The Positives of Pastoring and the Positives of your Job

I’m a pastor and I’ve read a number of blogs and articles talking about pastors and how hard it is to be a pastor and how little pastors get paid and how much people complain about pastors and so on.  Is some of it true?  Sure.  Is a lot of it true?  Probably.  However, what doesn’t get talked about so much are the positive aspects of being a pastor.  I’m going to try about counteract the negativity a little and talk about some of the highlights of being a pastor.  You’ve probably had some negative thoughts about your job too.  Instead of focussing on the negatives, see what positives you can find.  (If you can’t find any positives, it might be time for a new job.)

Pastors get a lot of flexibility in their schedule.  I get to go out for coffee with someone from the church and talk about life.  I meet with volunteers in the evening to talk about youth ministry.  To the average 9-5 worker the pastor’s job schedule probably looks like a joke.  However a lot of work is done outside traditional office hours.  I can change my schedule pretty quickly and easily.  Don’t get me wrong, most pastors work very hard and certainly put in their fair share of hours but pastoring is a lifestyle not a job so that means you can ditch the office sometimes and go be with people or do something fun.  The lifestyle factor means you are always on call (hello crisis on my day off), but you get to be flexible with your schedule and that’s a luxury not everyone gets to enjoy which I am thankful for.

Pastors get paid to serve people.  It might sound kind of funny to say that, yet I believe it’s a privilege to get paid to serve God’s people.  Many articles and blogs complain about how little pastors get paid.  Do most pastors get paid a lot? No.  Is the job all about the money? No.  I believe God can work beyond the paycheque.  If someone is in ministry for the money, something is wrong.  I think the thing that gets pastors upset sometimes is comparing what get paid in ministry to what they would get paid in the secular world for the same skill set they bring to the table in their ministry position.  Pastoring is a high challenge job requiring a wide variety of skills and education.  I think if most pastors took their pastoral skill set to the secular world they would instantly double their salary.  Yet in any job it’s not about comparing to what others do or get (that’s a great way to breed dissatisfaction), it’s doing what God has called you to do and trusting him to provide what you need.  I get paid to do what I am passionate about and serve in ministry that has eternal value.  That’s cool.

Perhaps you’ve had similar thoughts about your job or your life situation.  Instead of thinking about all the negatives, think about what you are blessed with and the benefits of your current job or life situation.  You just might find yourself enjoying life a little more!