Five Things Pastors Wish People Knew About Ministry

Countless articles and books have been written about the theology and practice of Christian ministry.  There have even been “what I wish I knew then” books, as well as “what they didn’t teach you in seminary” books.  Most of these books and articles have placed valuable resources into the hands of pastors and those who work closely with pastors in Christian ministry.  Differences in personality, denomination, theological persuasion, and location join many other factors in affecting how one approaches his or her ministerial assignment.  Therefore, all learning materials that address Christian ministry, like all learning materials in most other disciplines, always require adaptation and properly contextualized application in order to be useful to each situation. 

Having said that, here are some observations from my own twenty-plus  year journey and conversations with others in Christian ministry that many if not most ministers wish others knew about their calling and profession.  The list is not exhaustive, nor is it reached by scientific research.  It simply represents a “behind the scenes” glance at what most of us in ministry value in our jobs.

1. We really want our families to be a priority – for us and for you.  Ministers have a lot of work to do, as do most people in our congregations.  However, we often feel torn between wanting to make an impression as “hard working” people and setting a proper example in regard to how one may be an effective example to one’s family in a “workaholic world.”  When congregations pick up this hint and affirm that, we tend to want to keep our families (and ourselves) in that particular church community for a long time.  When we see it bear fruit in the lives of others to whom we minister – for instance, when we see families being challenged to adjust their work and family priorities – it is a great encouragement to us and can provide a witness to the community at large.  We want to be near our families and not make them feel as if the church is competing for their time and attention.  At the same time, we also want the church to know that we are seeking to “earn our pay” and their trust by being consistently present and by managing our time and the church’s resources properly.  When this goal becomes a partnership between ministers and congregations, everyone wins - including spouses and children!  When you acknowledge to our families that you are committed to their health and growth, and not just to their spouse/parent "doing their job", you are increasing the health of the entire church!

2. We consider study time part of our job – and not “extra” or free time.  Only someone who has done it for more than a few months can describe the mixture of joy and terror that comes in preparing to stand before God’s people at a worship gathering and seek to interpret and apply Holy Scripture in a way that seeks to represent God’s purposes for their lives.  All of the other tasks we do in ministry are important: being present to the congregation and community, planning important administrative meetings, overseeing the proper distribution of budgets, etc.  However, those relatively few minutes per week when we stand and say, “Today, this is what the Lord is saying to all of us in this Scripture passage,” haunt us all week.  I have often told congregations not to complain too much about sermon length, since I have to live with the sermon all week long, and they get the “short version.”  Pastors can help congregations by taking seriously their preparation time and budgeting their time wisely.  Congregations can help pastors by valuing the fact that part of the job description for most every pastor includes several hours of preparation work during the week in order to “rightly divide the Word of Truth.”

3. We admire those whose gifts are different from ours, but we struggle with our own gifts and calling at times. This means that we secretly – or not so secretly – have days when we wish we were as “up” on certain aspects of church life as some of our talented lay-leaders are.  We may love the idea of an inviting church building, but we may feel that we are “at the mercy” of those who know a lot more about building than we do.  We may love dynamic and vibrant worship services, but some may not have the musical talent to take strong leadership in this area.  Therefore, we need men and women who will be gifted interpreters of our vision (as long as we are following God's vision), whose gifts and callings in the church make up for what we are lacking.  We as pastors can make this easier by not feeling “threatened” by those who have what we lack.  Non-pastors can help by patiently “having our back” in areas where we are weak, much like the way Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms in Exodus 17 when he grew weary.

4. We struggle with devotional times more than you think.  For many of us, our sermon preparation time (see number 2 above) is not exactly the same as our devotional time with God.  It is a time of intense prayer and devotion to God, of course.  And, it lives with us and shapes us spiritually and in other ways in much the same way we hope that the finished product (the sermon) will do for others (again, see number 2 above).  However, time alone to be genuinely nourished by God and to lead our families in this way is just as much of a challenge for those of us in ministry as it is for most other believers.  Allowing us to be honest about this with you without feeling judged or mocked is very helpful.  Even more helpful is the recognition that, like you, we sometimes need “catch up times” with God and with our families.  An old cowboy once said, “I’d rather have a fresh horse than a fast horse.”  Encouraging us and even joining with us in setting aside key times for prayer and refreshment will help us all run this race further.

5. We really do care about this stuff!  For most of us, ministry is not just a job.   Many of us could make more money elsewhere.  However, we are called to consistently think and pray about ways to involve as many people as possible in God’s Big Plan for God’s world.  And most of us do think and pray about these things nearly all the time.  We talk about them with our spouses, friends, and other family members, and we often sit alone or in groups looking at ways to involve one more person and to reach one more life for Christ.  At the same time, we are often doing a lot of self-examination in regard to our motives and methods: are we simply being “sales people,” or are we doing biblically-based, Christ-centered ministry?  Method is more important to us than you might think.  If we feel pressured to “fudge” too many things, or if we are asked to compromise the integrity of the Church too often, we will soon feel unwelcome, and the church itself will suffer by blending in so much with the world that it becomes irrelevant.  And, speaking of the “r” word (relevant): Most of us struggle with that, too.  There is a sense in which we care so much that we want people to walk out of the church doors and say, “That service hit me right where I live!”  On the other hand, most of us in Christian ministry feel that trying to be too relevant too quickly to too many is overrated and fails to produce the patience and reflection that God calls His people to be identified with (see the Book of James, for instance).  So, bear with us when we move a little more reflectively and slowly than you might think is best.  And help us when we get so enthused with “results” that we leave behind key theological truth!

Thanks for listening.