Tag: time

  • Letter #36 (Time)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         In the last letter, which covered the topic of Priorities, I dealt with looking at how we invest our time as one of the indicators of what we consider priorities.  Allow me to continue approaching this topic of time and how we use it for a few minutes, with emphasis on one use of time.

         We all know we only have twenty-four hours in a day.  Part of that day must be invested in resting and part of it in eating and taking care of personal physical needs.  The big question about time is, “How do we spend the rest of our time daily?”

         We are exchanging our time for something; that’s why we say we are “spending time” doing that something.  Well, what should we be doing, as compared with what we actually do?  As pastors, how can we most efficiently use our time to fulfill our God-given call and to utilize our God-given talents?

         We usually attempt to block out time for things like visits to congregational members, counseling, Bible study, sermon preparations, administrative duties, and a host of other responsibilities that go along with the written or perceived ministry of being a pastor.  However, I sometimes wonder if there is an aspect of being a pastor that we overlook and simply do not put near the top of the list.  That something is time spent in prayer.

         While conducting a School of Christ International missions training at a Christian campground my wife and I used to manage, Bro. Bert Clendennen had a standing rule for each day of the training.  The prospective missionaries/ministers were required to meet before breakfast daily at a set time and pray for an hour.  The first day one of the ministers attending was about ten minutes late for prayer.  He was reminded of the beginning time.       

         The second day that same individual was late again.  Bro. Clendennen pulled him aside and indicated to him that he needed to pack his things and return home.  Then that wise man of God told the late one that if he could not control himself enough to get up on time and pray for at least an hour before the day started while here in the states where there was no real pressure on him, he would never succeed in the field, because there he would need to pray for a much longer time daily in order to serve in complete dedication and submission to God just to be able to stay alive, depending on the country in which he would serve.

         I’m reminded of how the original apostles had the large group of disciples choose out seven men to take care of the feeding ministry during the beginning days of the church.  They said that would enable them to devote their time to prayer and the ministry of the word.  I often wonder if that would work today.  What if disciples in whom trust could be placed took care of the physical needs of a congregation and the pastors devoted themselves prayer and talking about Jesus?

         My question is this–How much time do we pray daily?  If the answer is a hour, is that enough time?  If the answer is two hours, is that enough time?  

         How much is enough will probably depend on your schedule for the day.  It may depend on how much you expect to be fighting opposition to the teaching of the word in your town.  There are many other things that can influence how much time we spend in prayer.  But the bottom line is, are we praying in proportion to how much we are ministering?  Those original apostles decided to devote themselves to prayer and the word.  I imagine that involved a great deal more prayer than is talked about today.

         I read an article on prayer years ago that made an impression on me.  The writer (whose name I cannot remember for this letter) told his secretary to hold all his calls for two hours because he felt that day deserved at least that much time in prayer before continuing.  She looked at his schedule and saw he had one appointment for counselling that day.  One appointment.

         We know we are admonished in scriptures to pray constantly, in all things, with faith, through the powerful name of Jesus and His authority.  We know Jesus set aside time to pray, sometimes all night.  We know we are to pray with understanding and in the Spirit.  We know prayer matters and that it gets results, and those results can be miraculous. 

         Knowing all these things, we still procrastinate when it comes to the actual activity of praying.  When it comes to time, is prayer a priority for us?

         I challenge you to look at your daily schedule and see if you can determine just how much prayer time you are putting in for the Kingdom of God.  Then ask yourself if you think it is enough.  Perhaps we all can do better in how much time we invest in our prayer life.  I know I can.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #35 (Priorities)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 both state, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also”.  It can also be said that you invest your time and your talents in those things that are important to you.  In other words, you will put your time, skills and money into those areas of life that you consider important enough to require your focus and devotion.  These areas can be referred to as your priorities.

         I don’t watch much television, but I recently happened to see part of a football game that was televised from a large outdoor stadium.  It was snowing and, based on the clothing people were wearing, quite cold.  According to an article from the New York Times from September 5, 2025, the average cost of a ticket to attend such a game is $279. 

