5 Reasons NOT to be a Pastor
From the Paul and Timothy Blog. #4 hits very close to home. I wonder if the reason that I haven’t found any opportunities to pastor / be discipled to the pastorate is because I’m not actually called to pastor. Once we have found a new church home, I am looking forward to actively seeking the input of more mature men in the ministry for their input and direction.
1. You don’t like the work a pastor does.
If you don’t like the idea of spending long hours of solitude reading books, working in study on your sermons, and spending copious amounts of time in prayer for your flock and your own heart, then this may be the first sign you aren’t cut out for the pastorate (at least of the preaching/teaching variety.) there are other types of pastors who are required to spend long hours in visitation with others, especially in homes and hospitals. these pastors are also required to spend much time in counseling sessions and prayer. if neither of these sound much like you, you may have some second-guessing to do. Needless to say, if your idea of a great work day is spending time outside in the sunshine working with your hands, you’re going to have a hard time reconciling that with pastoral ministry.
2. You have a lofty idea of what a pastor is.
Many believe that to be a pastor is to be in this exalted position which everyone looks up to. You have the respect and admiration of your people, and you really know God more than anyone else. You have all of your spiritual problems worked out, and your life is pretty great. You also get paid really well which makes most of your other problems go away. None of these things are true. Pastors have to constantly search their own heart and battle internal pride, and other minor sins which may trickle down to their flock. They will always have their detractors in the church, and their family may be treated differently (or even ostracized) because of their relationship to their husband and father.
Pastors certainly don’t get a free pass to heaven either. Many pastors will be among the people crying out to God “Lord, Lord, did i not do many miracles in your name? Did i not preach many wonderful sermons for your kingdom?!?” They must guard their hearts more than any other in the church. The book of James tells us that teachers willl be subject to a stricter judgement.
3. God has given you tremendous talents which can be used elsewhere in the body.
Many feel as though they should ignore some of their other incredible talents and abilities so that they can become a pastor. I think they feel like being a pastor or a missionary are the only 2 ways to serve God. nothing could be further from the truth! God has given us these unique talents and abilities so that we could go out and be salt and light in the world for him. if you have the desire and talent to do carpentry for a living, then you should do that to the glory of God! you can reach your co-workers and your clients for Christ in that setting! let others see what it looks like for a Christian to put his hand to “the plow” and produce! let them see that for a Christian, work is more than just work, it’s a calling! we serve an Almighty King with our hands, so let us do what he has equipped us to do!
4. God has not opened any doors for you to become a pastor.
If you haven’t been told “you should be a pastor,” or “you should really think about preaching for a living,” then there is a good chance that God is not encouraging you in that way. God gives us gentle help in the direction He wants us to go. If you can’t afford pastoral training, or it has not been offered to you, God MAY not be calling you into the pastorate. If you have a family, and cannot afford to provide for them while you train to become a pastor, then God is probably not leading you in that way.
I will add a disclaimer to this section. In order for you to know whether or not God is opening any doors to the pastorate, YOU NEED TO LOOK. if it is the desire of your heart to be a pastor, and you feel like you have the gifting, but you cannot find a way to make it happen fiscally or otherwise, i would encourage you to pray and seek God. Often it takes years of pleading and seeking for God to open doors and answer prayers. don’t be discouraged from becoming a pastor just because you can’t go to seminary or get an apprenticeship this year. God may be calling you to a few more trials and tribulations, or a few more years of experience, before he opens those doors.
5. The motivations of your heart are wrong.
I’ve saved this one for last because it is the most serious of all. It may also be the most difficult to discern. Our hearts, though being sanctified, are often still deceitful. We must search long and deep to understand what is motivating us to become a pastor. If you think you may desire to become a pastor for the following reasons, you need to reconsider your motives, and beg God for the grace to overcome and dispel these motives:
1. you want the admiration of the people at your church
2. you want to be seen as holy
3. you think it will get you closer to God
4. you don’t know what else to do with your life
5. you think it will be an easy paycheck
6. you have a lot to teach people