Protecting Your Time As A Bi-Vocational Youth Pastor

Time. We all need more of it, yet there is only a certain amount allotted to each of us in a day, week, month, year, and lifetime. Time is both a friend and a foe, and let’s face it, most of us in bi-vocational or fully volunteer ministry all have one thing in common: we are always feeling the pressure of time. As we all know, time is limited, and there can never be any more time created than what God has already given us. That’s why, for those of us who God has called to bi-vocational or volunteer ministry, time is something that must be managed well and efficiently, both for our personal and spiritual health and for God’s glory. I hope that these next few moments that you take while you read this blog are a good way to spend some of that time.

IS 40 ACTUALLY 80?

If you are like me, you work a normal, everyday job that is the main source of your income. But let’s address the elephant in the room: working 40 hours a week at a secular job and then being in ministry feels like working 80 hours a week at any job, minimum. Even though people in your church and on your staff might not fully grasp the idea of this, ministry is a full-time commitment, even for the part-timer. No matter the size of your group, balancing your schedule between family time, study time, ballgames, parent meetings, band competitions, cheer tryouts, planning events, recruiting volunteers, spending time with your spouse, being a parent to your own kids, discipling your students collectively and individually, prepping for Sunday school and Wednesday nights and so much more is super-hard and time consuming for the bi-vo or volunteer pastor. Oh yeah, let’s also throw in sleeping somewhere in there!

This is why we must make our time count. While all of those things mentioned above are SUPER IMPORTANT, we have to understand that time is limited. Bi-vo and volunteer ministers have to learn how to prioritize and control how they spend their time. We’ve all been guilty of doomscrolling at some point. We have also all said yes to something that has really stretched our study time or our time with family. Learning to put the phone away, to turn off the TV, and to say no to things that stretch your time are healthy habits needed to continue in ministry. If you always say yes to every student’s request to come to a game or wait until the last minute to plan or prepare a message, you won’t be in ministry long. Lack of time management leads to stressful situations, and stress leads to burnout.

STUDY TIME IS SCARCE…SO MAKE IT COUNT

Finding time to study for sermons or Bible studies that you are preparing to preach or teach is HARD WORK. My personal time is from 9 pm-12 am, 2-3 nights a week, typically after my family all go to bed. Who said sleep is needed in a world where caffeine is sold at every corner?! By doing this, I give myself the freedom to be husband and dad when I get home from work.

My primary focus when I get home is my wife and my son. I can have this focus because I know that I am going to focus on studying for my message later that night. The hard part about this is being disciplined enough to actually study after you’ve played with your kids for a couple of hours, eaten dinner, cleaned the kitchen, and fed the dog.

As a bi-vocational minister, I have to be a good steward of my time because time is scarce. And it is not just family that is pressing for my time. The high school football game on Friday night, the band competition on Saturday, and the staff meeting on Monday afternoon are all fighting to get some of my precious time. We must have our priorities in line when trying to decide what to put on the calendar and what not to. For me, my priorities come down to a couple of questions:

1. Have I spent time with the Lord today?
2. Have I spent time with my family today?
3. Have I interacted with one of my students today?

I believe that when I ask myself these three questions, my time is then allotted to my priorities that God has called me to: Him, a family, and a flock.

RESTING ISN’T A GUILTY PLEASURE

The word “rest” to a bi-vocational minister can be comical because every second seems to be taken. Personal “rest” in Christ through personal devotion is HUGE for keeping the focus on Christ. If you get to a point where you are just opening your Bible to prepare to teach or preach, it may be time to take some time off to reset your priorities as a person. You have to be ready to teach and preach out of the overflow from your personal rest in Jesus.

But spiritual rest isn’t the only type of rest that you should be seeking to get. Physical rest is a close second for us bi-vo and volunteer peeps. Our minds and bodies need time to rest. Find something that you enjoy doing, take a nap, and spend some time with your family without your phone. That parent can wait a couple of hours to find out how much they owe for camp. Your physical and mental well-being are important. Be willing to say no to Saturday morning plans. Be willing to allow yourself to nap after a hard week's work. Schedule rest breaks throughout your week, giving yourself permission to rest. If you have a job that gives you PTO days, take one here and there just to stay home and rest. Your mind and body need it and will thank you later.

But more than you spiritually, physically, and mentally need it, your ministry needs it. I am all about doing things excellently. If I am doing something, I want to be all in, but I can only give what I have. And if I have no energy, I can’t teach well. If I’m carrying a mental load, I can’t be mentally present at a volleyball game on Tuesday night. And neither can you. Take care of yourself so that you can take care of your flock and your ministry. Your students need a healthy you.

YOUR TIME MATTERS BECAUSE YOU MATTER!

Lastly, let me encourage your heart: what you do MATTERS! The work the Lord has called you to matters so much. Don’t grow weary in your work. Do it to the best of your ability and to the glory of our Savior. Lean into Him and be diligent with your time. Keep plowing away at the fields. Keep planting seeds. Keep showing up. Keep studying. Keep diving into God’s word personally. Keep growing. Keep trusting the Lord to provide. You can do it. I believe in you!

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. Do you have a time within your week that is dedicated to your physical, mental, and spiritual rest? If not, is there a time during your week that you could dedicate to rest?
2. What is something coming up on your calendar that you can say no to in order to gain some time to rest?

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