Furthermore, he will seek the Holy Spirit's direction concerning the themes and biblical books he will address in the preaching plan. The planning retreat will also include a considerable amount of Bible reading and theological reflection. So although the planning retreat is not purely devotional in its intent, it will yield spiritual benefits for the preacher.

As you think about scheduling a planning retreat, you should consider how far into the future you want your plan to extend. In most cases, the longest workable plan is the one-year plan. I know some preachers who plan precisely what they will be preaching for up to five years in advance. Gifted with strong organizational skills and self-discipline, these pastors are also able to stay on the schedule that they set for themselves. Although it is advantageous for a preacher to have a general idea of the themes and portions of Scripture that he will use in preaching over a two- or three-year period, detailed planning for longer than a year will prove impractical for most preachers. Many contingencies can change the plan and give cause for extensive revision. Once a plan is altered beyond recognition, it ceases to be helpful.

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You can, however, forecast with some degree of accuracy what will happen in your church and community and what you will want to address from the pulpit in a year. The shortest plan that actually qualifies as a plan is the thirteen-week, or quarterly, plan. Although you could plan month by month, this type of scheduling is not long range enough to be called genuine advanced planning.

A quarterly plan does not give you the full advantages of planning. Even so, a quarterly plan may be advisable if you are pastoring and going to school at the same time, or if you are in a short-term position such as an interim pastorate. If you plan by quarters, you will want to schedule a time for planning at the beginning of the third month of each quarter. This practice will keep you from preaching beyond the time limits of your plan.

I would recommend planning for a year of pulpit work. I suggest this type of planning for several reasons. First, preprogramming a year's pulpit work ensures thoroughness and completeness in terms of the subjects that you address. In the course of a year's preaching, every church member should hear from the pulpit certain doctrines and themes. Another reason is that a year-long plan allows for extensive planning for series through books of the Bible. Although you could preach through a shorter biblical book or part of a longer book in thirteen weeks or less, most books of the Bible require several months to cover. A one-year plan permits you to give attention to the various holidays and seasons of the Christian year.

For these and other reasons, a year-long plan is advisable for most pastors. Pearce writes, "The twelve-month period gives enough time for a man to observe the content of his preaching objectively, yet is brief enough for a man to change his plan if he feels that it is not serving his people's needs effectively nor bringing the greatest glory to his God."5