Accountability Is Important by: Editor - My-Pastor.com
When answering these types of questions I always feel like my words might be used as ammunition for a church conflict. The purpose of My-Pastor.com is to help congregations better choose and encourage their pastors. I hope that my input on this question will be used for those purposes.
Should a pastor be accountable for his time spent on church work? Yes. I think that answer is obvious to most everyone. The real questions, I think, are, To whom should the pastor be accountable and in how much detail?
In my opinion, the pastor should be accountable to a small group of church leaders, such as Elders and not to the entire congregation. If the Elders are satisfied with the amount of time the pastor spends on church work, then I think that should satisfy everyone.
But how much detail should a pastor provide? Does it need to be documented on paper? If it is written down, who keeps the reports and what are to be done with them? These questions I think can only be answered on a case by case basis.
It may help, though, to understand a few things about a pastors work "schedule."
1) Most pastors work a six-day schedule, taking only one whole day off. Some do take two days off, but the second "day" is usually spread out over six days.
2) Pastors often work late into the night at church meetings, youth activities, visitation, and making up for study time lost during the day. If he works until 11 pm, does he need to be at the office by 8 am the next morning?
3) Because pastors are often busy in the evenings, family time frequently suffers. To compensate for this, most pastors fit various family activities in between church obligations. It's very difficult to keep track of exact times worked when he is shuffling back and forth between family and church.
4) Even when a pastor isn't officially working, he's often working anyway. When he takes his child to the doctor he takes along a ministry book to read while he's waiting. On her day off she graciously answers three phone calls about church ministry. When he watches TV he makes notes about an illustration that he can use for Sunday's sermon. A pastor is in many ways always working. It would be almost impossible to document every minute a pastor spends on church work. But if you require him to record his work time, is it fair that he not be able to list every minute worked?
In summary, let me say that, yes, a pastor should be accountable for his time. But there is no way to really document everything he does for the church. The best solution, in my opinion, is to have a small group of church leaders keep basic oversight of the pastor's time. These leaders generally have a better understanding of the demands placed on a pastor's time and are also aware of the unique situation of your particular congregation.
