If you are a pastor, has anyone ever asked you, “What do you do all week?” If you haven’t been able to before, now you have an answer. Pulpit and Pew Research on Pastoral Leadership did a study on this question and came up with the following results. The median work week for Protestant clergy is 46 hours. The following is a breakdown of the percentages:

1. Percentage of week spent preparing for worship and preaching – 33% – 15.18 hours
2. Percentage of week spent providing pastoral care – 19% – 8.74 hours
3. Percent of week spent administrating congregation’s work and attending meetings – 15% – 6.9 hours
4. Percent of week spent teaching and training people for ministry – 13% – 5.98 hours
5. Percent of week spent in denominational and community affairs – 6% – 2.4 hours
6. Hours spent in prayer and meditation – 7% – 3.22 hours
7. Hours spent reading, other than for sermons – 4% – 1.84 hours

I’d be interested in hearing what you think of this. Does this match your experience?  In general, what do you think about these numbers?