or two nights a week changes - they help lead Bible studies - on occasion attend the prayer group or one of several events that can happen during the week. And there are of course the meetings of the church elders/deacons/committees etc... that they attend.

 

24/7/365 is not enough time if that is his life's goal and where his heart is. 40 hrs/wk is more than enough if it is just a job. I have known men of the first kind and only heard about men of the second kind. I think it would be safe to say that the typical pastor puts in way more time and effort than the typical person complaining about the potential abuse of a non-structured schedule (to start with).

 

More than many of us are willing to do.

 

Here is my basic schedule for the week:

Sunday morning: I generally arrive early to be able to greet folks as they come and have a chance to talk with them before services begin. During the Sunday School hour I either sit in on one of the adult classes or spend the time in prayer and review of my sermon. Then preach the mesage in the worship service. Following the service I stay and greet folks, pray with people, counsel as needed.

Sunday afternoon: Normally I spend this time at home with my family. Sometimes I do some studying during this time.

Sunday Evening: We have a discipleship training hour that I participate in and then worship service...preach, visit with folks, pray, etc. Many Sunday nights following the service our youth have a get together and I will many times go to those to fellowship with the kids.

Monday: Day off. Unless it is an emergency I do not do anything related to church.

Tuesday morning: I play basketball with a group of men every Tues/Thurs morning from 6am-7am. It is not only great exercise, but been a great way to meet lost men in the community. The remainder of the morning is study time.

Tuesday afternoon: administrative work, visits, counseling.

Tuesday evening: attend Rotary Club, and occasionally make visits before or after.

Wednesday morning: 6:30 am Men's prayer group. Remainder of morning is study time.

Wednesday afternoon: administrative work, visits, counseling.

Wednesday night: Prayer meeting and Bible Study.

Thursday morning: Same as Tuesday.

Thursday afternoon: administrative work, visits, counseling.

Thursday evening: with my family. Sometimes an occasional visit.

Friday Morning: Study time.

Friday afternoon: administration, visits, counseling. Occassionally I will take the afternoon off if the fisrt part of the week has been crazy.

Friday evening: Family time.

Saturday: Occassional visits and studying. Normally yard work, playing with kids, DMin study.

 

I think its really hard to lump the schedule into organized time slots. I know for my husband, it is difficult to do that.
Sundays are crazy.
Monday is family day - no church unless emergency
Every other day of the week is spent in Sermon prep, class prep, visiting the sick/hospitalized as needed, counseling, attending associational meetings/events, in addition to writing a dissertation.
Everyone needs downtime.

 

Is he or she part-time, full-time, bi-vocational, retired, military chaplain, hospital chaplain....there's all kinds of pastors. Not to mention Associate Pastors ad infinitum.

 

It depends on the church. I know many pastors who are just as bad as union workers. There are not many jobs that allow you to go home for hours at lunch time, take your children to the doctors, watch their games, go visit them at church camp (in the name of "I am the Pastor the kids need to see me), Go to Bible confrenece with the wife and kids and visit old friends, take the family on other "ministry related" trips and travels, have 5 pastors on staff for a church of 550.

My pastor says he feels like he has died and gone heaven....I can see why. Many laypersons teach and do other things while working 60 hours a week. I am not saying they are not busy but ministry is not as bad today as it was in the old days. Where Pastors really worked and decateted himself to the preaching. Work other jobs to make ends meet. NOw pastors are paid very handsomely.

Its a great job, if you don't think so then you need to get out.

 

Timtoolman says,
It depends on the church. I know many pastors who are just as bad as union workers.
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Come on Tim. Painting with a pretty broad brush arent we? Thats like me saying I know many pastors who are just as bad as scabs, (but I dont). In fact, from my experience, if I were looking for easy good money and short hours, being a pastor would be last on my list. Being a union roofer would be second.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how some people view the work and ministry of a pastor.

Guess it is good pastors are not called to please man, but called to please God!

 

And it never ceases to amaze me how pastors think they have it so bad or rough. Guess we are looking at it from different sides of the fence. I wonder what part of my statement that youi disagree with. Do they not have much more privaleges on their jobs then others? I am not saying they don't work, just saying that it is great to be in full time ministry yet many complain and grumble unless thei r people are praising them or falling all over them it seems at times.

 

Your right I should have said some union workers. AS far a being a union roofer I would rather have two pastors job then do roofing. That is work and you don't get to stop and go home for lunch, or your kids ball game, or take a week off to see or watch your kids at church camp.

Hey Pastors have to deal with people I realize that but who doesn't.