I have had the privilege of traveling across the world to visit local churches located on each of earth’s inhabited continents. I have been able to meet with pastors who minister in fast-paced world cities and in slow-paced rural villages. I have been able to spend time with pastors who are at the cutting edge of technology and pastors whose homes have yet to gain electricity or running water. I have learned from pastors who are able to commit every waking hour to ministry and pastors who have to rise long before the sun to tend to their cashew grove or rubber trees before they can begin to tend to their church.
There are a few things that bind all of these pastors together: Their commitment to the Word of God, their commitment to prayer, their commitment to shepherding the flock, and their struggle to manage their time well.
It is not only pastors who struggle with time management, of course. Yet pastors face particular challenges with their time that are often not addressed by the many books, guides, and programs available to them. They have a unique collection of responsibilities and a unique structure of accountability. On any given day they may be expected to exposit a text, counsel an addict, lead a pre-marriage class, chair a meeting, and pray at the bed of a dying man. Few pastors feel confident that they have used their time well. And perhaps of greater concern, few pastors feel confident that their parishioners believe they have used their time well either.
It is for these reasons that I’m thankful for Shepherding Time, a new book from Rush Witt and Joe Keller. They write as pastors to pastors—as shepherds to those who wish to shepherd their time confidently, successfully, and in a way that honors the Lord. They would be the first to admit that they have not mastered the art of time management, yet they have certainly made great strides in understanding how God means for them to use their time well and effectively. Their book is a powerful combination of biblical truths and practical pointers that draws from the deep wells of ancient wisdom and the front lines of modern innovation. It avoids the heavy hand of the law to focus instead on grace. It calls pastors—and, even better, guides them—into a fresh understanding of how to use their time for the good of their church and the glory of God.
If you are already in pastoral ministry or training for it, I’m certain that Shepherding Time will prove to be a great gift to you. It will challenge, inform, and instruct you in matters like expectations, guilt, accountability, and practical planning. Better yet, it will free y’ou from false expectations—whether your own or other people’s—so you can have confidence that you are honoring God with the time he has given you.
(Note: I’m allowing the foreword I wrote for Shepherding Time to serve as my review and recommendation.)