         The typical pro game lasts about 3 hours.  That does not include driving time to and from the game or any side trips for meals or the famous tailgating parties.  Attending the game would essentially take the better part of a day and would, all incidental expenditures considered, involve a hefty empty space in each attendee’s wallet.

         Based on the money and time investments, I would venture to say that attending that game was a priority for the people sitting on those snow-covered bleachers. 

         Humor me and allow another example from a situation closer to home, so to speak.  A young couple we know came to worship complaining about not having enough money to repair their malfunctioning HVAC unit.  They talked about how their month seemed to always be more than their paychecks.  I knew the husband had a very nice newer truck, and the wife had her own vehicle, both with payments.  Then the wife said two statements that shed some light on their financial situation.  She first commented that they were going to be short on finances the whole season and did not know where they would get the money to pay all their bills.  Secondly, she revealed they would soon take a trip to a theme park that would cost them over $1,000 for a weekend stay at the park.  She had unintentionally revealed their priorities.

         Please do not misunderstand me.  There is nothing wrong with attending a sporting event or going to a theme park.  I have participated in similar activities.  However, I do understand we all will rationalize our “priorities” from time to time to make ourselves feel good about our expenditures of time, skills and money.  I’ve done that, and I dare think you may have, too.

         Here’s the rub with this priority topic—when we set our priorities, what do we use to establish a standard for setting those priorities?  Where do we draw the line on using our talents?  How much is too much to spend for something not already budgeted?  What is “wasting time” as opposed to “using time wisely?”

         Our priorities will determine the paths we take in life.  When we realize this fact, we should determine if our priorities are lined up with God’s will for our lives.  We must ask ourselves if our priorities demonstrate that we are living according to God’s call to minister to others for His kingdom’s sake.  We must take a serious look at those things we consider to be most important and determine if they coincide with what God says should be most important.

         Serious stuff, right?  Absolutely!  So, where do we turn to find out what God wants us to establish as our priorities?  You know the answers—scriptures and prayer.  But how often do we not go to those sources when we promote things in our lives into the position of being priorities?  How often do we do what we want, instead of seeking God’s guidance on how important something should be in our lives?

         Please do not take this letter as a personal condemnation.  It is a challenge.  Allow me to challenge you to sit down with whatever you use to take notes and begin to list where you spend your money, how you use your skills or talents and where you invest your time.  These three indicators will show you what you consider a priority.  Once you have done the identifying, then prayerfully go to scripture and seek God’s guidance on what you need to keep on the list and what you can reduce or eliminate from the list.  Remember, your priorities will motivate you and influence what you do, where you expend your energies, and how you invest your resources.  Just be sure your priorities agree with what God wants you to consider important.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #25–Generosity

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         (This letter may strike a nerve or seem controversial, but I present it with all the grace and concern I can muster from my experiences.)

         According to a minister who was associated with it, there is a very small church located in our area that has a bank account totaling over $100,000 (That’s right–one hundred thousand dollars).  It has a small facility.  The congregation is quite small in number.  You might ask yourself how this could happen.  It may be that this happened because they did not share their financial blessings with anyone else over a very long period of time.  They merely banked them “in case we need the money.”

         The building is well-kept.  The grounds are neat.  They even have a newly designed sign out front.  But they are lacking something, and it reveals itself in the few cars and trucks parked on the grass when they meet.  They are so “thrifty” when it comes to spending money that, in the eyes of those who are familiar with their situation, they appear to lack generosity.

         The lack of generosity in financial matters has a way of spreading to every other area of a congregation.  Its insidious influence can be seen in the lack of outreach to a community.  It shows up in no new faces in the worship services for months, even years.  The lack of generosity is revealed in the percentage of income that is invested in local, regional, national and world missions annually.  It is evident in the lack of new salvations or re-commitments to God recorded during a calendar year.  It is demonstrated in the reality that few, if any, members of a congregation have ever shared their faith with anyone else.

