The old joke is that a pastor only works for an hour or two on Sunday. The joke works for two reasons. One, people who truly know the pastor recognize that they are like a small business owner and end up working all the time. Two, most people have no idea what the pastor does beyond the sermon, so it might be true that he is only working that one hour.

What I didn’t understand when I entered the full-time ministry was what all I would be doing. Each week, 8-16 hours are spent preparing for a sermon, but where does the rest of the time go?.

I did a little calculating over my past 2-3 weeks to see where my time went. Here is what I discovered, and maybe it will help you. First, every day I read my Bible, pray, and read a devotional book. I am also leading 16 people in reading through the Bible in a year and messaging with them. Second, I am leading a men’s small group, and I need to prepare for that in every way. That includes reading, writing, praying, and presenting.

This is where things get more interesting. I spend a few hours each week on the building. I cleaned the carpet, washed towels, prepared coffee supplies, and even plunged a toilet. More time was devoted to creative thinking about my sermons and future worship. I placed an order on Amazon that included things like shackles, drop cloths, fake blood, and a judge’s gavel. Planning worship also includes selecting worship songs, choosing videos, and adding any creative elements for Easter. In addition, there have been staff, elder, and leadership team meetings. I write blogs and keep this site going. And each week brings various new adventures, from a random person dropping by who needs prayer to helping fix a mold problem around the baptistry to calling my mother. Some weeks, there is a steady stream of people who stop by, and other weeks I spend in almost total silence.

Being a Pastor for me is about never knowing what each day might bring. There have been days when I have visited with numerous people about following Jesus, and others when I have cleaned bathrooms and restocked the kitchen.

I did not enter this career expecting things to be easy or predictable. I went into it with an attitude that says, “God use me in any way you see fit.” And every week, he gives me new challenges and opportunities. At its heart, that is what all of us are called to do and be as Christians. With God, availability is always more important than ability.