The call from God to pastoral
ministry came on the cusp of my conversion. Wild horses couldn’t keep me from
partnering with Christ in doing for others what he had done for me. I said “yes”
to the call and (almost) never regretted that decision. Admittedly, some of my ministry
motives and expectations were warped and led to disillusionment. The most
valuable lessons I’ve learned in ministry have come the hard way. Those lessons
come in handy when I’m coaching aspiring pastors who are wrestling with the
call. Before exploring reasons to become a pastor, we discuss reasons not to
become a pastor. Don’t become a pastor if…
-You want your ego stroked. Ministry is perfectly designed for the crucifixion of the ego and if your ego doesn’t get crucified, your ministry will. No matter how eloquently you preach, there will always be sermon snoozers (people who nap during your sermon). No matter how much of a people person you are, there will always be some who flat out don’t like you. No matter how effectively you lead, there will always be some who don’t follow. If human affirmation is the fuel that keeps you going in ministry, you will eventually run out of gas. If you want your ego stroked, run from pastoral ministry.
-You crave prestige and power. Representing and serving someone who was crucified like a criminal is more likely to lead toward obscurity and weakness than prestige and power. There was a time when pastors were held in high esteem. They were innocent until proven guilty. Today, due primarily to media portrayals of pastors, clergy are guilty until proven innocent. Do a Google search on “pastor” and see the scandalous headlines surface. Tell a stranger or old friend that you are a pastor and watch the conversation go downhill quicker than an Olympic skier. Cultural hostility toward clergy is a reality in a 21st century America context, unless you live in Mayberry. According to Philippians 2, Jesus relinquished what most humans are tempted to seek. Anyone who serves in His name will do the same. If you crave prestige and power, don’t become a pastor.
-You hope for a more predictable schedule. Saying “yes” to pastoral ministry means waiving “goodbye” to weekends. Even if you don’t have a Saturday service (and the church I most recently served did!!!), you are likely to experience the Saturday jitters that occupy the mind before the Sunday service. Midnight emergency calls will invade your beauty sleep. Conflict that can’t wait will interrupt your day off. Weekday funerals and weekend weddings will exhaust you. Preaching and teaching 3-4 times or more per week will necessitate burning the candle on both ends of the day. If you must have a predictable schedule, pastoring will seem like a plague to you.
What reasons not to become a pastor would you add to this list?
(Note: In my next post, we will explore some reasons to become a pastor.)
-You want your ego stroked. Ministry is perfectly designed for the crucifixion of the ego and if your ego doesn’t get crucified, your ministry will. No matter how eloquently you preach, there will always be sermon snoozers (people who nap during your sermon). No matter how much of a people person you are, there will always be some who flat out don’t like you. No matter how effectively you lead, there will always be some who don’t follow. If human affirmation is the fuel that keeps you going in ministry, you will eventually run out of gas. If you want your ego stroked, run from pastoral ministry.
-You
desire comfort and convenience. There is no job more demanding than leading
a community of broken people into alignment with the purposes of a holy God. Every
church is full of people who have been inoculated to the Gospel by the gospels
of consumerism, narcissism, racism, sexism, egotism, and a host of other “isms.”
God calls pastors to partner with Him in prying people free from those lesser gospels
and gods. Does this sound comfortable or convenient? You can’t punch out at 5:00
and forget that the Smiths marriage is hanging by a thin thread, that a kid in
the youth group just committed suicide, that your demoralized church can’t seem
to overcome the demons of her past, etc. If you want comfort and convenience, pastoral
ministry is not for you.
-You
hope to get wealthy.
Wealth, of course, is relative. According to the American standard, pastors are
not a wealthy bunch. A pastor with a Master of Divinity degree is educated at
the level of a lawyer, but paid at the level of a blue collar worker. If you don’t
have the stomach for financial sacrifice or the skills for stretching a dollar,
you may want to consider another career path. -You crave prestige and power. Representing and serving someone who was crucified like a criminal is more likely to lead toward obscurity and weakness than prestige and power. There was a time when pastors were held in high esteem. They were innocent until proven guilty. Today, due primarily to media portrayals of pastors, clergy are guilty until proven innocent. Do a Google search on “pastor” and see the scandalous headlines surface. Tell a stranger or old friend that you are a pastor and watch the conversation go downhill quicker than an Olympic skier. Cultural hostility toward clergy is a reality in a 21st century America context, unless you live in Mayberry. According to Philippians 2, Jesus relinquished what most humans are tempted to seek. Anyone who serves in His name will do the same. If you crave prestige and power, don’t become a pastor.
-You hope for a more predictable schedule. Saying “yes” to pastoral ministry means waiving “goodbye” to weekends. Even if you don’t have a Saturday service (and the church I most recently served did!!!), you are likely to experience the Saturday jitters that occupy the mind before the Sunday service. Midnight emergency calls will invade your beauty sleep. Conflict that can’t wait will interrupt your day off. Weekday funerals and weekend weddings will exhaust you. Preaching and teaching 3-4 times or more per week will necessitate burning the candle on both ends of the day. If you must have a predictable schedule, pastoring will seem like a plague to you.
What reasons not to become a pastor would you add to this list?
(Note: In my next post, we will explore some reasons to become a pastor.)
7 comments:
When I answered the call to ministry, nobody told me how my heart would ache for the people I would minister to, just as badly as their own hearts ache. And really, how could anyone prepare me for that? It's like telling a soon to be father what it's going to be like to see their child born....you can never be truly prepared with just words...you have to experience it for yourself. I feel the same is true of ministry....no one can tell you how your heart will ache for those you will care for....you have to experience it for yourself. If you are afraid of having your heart broken for other people, and you do not want to feel the pain that other's are feeling...I would not recommend becoming a pastor.
However, in my opinion there is not a more rewarding calling than that of a pastor...and I would do it over and over again.
Thank you for this wonderful article Lenny!
Mike, thank you for your insightful thoughts on pastoral ministry. The best pastors tend to hurt most for their people. Their empathy bleeds through their preaching, caring and leading. Frankly, the more you love the more it hurts. But,as you say, it's so stinking rewarding!
Don't be a pastor if your spouse is hostile to the idea. This is not a job. This is a calling that ideally will engage you and your spouse in ministry together, even if your spouse is not an employee.
Thanks Kerry. You're right. Pastoral ministry is done as a couple, as a team sport- even of the spouse doesn't get paid:-)
Nice articel
Don't be a pastor if you have a 'messiah complex'; i.e. you think your the solution to the problem. We are ambassadors of God's truth, not the cause of it. Whatever goodness we have to offer to a community is the result of God's sharing of His goodness with us and through us. It is natural for the call to ministry to be accompanied by compassion, a desire to help. However, it is necessary that our compassionate outreach should not rely on human power but eagerly seek the heart of God and trust His will. A great pastor understands himself to be a servant, surrendering all he has to be joyfully dependent on the Lord for all that is to be done.
Great thoughts, Nathan. So glad you offered your insight to the conversation. Lenny
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