Pastor Appreciation, Indeed!
Pastor Kyle was lamenting his job
As his head was starting to throb.
He was squeezing a sponge,
Had a toilet to plunge.
“I was hired to preach, not to swab!”
from Get Me To The Church In Rhyme
by Chuck Neighbors
October is pastor appreciation month.
The punchline to numerous jokes I have heard over the years is “the pastor only works one hour a week.”
Having worked in the world of the church for over 45 years, I can tell you that nothing is further from the truth. If the average pew-sitter could job-shadow a pastor they would quickly realize that the one hour a week is easily multiplied by 60 or 80 for most of the pastors I know.
As with my job as an actor, there is so much more that goes with the job beyond what the audience/congregation sees. A typical pastor, in addition to being a preacher, is also a: teacher, lesson planner, sermon writer, counselor, hospital chaplain, event planner, and board member with too many meetings.
Those are duties that one might anticipate as a part of the job and could account for the typical hours on the job for most vocations. But for so many pastors, their job also overlaps into other areas, forcing them to be an: administrator, secretary, bookkeeper, musician, deliveryman, cook, janitor, groundskeeper, handyman and plumber.
They probably didn’t sign up for those jobs.
Add to that the people skills need to deal with the various personalities in the church. Pastors are often caught in the middle of church politics, and shoulder the blame for anything that a church member might not like. Many pastors are lonely and feel isolated, often having no one to talk to about their problems. Having close friends within the congregation can be difficult causing more problems by sparking jealousy and envy among the members.
And don’t forget that pastors are often spouses with kids, and have a life beyond the four walls of the church building. Like a doctor on call, congregation members call at all hours with real emergencies as well as a petty complaint. Way too many pastors are bi-vocational, unable to make a living on the salary paid to them by the church and forced to have a second job to pay the bills.
It’s a hard and often thankless job.
So take a moment to appreciate your pastor. Notice all the work they do beyond what you hear from the pulpit. Send a card, buy them a gift, take the broom out of their hands.
Pray for them.
Thank God for them.
Posted by Chuck Neighbors | 0 comments