Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15–16, NIV).
In the 2023 Global Adventist Pastors’ Survey (GAPS), respondents were asked about how well they were able to manage their time.
How Pastors’ Time is Spent
When asked whether they spent more time ministering to members or conducting outreach, 40% of the pastors globally reported that they definitely spent more time ministering to their members; 13% spent more time ministering to members; 24% felt they balanced the two roles; 8% spent more time in outreach; 15% definitely spent more time in outreach. After consolidating all the replies, 54% spent more of their time ministering to their members, while less than a quarter (23%) tended to focus on outreach.
Pastors’ Time Spent on Ministry Tasks
When pastors were also asked whether they had enough time for the tasks of ministry, 43% felt that they always had enough time; 46% most of the time; 10% rarely; only 1% felt that they never had enough time for their tasks. In general, 89% of pastors reported that they mostly had time for their ministry tasks, while 11% rarely or never had enough time.
Pastors’ Belief in their Time Management
Finally, pastors were asked what percentage of their time they spent on eleven key ministry tasks and whether they wanted to spend more or less time on these tasks than they did at that time. The tasks included the following: sermon and Bible study preparation, evangelistic activities, local church administration, member visitations, member support and their well-being, personal devotions, professional development, mentoring and coaching, Adventist education, centers of influence, and community activities outside the church. Although almost 90% of pastors around the world had reported that they had enough time to devote to their ministry, these pastors wanted more time for ten of the eleven ministry tasks. At the same time, a significant number of pastors (8–20%) wanted to spend less time in only four tasks, indicating that pastors may need to rethink their time management priorities.
One option would be to enhance the capacity of church members and delegate these ministry tasks in order to take some of the burden from their pastor.
A minister cannot keep in the best spiritual frame of mind while he is called upon to settle little difficulties in the various churches. This is not his appointed work. God desires to use every faculty of His chosen messengers. Their mind should not be wearied by long committee meetings at night, for God wants all their brain power to be used in proclaiming the gospel clearly and forcibly as it is in Christ Jesus (Ellen G. White, Evangelism, 91).
You can access the full report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 10/7/2025.