         Generosity is a mind-set.  Generosity is a lifestyle.  Generosity is a valued characteristic of people who understand that blessings are designed to be shared, not hoarded in self-interest. 

         Generosity is the opposite of a clenched fist that desperately tries to hold onto blessings in fear of losing them.  Generosity is the open hand that freely gives because it has feely received.

         Allow me to encourage you to teach about, encourage and promote generosity in your people.  As you teach, encourage and promote, remember that generosity includes more than just money.  It also includes time and talents. 

         You might want to present a series of messages that show how time, talents and finances were generously shared in the Old and New Testaments through the free-will offerings as well as through tithes, through working together to achieve common goals and through dedicated time investments that benefitted people.  Then you might highlight examples of generosity from all three areas in your locale. 

         As you lead your people, provide opportunities for people to give their time, talents and money toward missions, community outreaches, local charities or joint work projects with other congregations.  Encourage them to be generous toward others individually as they encounter needs around them.

         Set an example of generosity in your own life.  If you are giving of your own blessings toward them and others, some of them will eventually realize you are practicing what you are preaching.  Examples are great teachers.

         One of our pastorates involved a congregation that had learned the value of generosity.  One year as I looked at what we had accomplished through outreaches into the community, I realized we had invested thirty-four percent of all our income into local, state and national missions.  I know that’s not a record, but I also am keenly aware of the limited incomes of the families in that congregation.  They gave in their own need.

         During that same year, we volunteered to provide labor to rebuild a home that was terribly deteriorated for a single lady.  The rebuild took months of weekends and vacation time to accomplish.  We also fed over 300 people each month at our missions dinners.  That congregation had invested themselves generously in the cause of the Kingdom of God by sharing the blessings God had sent to them.

         As with all aspects of ministry, developing an attitude of generosity will take some time if it does not already exist in the people.  If the attenders are already tithing, fostering generosity may be easier to accomplish.  If not, the people need to understand their responsibility to the tithe, a responsibility that reflects an understanding that God already owns all our resources and that we are simply giving back into His Kingdom work that which He can acquire in any method He chooses to use.  And tithing does involve generosity in general, in my opinion, because it involves giving from what we have into a need that should be met through the congregation.

         If you are blessed with a congregation that understands what a free-will offering of time, talents and treasure entails, you are at a definite advantage over someone who is having to start from scratch by teaching about giving in general.  Such an already generous congregation often will continue in their giving in ways that may surprise even a veteran pastor, because they are individually meeting needs that are never openly mentioned to the whole congregation.

         Example: I know of someone who often has helped older people who have trouble operating a new smart phone or a new laptop to access the internet.  (I suppose generosity can include sharing knowledge, too.)

         A final thought that may stimulate your curiosity—take a minute to search out the word “freely” in the Bible.  It can give you one starting place when it comes to promoting generosity.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #3–Timing

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Trust God’s timing.  He gave you the vision to pursue.  He promised to meet all your needs if you will seek His righteousness first.  He will bring the vision into reality if you will focus on it and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but it will happen in His timetable, not yours.

                Allow me to illustrate what I’m saying.  Our congregation was led by the Holy Spirit into creating a safe place for local youth and children to gather with their friends.  Since God uses people to achieve His works on this earth, He began to put people with the right skills, knowledge and resources into our path. 

                However, the moving of those people took time.  We had hoped to have the buildings ready in a particular time frame.  That didn’t happen.  I firmly believe it didn’t happen at the time we wanted it to happen because God had something greater in store for us than we originally envisioned.  He was orchestrating peoples’ lives to be a blessing to us and to work their own lives out for good, also.  And that takes time.

                If you can believe God has given you the vision to achieve, believe He will bring it to pass at the right time.  Exercise patience.  Keep praying.  Keep on leading your flock toward spiritual maturity.  Continue to cast the vision before your congregation and encourage them to persevere in the face of difficulties or delays.  Trust God’s timing.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor