I just realized recently the number of questions I get about youth ministry from the contact page here on the blog. And while I’m still very much learning along the way, I really enjoy sharing this journey with other youth workers. If you want, send a question into the blog, too! I think this could be a cool new series of posts …
Josh, recently the leadership in the church has asked me to keep track of my hours. I am usually a go go type person, a doer if you will. The idea of keeping track of my hours and tasks is really hard for me. Have you ever had to keep track of your time? Do you have any tips? Signed, Frustrated Youth Pastor
You’re thinking about this all wrong because in the end, I think this will be a BIG win for you.
Two things — 1) you’ve got nothing to hide, you’re working HARD, be sure to count EVERYTHING, and 2) this will help them better understand you! They will see how you work, when you work, and not place unrealistic expectations on you from here on out. I know it sucks … but there’s a good upside in play. Do the right thing and journey through this, the other side will be insightful and revealing for the leadership above you. Let me know how it goes!
JG
Josh Griffin has been in youth ministry for 15+ years and serves as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church. [
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Geoff Stewart serves the Jr / Sr High School Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey B.C.
I went through this same thing last fall and Josh is right on. As much as I fought it at first, it turned out to be a great thing. It helped the church leadership see all the “hidden” things that come with youth ministry … like the early morning and late night phone calls, the unscheduled meetings with parents who stop in to drop something off and end up staying for 45 minutes because they really need someone to talk to about their kid, the extra hour spent waiting for that last parent to pick up after youth group, the phone calls to 10 different bowling alleys to get the best price on midnight bowling, etc. All the things that we don’t even think about when we’re doing them … all that time really adds up!
It was good for me as well. I was surprised by some of things that take up big chunks of my time. It really helped me reorganize my priorities and my schedule. It was win/win!!! The process does suck but there are definitely benefits on the other side.
Frustrated youth pastor, I am right there with you. I was asked about three weeks ago to start keeping track too. Thanks for the new outlook on it josh.
Don’t forget to add the 30 minutes each day it takes to record everything AND the time to report your hours. It really is a good thing. I keep a “log” of what I do, mostly for me. Let’s me look back over the week and see where I spent too much time doing something or not enough time in other areas. It’s all about accountability. Thanks Josh for taking this question.
It is a good thing but very tough if your schedule is as goofy as most youth pastors! I have been doing it for the past few months and it is good but not easy! My schedule looks a bit A.D.D. even though I consider myself fairly organized.
What is working for me is using MS Outlook and setting the work week view for 15 minute increments which you can later print out in a fairly good week overview. I try to list the different things I do during those increments although I often have chunks of time – an hour or two usually – that just say “office work”, “Study”, or “admin”, but I try to list some specifics about what that is I am studying for or what kind of administration I’m doing. Talk to your leadership and ask how detailed and specific they want you to be. Be sure to list who you meet with, etc.
I try to record it right away or later in the afternoon. You end up watching the clock a lot which is annoying, but it gets better later. You will get to a point where you will only spend 10 minutes or less a day on time tracking, and maybe 20 minutes once a week totaling your hours.
I also have a PocketPC that syncs with Outlook so that helps me track “on the go”. If you’re techie at all something like that may work for you. Good luck. It’s a hard transition but it does get easier and it is helpful for you to see what all you’ve accomplished each week. (Some weeks you’ll get tired just looking at it!) Plus it will help you (and the leadership) see if you have enough margin in your life!
Oh man – I resonate with this one. I was required in my last church to keep a spreadsheet (done in excel) that not only tracked my hours BUT I had to put them in assigned categories. I then had to print them out once a month for the board meetings. The program would calculate our hours in percentages and averages for the month. I hated it every time I had to fill it in.
I think being accountable for our time is a good thing. But when it’s to the point of micro-managing I have to disagree with it.
I’m not required to do this, but after reading PDYM, I have decided it is best to do this. I keep all that I do written down on pre-written spreadsheets in case I ever get that “What have you been doing all the time?”
But, it also helps me out…helps me plan the week. I can see times when to be relational, and when to get things done. I can also see if I spent too much time blogging and not enough time praying. Be honest, be fair, and use the advantages…maybe the board thinks you’re doing too much and wants you to take care of yourself too.
my first youth pastor position i had to log every hour because the powers that be had no idea how many hours i put into my work. the powers that be were a board that determined what my raise would be, if they only saw me on sunday morning and wednesday night, then how could i ever expect them to understand what i went through in a typical week. well it was a win win for me…anyone raises came around they would pull out my time sheets and realize they are getting the better deal on this. so logging hours is tedious but if you truly work hard, then it can be overwhelming to just read what it takes to get it done!
My pastor likes me to keep regular office hours and wondered what I was doing when I wasn’t at church. He often requires my assistance with technical things and it would upset him when i wasn’t in the office. He requested that I record my hours and what I was doing. I was offended that he questioned my work ethic but decided to have a go at it. I turned in my 60+ hr work week for a few weeks until he stopped by my office and told me what an awesome job I was doing and that is wasn’t necessary to continue to submit my hours. I then informed him that I needed to focus in on what mattered most. I told him i needed to prioritize my church presence and limit my work week to 45 hrs a week to spend more time with my family. He understood and hasn’t bothered me about hours since. He’s been trained to call my cell when he needs tech help. Record your hours and be happy they asked you to do it. They will be informed and you will be blessed.
I love this “He’s been trained to call my cell” from post number 8. That is great! Anyway I have been keeping my hours for a good while now. I just print out a Calendar and put the hours in. Just food for thought, but no doubt like many of us we have those nickel and dime times, anything under an hour, where we get an inspiration and ponder it for about 25 minutes, or we read a chapter of an awesome “SYM” book, or we stop by to have Coffee with Rick Lawrence to talk about ministry, whatever. I dont want to keep track stuff of the piddly stuff, so record the bare minimum of required hours to let the higher ups know that they are the time that they expect. It is great to know that if there is any question, I can pull out my hours which is on the wall and demonstrate to them what I am doing. It also give me an opportunity to share the needs of the ministy and what is important. This will also keep us straight on evaluating our verbal vs actual priorities, it can be a great wake up call to see my what I have been doing and what I need to be doing.