The Key to an Effective, Productive Ministry

The key to an effective, productive ministry is not measured by numerical statistics but by consistently focusing your best energy on the tasks that yield the greatest ROI.

Not every pastoral task is created equally.

Some tasks have great Return on Investment (ROI hereafter), some have little ROI, and others have none.

There are some tasks you should put your best energy towards, other tasks you should delegate, and other tasks you shouldn’t be doing at all.

The key to an effective, productive ministry is not measured by numerical statistics but by consistently focusing your best energy on the tasks that yield the greatest ROI.

ROI is not measured by secular standards, but by what the Scriptures tell us a pastor is and is supposed to do with his time. If ROI sounds too businessy to you, then think about the tasks that have the greatest eternal, spiritual impact — or tasks that most align with your main pastoral priorities.

What tasks have great ROI in pastoral ministry? A few come to mind.

1. Prayer.

Talking about prayer to a pastor gets an eye-roll. Articles on prayer might be read by lay Christians, but not by professional God talkers. I don’t even know what to say in response, despite Scriptural evidence and personal experience that I am powerless in ministry without a vibrant prayer life.

When I pray at length, it feels like I get through any trial. When I skip prayer, it’s like the smallest trials bring me down.

2. Reading.

Your best energy should revolve around personal Bible study and preparing to preach and teach the Bible to the people under your care. You should also be a voracious reader of commentaries, Christian books, non-fiction secular books, and other kinds of books you enjoy reading. I don’t enjoy reading fiction, but I can see how reading fiction would help my writing and illustrations as a preacher.

As you develop a deep reservoir of knowledge, it makes preaching and teaching a lot easier because you have a deep well to pull from. On the contrary, if you are not an avid reader, your teaching will be perceived as shallow to those acquainted with the Scriptures. Every teaching pastor should be a voracious reader.

3. Writing handwritten thank you notes.

I had lunch with a retired pastor. He gave me three pieces of advice for my ministry. Honestly, I forgot 2/3rd’s of the things he told me probably because I was too focused on eating my steak burrito. But 33% of what he said stood out to me as if I found a huge piece of gold on the beach. He said writing multiple handwritten cards to members of his church each week was one of the best uses of his time in ministry. They might not remember what you say, but they will remember for a long, long time that they received a hand-written card in the mail from their pastor, and that is so meaningful to them.

4. Raising up other leaders.

Am I an extrovert or an introvert? I’m right smack dab in the middle, which makes me somewhat of a difficult person to figure out. My wife says I’m slightly more introverted, so let’s go with her. I find meeting with other men to raise them up somewhat exhausting, because for me if I want to learn something, I am driven to acquire the information independently. Meeting with other men can feel messy and difficult when you have a hard time understanding why someone else’s growth is taking so long, but raising up other leaders is one of the best uses of your energy in ministry.

5. Planning the Order of Service.

Most church people don’t realize how much time and effort goes into planning a worship service. But Paul says that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). This includes, of course, the worship service. Effort spent on planning every second of the service is time well spent.

6. Time spent with the people you pastor.

Shepherds smell like their sheep. This includes general shepherding and counseling. But also church events where people are present. People need to trust you for you to lead them, and that comes through time. While being locked in your office studying theology and preparing sermons is enjoyable, we also need to come out and be with the people we are called to serve.

7. Family, friends, and mentors.

The ability to manage your household well is a prerequisite to being a pastor (1 Timothy 3:4). That won’t happen if your wife and kids don’t feel deeply loved by you, and giving them your unhurried time is one of the most precious demonstrations of love.

You also need friends and mentors in your life. These meetings might be long. Sometimes they are frustrating. Sometimes a mentor or pastor friend will say something that rubs you the wrong way, questioning your need or desire for friends in the first place. Keep pursuing them anyway. While it might be wise to end a friendship when needed, we also need other men speaking into our lives if we are going to last for the long haul.

What Doesn’t Make My List

The list above is suggestive, not exhaustive. There’s more you could add, like practicing your spiritual rhythms to pursue holiness.

But consider these tasks:

• Unnecessary meetings.

• Certain administrative tasks.

• Writing the church email newsletter.

• Posting on the church's social media page.

Should you be doing those things?

With every task, I think in terms of three categories:

1. I should be doing this (do it).

2. I shouldn’t be doing this (don’t do it).

3. Someone else should be doing this (delegate it).

The key to pastoral productivity is knowing the difference between each.

Pastoral productivity is not measured by numerical statistics but by consistently focusing your best energy on the tasks that yield the greatest ROI. It’s not always possible to delegate or defer in smaller churches and in certain seasons of ministry, but as much as you can, center your day around true pastoral priorities.