From Joel R. Greenwood: Youth Pastor, Fairview Missionary Church

Do You Know Where Your Time Goes?

I have always been a very regimented person. My life is run by Google calendar and whenever someone asks me if I am available, I have to open my iPod and check! As I sit and reflect about how busy my life is that I need to carry around a digital copy of my calendar, I wonder where all of my time goes.

I just adopted my first child a little over two months ago and my time has become even more important to me. I have finally accepted the fact that the eight hours of sleep a night I was used to is a thing of the past. Not only do I lose that sleep, but when I get home my time is not my own anymore as it is shared between Micah (my son) and Karolyn (my wife)!

As I said previously, I am almost obsessive compulsive about my schedule and have had a weekly calendar for the last six years that I have been at Fairview Missionary Church detailing what I am going to do in half hour increments. Some of you already think I am crazy (which may be true), but it isn't as hard as you think. Before I even started this job I read Purpose Driven Youth Ministry by Doug Fields. He gives an example in an Appendix in the back of the book of how he schedules his weeks. I followed his example and have made a weekly calendar for the last six years.

Since my time has become such a hot commodity, I decided to see where my time was going and what I was giving to the "ministry." As I looked at my weeks, I realized that I was giving over half of my time (nearly 75%) to administrative/office work or non-youth related church jobs. This made me contemplate exactly what my position was at the church. My title is Director of Teen Ministries, but it didn't seem like I got to work with teens that much (which is what my passion is). I've spent the last month talking to God about this and how I can change it. There was no more margin in my life to just add "teen time" so I was going to have to cut some things out!

I met last night with my youth workers and told them that some things were going to change. I was going to shift my priorities (not in my mind, but with what my calendar showed was important) and spend more time with teenagers. This means that things may look different for FUSION and The EDGE (our Jr. & Sr. High ministries)! We may not have fancy announcement slideshows, track attendance so rigidly, have clean rooms all the time (yes, I clean the rooms), or have candy and pop to sell in our Casa, but are these things really important?

It is my goal this summer to spend at least 15 hours a week with teenagers (one on one or in groups) and the other 30 hours with my other church responsibilities (preparing lessons, meetings, etc.).

Do you know where your time goes? I encourage you first to make a weekly calendar to keep you on track. It is so easy in ministry to put in a 10 hour day and then go home and wonder what you did all day! I take an hour at the beginning of each week to schedule out my appointments and other obligations. This is the best hour I spend each week. I am the most efficient with my time when I have a plan.

Second, I would suggest that you actually take a few weeks and see how your time is used and what it is used on. You may be surprised, like I was, that your calendar and mind don't share the same passions. We will be at our best when we are doing things that align with our passions and gifts. If you say your family is important, does your calendar show that? If you got into ministry to work with teens, are you doing it?

It is healthy, every once in awhile, to take a step back and evaluate what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what matters most!

Joel R. Greenwood