Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

Someone was asking me about my schedule recently so I thought I'd blog about it. Bacially, I just show up on Sundays and preach :)

Any other pastors get this question: so what do you do the rest of the week? As if we just show up on Sundays and twiddle our thumbs the rest of the week :)

I always seem to have a half-dozen balls that I'm juggling. Right now it's planning and preparing sermon series, launching a coffeehouse, launching a coffeehouse service, writing magazine articles, publishing my first book with Multnomah, planning the Buzz Conference, and normal pastoral duties.

Oh yah, blogging too :)

Monday is a focus day for me. I take my kids to school on Mondays and I work out at Results Gym. I try to write my evotional, the written version of my weekend message, on Mondays. I begin studying for my next message. I do some visioneering. And I try to fit in some reading time on Mondays. For what it's worth, I never go anywhere without a book. I almost always have 5-7 books in my bag.

Tuesdays I usually get up at 5:30 AM and start the day praying and studying. We do a weekly Big Idea Meeting @ 10:00 AM where we brainstorm sermon series and nail down run sheets. We have our Team Meeting @ Noon and we usually order in lunch. Tuesday doubles as one of my meeting days. Right now I'm coaching my son's basketball team so I knock off around 3:30 PM on Tuesdays. Coaching has been a great outlet for me. I think my life was revolving around NCC too much pre-coaching. Every pastor needs some non-church hobby or outlet.

Wednesdays are my day off. Lora and I usually grab coffee and run errands. I typically work out on Wednesdays as well.

Thursdays are a meeting day. I try to schedule all of my meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I typically get going around 5:30 AM. That gives me a couple hours to write articles or do sermon prep. Then I bookend as many meetings as possible. I've also had a standing meeting with our contractors on Thursday mornings.

Fridays are a focus day. I do sermon prep in the AM. And I tie up loose ends from the week in the afternoon.

Saturdays are a study day. No matter how well prepared I am I will work on my message all day. I'm a perfectionist. Saturday used to be a sixteen hour day for me. I now try to study about eight hours on Saturdays. I also try to fit in a work out. I'll have to adjust my schedule when we launch Saturday Night Services on March 4.

Sundays are game day. I get up around 5:30 AM. We do a team meeting at 7:15 AM. Then we're off to the races. It is pretty chaotic with four overlapping services in two locations, but I think that will seem simple a few years from now. I typically take a siesta on Sundays or watch football. I need to decompress physically and spiritually.

A few random thoughts on schedule.

Everybody needs to find a rhythm that works for them. I know my best writing hours and creative hours are early AM. I don't think I've had a creative thought past 3 PM in the afternoon :) My brain is too cluttered.

I think my biggest challenge right now is finding creative time to dream. It seems like I'm always handling a coffeehouse issue, writing an article, brainstorming a series, or managing a variety of projects. The great thing is that I love all of the above! I would get bored if pastoring was one-dimensional or two-dimensional. I love the fact that pastoring is seven-dimensional. But I do need to get out of the office at different times during the day.
I have this formula: change of pace + change of place = change of perspective.

I love going to bookstores and coffeehouses. There is an old saying: where you butt sits affects how your brain thinks. Or something like that. It's true.

One last thought. I'm a big believer in Family First. I don't have more than one ministry commitment per week in the evenings. Most pastors seem shocked by that, but it is a decision I made a few years ago. My kids are at a stage where they need their dad at home so I limit my evening commitments.