Shepherding Time
A Pastor's Guide to Time Management
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: New Growth Press
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Rush Witt and Joe Keller show pastors how to think biblically about time, diagnose common struggles, and build sustainable rhythms for long-term faithfulness and joy in their calling. Time is a precious and finite commodity. Are you stewarding it well? As a pastor, your work moves fluidly between study and solitude, counseling and crisis care, administration and leadership, plus a series of daily interruptions, not to mention your family and home life. How do you manage time effectively in a role without predictable hours, where you encounter the needs of others at every turn? With biblical principles and pastoral care, Shepherding Time enables pastors to serve their congregations faithfully while maintaining their own spiritual health. It equips pastors to use time with intentionality and humility, so they can serve their people well without losing themselves, their families, or their first love for Christ. A pastoral, practical, and deeply theological guide to understanding and reframing time as a matter of worship, discipleship, and freedom in the gospel. Addresses common struggles such as time guilt, distractions, and overwhelming expectations, offering biblical insights and constructive solutions. Includes practical insights and action points to help pastors plan their ideal week and steward their time effectively.
Endorsements (21)
“Most pastors don’t have a time problem—they have a theology problem. Rush Witt and Joe Keller make the argument that most productivity books never attempt: Your view of God directly shapes your use of time. Get that wrong, and no system fixes it. Get it right, and the framework they provide actually holds. Buy this book.”
“Church leaders, your fruitfulness and joy are shaped by how you steward time. Shepherding Time moves beyond productivity hacks and efficiency metrics to show how faithful time stewardship flows from a well-ordered soul. Readable, crisp, insightful, and effectively concrete, this is a book worth the time of every leader who wants to redeem it.”
“Everyone is busy, especially hardworking pastors. But pastors don’t need another productivity hack. They need encouragement from the Scriptures for stewarding the time God has entrusted to them. In Shepherding Time, Rush Witt and Joe Keller offer exactly that. Blending a theology of stewardship with pastoral wisdom and practical counsel, they help shepherds think clearly about one of the greatest challenges in ministry. This is a timely resource for pastors who want to faithfully shepherd both their people and their calendars.”
“I wish I could put a copy of Shepherding Time into the hands of every pastor, seminarian, and lay elder. Rush and Joe have presented a wise, realistic, and deeply pastoral guide to stewarding time for the good of Christ’s church.”
“I could not be more grateful for Rush Witt and Joe Keller’s timely work on the pastor and time. They have given pastors something rare: not another set of productivity hacks, but a deeply pastoral vision for stewarding our limits well. In a ministry culture often driven by urgency and efficiency, this book offers wisdom, clarity, and freedom. Shepherding Time is a needed reminder that how a pastor uses his time reveals what he loves, values, and believes about God, himself, and others.”
“All pastors are busy. Not all pastors know how to manage their time. Personally, I’ve found Rush Witt to be a helpful guide for better organization and time management. Now, he and Joe Keller have put their counsel to paper. If you’re like me, trying to balance a number of responsibilities while wearing multiple hats, you will benefit from Shepherding Time. With brief chapters, helpful reflection questions, and clear action steps, you will be well served.”
“Joe and Rush are pastors who produce. But productivity is not their driving motivation—they want to see the Lord glorified by his Word being faithfully ministered to his people. These men are faithful guides to working well in ministry. Take and read.”
“Unlike most books on time management which focus only on practical tips, Shepherding Time helps pastors examine their heart motives and relationship with God when stewarding both their callings and their time in light of ultimate and eternal purposes. With great insights from church history, this book will encourage and equip today’s pastors for greater joy and effectiveness in ministry.”
“Pastors rarely lack work; they often lack a wise plan for the abundance of good work in front of them. Rush Witt and Joe Keller offer meaningful counsel to the church leader trying to be faithful at home and in his local church at the same time. Their fifty years of combined ministry experience show in a book that is accessible, honest, and full of practical action steps. Any pastor who wants to grow in shepherding his time would do well to pick this up.”
“I wish I had this book when I started ministry. The pressure of the clock has been constant, but I’ve never looked at time as something to shepherd. Rush and Joe give busy shepherds a theological framework combined with genuinely helpful tools that I have not found anywhere else. I will make it required reading for every man I train for the pastorate.”
“Pastors don’t struggle with time management because they’re lazy. They struggle because everything matters and everyone needs them now. Witt and Keller finally wrote the book that addresses that real tension. This is not another productivity hack. It builds a theology of time before it gives you a strategy. Every pastor needs this book.”
“Ministry is a fulfilling calling, and one that fills every day with more opportunities than any pastor can possibly pursue. Shepherding Time helps pastors think wisely about how to steward their limited hours for the sake of their people, families, and mission.”
“This book is not just about time—it teaches you how to wisely manage your life and ministry as a pastor. If your time is overrun by the busyness of ministry and the tyranny of the urgent, Joe and Rush are very capable guides.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed this book! We all struggle to make the most of our time. We wonder, Should we do this? Or should we do that? Rush Witt and Joe Keller have set a wise course of action for pastors. By being proactive and thoughtful, pastors can redeem precious, God-given time.”
“Every minute matters, especially for pastors who feel that time is a burden to manage rather than a blessing to steward. Witt and Keller bring fresh biblical wisdom to productivity, helping pastors shepherd time without false guilt or neglect. Ecclesiastes reminds us that God ordains every season, and this book helps pastors serve faithfully. Make the time to read it.”
“I often describe my life as ‘gracious people waiting for me to get back to them.’ I can feel like I’m perpetually behind schedule. In Shepherding Time, Keller and Witt helped me see how deeply the fear of man can shape my calendar and commitments. More than that, they provided practical, Christ-centered tools that have helped me become a wiser and more faithful steward of the time God has entrusted to me.”
“Joe Keller and Rush Witt have written a much-needed book on time. They challenge the reader to think about it in terms of stewardship, accountability and eternity. As I get older, I realize that good is often the enemy of excellent. As I read, I was reminded that how we use time is a great measure of our character. You will be convicted, encouraged, and helped as you rethink how you use your time to maximize ministry effectiveness and do all for the glory of God.”
“Shepherding Time introduces categories that every pastor needs in order to finish well. I believe pastors need a steady diet of books that speak about categories of shepherding, time management, pastoral priorities, and rest. Witt and Keller give insight and care to these areas. Take a personal retreat and prayerfully read this book—it will serve you.”
“This book is a rich source of both biblical wisdom and practical suggestions for how pastors can steward their time well. It will serve pastors well to read and think about this essential topic so that they can use their time in ways that honor the Lord and serve the people of God.”
“No more time can be added to the day, but opportunities abound for improved stewardship of the time we have been allotted. Rush and Joe have developed a thorough understanding of time management and our common struggles with it, and they deliver helpful strategy from pastors for pastors. Your ministry and Master will be blessed by your timely engagement with this book!”
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