James Glasse of Vanderbilt University and others initiated in the sixties a debate over ministry as a profession. The discussions resulted in assigning a higher status to ministers, commensurate with their education and training. Clergy salaries shot up, and the laity began to ask, "I wonder what ministers do? They earn almost $25,000!" Consequently there arose a new expectation that ministers should account for their time and show productive results that justified their higher salaries. Re porting became crucial.
Accountability in any field builds trust. Ministry is no exception, particularly in the first months of one's pastorate. Ministers may either design their own system of accountability or expect the church board to develop one for them.
An extensive system of accountability could burden pastors, as well as those to whom they are responsible. The most helpful system will report only the necessary items of highest interest. Other personal reflections of accountability will simply enhance individual understanding and self-control.
Ministers must account for their time, ethics, theology, stewardship, and pastoral care. Usually churches will not re quire a report concerning ethics, theology, or stewardship unless problems develop. However, most church leaders would appreciate regular reporting on their ministers' time and pastoral care.
Periodically pastors should report to their official board concerning the distribution of their time during an average week. Such reports help the boards see how a pastor's time is allocated among various ministerial activities, such as sermon preparation, preaching, visitation, counseling, reading, denominational work, driving time, correspondence, ad ministration and planning, committee work, leader training, worship planning, newsletter preparation, writing, and physical labor.
Although an analysis of this nature would be burdensome and counterproductive if done more than once a year, a week-long study annually would prove beneficial. The minister will have a tool for self-study and time management, and the board will have a better appreciation of the nature and complexity of the ministry. An additional benefit would be that it would take care of some unfair and invalid criticism arising from a lack of information concerning how the minister's time is spent.
Please note that any accountability should be honest and presented with humility. Listening to frequent reports about the heavy work load of a pastor can become tiresome. Recently, I read six sequential newsletters written by a minister. Each newsletter reported that this man had invited an average of 50 people to church each week, but the attendance remained constant. Such reporting leads one to question the minister's honesty and/or effectiveness.
Each minister will have to decide as to how creatively he or she could prepare the accountability report, and show to the board or the church administrators how well pastoral time is spent and managed. One possible tool is to use a simple form like the one suggested here.
