2020 Pastoral Planner

Ladies and gentlemen, Lutheran pastors work hard and their work is not always like other types of work. So I’m going to recommend a pastoral planner that you can give them in support of all they do in Word & Sacrament care. 🙂

See it here. It’s $13 from Lulu.

I put it together for my husband. It took loads of time—ha ha—and presumably it will get just better and better each year as my husband fine-tunes what he wants out of a pastoral planner.

Here’s the Table of Contents:

12 Traditional Calendar Pages: Two-Page Spreads in Typical Calendar Format

 

Weekly Schedule Pages: Two-Page Spreads Showing Hourly Breakdown for Each Day of the Week

 

Consecutive Service Planning Pages: Two-Page Spreads with Lectionary Bible References for One and Three-Year Series from LSB

 

Shut-in Visitation Charts: Fill in Names & Check Off Visitations Bi-monthly or Monthly for Easy Record-keeping

 

Record of Pastoral Acts: Write as You Go to Update Official Books & Meetings Later

 

Record of Mileage: One-Page per Month

 

Advanced Calendar with Feasts, Festivals, & Dates to Come: One Month Per Page for Easy Scanning

 

Note Pages for Agenda Items: Multiple Columns for Tracking Multiple Groups

We’re optimistic it’ll be very helpful and Rev. Gaven Mize did a great job on the cover!

It’s my first time working through Lulu, so I’m thankful for that learning experience as well. 

Still, let’s be clear. We’re developing an idea, but there are two other solid options, too. Mostly, ours is longer, clocking in at a whopping 328 pages. Even so, I’m optimistic that it’s durable enough to last and certainly designed to be used! In hand, it’s even better than I’d hoped it would be. 🙂

Fellow Lutheran Rev. Alex Klages has a Lutheran Pastor’s Desk Diary 2020 in the style of the old Thrivent/Lutherans Life desk diaries. It’s 226 pages, coil-bound, follows both LCMS lectionaries, and is available through Lulu for $7.52.

CPH has a 2020 Pastoral Desk Diary, too, also fashioned after the Thrivent calendar. One major perk for this one is that it includes lectionary information from the LCMS (3-Year and 1-Year), WELS (3-Year), and ELCA/RCL (3-Year). It’s also color throughout, which is nice. It’s available through CPH for $16.99. (Although if you attend any conferences, there are typically conference discounts on CPH materials.)

I will add that, if we do this again next year, we hope to start with Advent. As it is, we follow the calendar year.

PS. To enter to win a free copy of God Tells Us About Himself: Martin Luther’s Catechism with Pictures, which is pocket-sized and super charming, comment here.