This week, the blog is sponsored by New Growth Press. This article was written by Joe Keller and Rush Witt, authors of the newly released book, Shepherding Time: A Pastor’s Guide to Time Management (foreword by Tim). Save 35% off Shepherding Time through October 4, 2026, at newgrowthpress.com.
Every pastor and ministry leader knows that time often seems like a difficult riddle that seems impossible to solve. You leave a hospital room, sit down for a budget meeting, and glance at a clock that never stops ticking. You pause and wonder if faithfulness to the church somehow means failure at home, or if resting for an evening means failing someone who needs you.
Scripture offers a freeing perspective on our time. The responsibilities and expectations are not riddles to be solved with a better app. God presents time as a stewardship to be shepherded, one that reveals what we actually believe about him, ourselves, and the Kingdom we serve.
Time reveals what we believe about God’s sovereignty.
Every person, whether pastor or parishioner, has access to the same 168 hours per week. No more, no less. While the amount of time cannot be altered, its use can and must be shepherded. Every wise pastor affirms the prayer of Moses: “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts” (Psalm 90:12). We do not steward time well by manufacturing more of it. We steward it well by trusting the God who measured it out.
Time reveals what we believe about pastoral vocation.
Left unexamined, our use of time becomes a referendum on our worth. Did I visit enough people? Prepare enough? Answer enough emails? God calls his pastoral people, and all people, to faithfulness, not omnipotence. Even so, we all struggle with the feeling of guilt, true or false. True guilt calls for repentance and faith, for resting in Christ’s finished work. In fact, the whole purpose of shepherding time leads us to work out who we already are to the glory of God.
Scripture offers a freeing perspective on our time. The responsibilities and expectations are not riddles to be solved with a better app. God presents time as a stewardship to be shepherded, one that reveals what we actually believe about him, ourselves, and the Kingdom we serve.
Time reveals what we believe about effectiveness.
The parable of the talents raises the question: What are you doing while you wait on Christ? Focus on the stewardship of your own time as it relates to your particular calling, including rest. Though our culture prizes productivity and efficiency, Sabbath defies these norms for our good. It humbles us, proving we are neither machines nor self-sustaining creatures, and interrupts the lie that everything depends on our effort, reorienting our hearts to remember God as the true Shepherd and ourselves as simple stewards.
Shepherding Time: A Pastor’s Guide to Time Management
Shepherding Time equips pastors and ministry leaders to use time with intentionality and humility, so they can serve their people well without losing themselves, their families, or their first love for Christ.
We don’t need to make time; we need to make the most of the time we have. Being intentional in the present is investing in what will last eternally: God, God’s Word, and the souls of people everywhere. We pray this book helps you see your calendar not as a burden to manage, but as a gift to steward, for his glory and your joy.
Available at New Growth Press, Amazon, and Westminster Bookstore.
Subscribe to the Shepherding Time podcast and hear how other pastors and ministry leaders shepherd their time.
