5 Things That Are Hard About Being a Pastor
I want to begin by saying that I have had a positive experience as a pastor. Many of my friends have had at least one negative church to deal with but I have been blessed with great congregations.
I would also like to say that I do not regret becoming a pastor. It is a fulfilling career and I am thankful that I am and have been a pastor.
Still, there are challenges that pastors experience. What I am going to share is not necessarily my experience but observations based on my own and my colleague’s experiences.
- People in churches can get upset by unpredictable things. A person preparing for pastoral ministry might be able to come up with a list of what is most likely to get people upset. Some of that might be accurate but there is a whole host of things that no one could predict.
- It can be difficult emotionally to anticipate Sunday morning attendance. While pastors might know logically that the real measure of success is not Sunday attendance, there is a reaction when a worship service has lower attendance than hoped for.
- Not everyone in a congregation has the same vision for ministry. There can be contrary visions for ministry and there can people who have no articulated vision for ministry.
- Many congregations struggle with “That’s how we always did it before.” In fact, they might be offended if they are asked why they have “always” done it that way. There is comfort in the same old ways but it is not always effective.
- It can be difficult for pastors to develop spiritually. The experience of a pastor in the pulpit is different from the worshipper in the pew. Even Bible reading can be for preparation rather than personal growth.
I could add a bonus item of the loneliness of pastoral ministry. It can be difficult to have friends in a congregation and even more difficult to find friends outside the congregation.
If you are a pastor, do these ring true to you? What would you add?
