1. M A N A GE Y OUR PRIORI T IE S A ND T IME from Doug Fields
FOR STARTERS TRAINING on the GO
What’s something you wish To be a good steward of the time, talents, and responsibilities God has given
you had more time for in a you, it’s vital that you figure out how to manage your time and ministry
typical day? priorities. The main reason? Well, youth ministry never stops. Without any
time management, you won’t survive the marathon of youth ministry. You
What steals your time away might have a strong, short sprint for a semester or a year, but you won’t be
from those things? around to watch students graduate. Healthy youth volunteers recognize that
teenagers don’t need more sprinters, and they learn how to pace themselves to
become seasoned marathon runners.
IN T HE TRENCHE S The first step in managing your time is defining your priorities. What deserves
your best time? Your relationship with God? Family? Think about your top
Christy was a single mom, had a full-
time job, and was involved in our priority and ask yourself, What does that time look like? Is that priority getting
youth ministry. She was devoted to leftovers because your day is so full? If you don’t take the time to determine what
her kids and lived a balanced life. matters most in life, it’s very easy for the small, menial, and often unimportant
She was someone who really loved
things to consume you.
teenagers, but she had limited time
to give. Consider designing a time budget; it’ll help you identify time for what’s most
She was a great volunteer, and as important. In my own life, I’ve found it helpful to organize each day of the week
the youth pastor, I really wanted her into several blocks of time. Compartmentalizing my life this way helps me to
to be involved because she was so be more strategic about maximizing time, streamlining my life, and giving my
good with students. I kept asking most energetic part of the day to what’s most important. Now, I realize that
for more, and she kept rejecting me.
as a volunteer you might not block each day around your commitment to
She knew her priorities and couldn’t
give me the time I hoped for. youth ministry, but it’s helpful to see how many hour blocks you devote to your
ministry to teenagers.
At first my pride was hurt because
she continued to reject me, but Organizing your daily life into blocks, like doing a financial budget, will reveal if
ultimately (when I grew up) I realized your time is over budget or under budget. As you write each day’s activities into
that she was right to maintain her blocks of time, you’ll see if you are doubling efforts, wasting time, or switching
priorities no matter how much I
priorities from what’s most important to what’s easiest. Time management
begged. She was a poster child of
health. Because of her priorities and will not only make you a better volunteer but also make your entire life more
her courage to not overcommit, she manageable.
became a long-term and valuable
What follows the setting of priorities is rearranging the way you spend your
volunteer. Her spiritual growth and
her kids came first. And even though time so you can experience your priorities. Warning: You may need to make big
she did not have a lot of time to give, changes in order to focus on what matters most to you. You may need to cut a
she made a huge impact on students few good and worthy uses of your time for the sake of being healthier and more
and other volunteer leaders—by balanced. Take time to identify what is important, and then make room for
living a balanced, Christ-honoring those priorities. Do you have some shifting to do? Are there areas of ministry
life and not feeling guilty about
you may need to give up?
what she couldn’t do. How are you
like or unlike Christy? How can she As a volunteer, you need to understand that time management and life balance
be an example to you? won’t happen overnight. It’s a lifestyle—a difficult, ongoing process of growth
that requires constant attention and evaluation. Finally, keep in mind that
God adds only the things that are life-giving—never life-depleting.
YOUTH LEADER TRAINING ON THE GO

2. M A N A GE Y OUR P RIORI T IE S A ND T IME
CONNECT to God’s Word T O T HE POINT
“For six years sow your fields, and for six years • Learning to manage your time
is a process.
prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in
the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of • Define what is important to you.
rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields • Don’t be afraid to shift things
or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of around so your time is spent
itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. on the essentials.
The land is to have a year of rest.” —Leviticus 25:3-5
TRY I T
Design a time sheet for your monthly
According to these verses, work is good. God
personal commitment to youth
created the land and humans to work the land. ministry. Do you know how much
However, even the land has been given boundaries time you spend on programs (Sunday
school, midweek Bible study, and so
by God. Even the land has a stopping point. If God on), talking with students, going to
designed the land to need rest, how much more do meetings, and other commitments?
you think he designed you for rest? Once you’ve quantified your time
allotment, set specific goals for things
• What seems out of control in your life? What you would like to see happen during
the time you can give that month. Use
seems to be missing from your life?
alone time to honestly assess what
• What might God want you to take out of your you’ve done and what you’d like to
do. Be realistic, but also write in an
schedule? to increase in your schedule? amount of time for each ministry goal
so you can make your ministry more
effective while still maintaining your
Write a response and prayer to God here… priorities.
Here’s an example:
January: Spend a one-on-one relational time
with each girl in my small group.
February: Big month at work—youth ministry
should focus on l student tim and more not,
e-mails, and hone calls. No meings this month.
March: Write a Bible study according to the
needs of my group—enlist students to help.
April: Attend miion trip with youth group.
May: Finals are aroaching—no weekly
meing. Dinner at my house; we’ll cook togher.
June: Family vacation month—no extra
MA K E IT PER SONAL ministry commitments this month!
Permission to photocopy this handout granted for local church use. Copyright © Doug Fields. Published in Youth Leader Training on the Go
by Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. www.youthministry.com and www.simplyyouthministry.com