So You Want to Be a Pastor?

I’ve been a Senior Pastor since October 1981. That’ll be 28 years this year. I can still remember struggling with God’s call to this high office. My greatest concern was the knowledge that I would have to get up in front of all those people and attempt to “preach.” I could not imagine myself raising my voice with various inflections and dynamics. And I just knew I would never be able to correctly pronounce all those “Bible” words. (I soon learned that as long as you pronounce them with confidence people just figure you’re saying them correctly!) But God would not leave me alone until I surrendered to His will.

Today, preaching in front of “all those people” is the least of my concerns as a pastor. If you’re aspiring to be a pastor or a minister let me encourage you to walk in my shoes today. We’ll begin the day by keeping a promise I made to one of our members at our Wednesday evening services to join him for a cup of coffee at the local MacDonald’s. Even though I really don’t drink coffee, I showed up and joined in the fun. The fun includes cracking jokes on one another and playing standup comedian for the gang that meets there every morning of the week. They always like it when the pastor stops by.

That’s the good part. The rest of the day promises to be much more challenging. First, we’ll try to get a word from the Lord. Reading through the Scriptures involves several chapters in Proverbs and Colossians today. Did you know that sometimes it’s better to shut up than to speak up? According to Proverbs 17:27-28, He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. (NKJV)

Sunday morning’s sermon lies unfinished on top of our desk. But we’ll get to it, probably by Saturday night. Watching TV with the family, with the laptop, again. Where is that closing illustration?

But right now we have to make that dreaded phone call to set up that difficult visit. A church family lost a son and a brother. He took his life yesterday. We got the call last night. What do you say at that moment? Thankfully the Holy Spirit reminds you of your training and the words of an older, wiser pastor, to comfort the family. We’ll pray. And we will go by the home to hear the story, share our sympathy, and plan the funeral. (Don’t forget we will need one more sermon this weekend, a funeral message to comfort the loved ones of someone taken by suicide.)

Other than that, we’ll go by the hospitals. One member hospitalized with terminal cancer; another with declining health. Today is an easier day. Instead of five hospitals to visit we only have two. So we might as well drop in to a couple of nursing homes to see how our members are doing there, especially those who have had to leave their lifetime homes to be confined to a nursing home.

Now don’t be depressed. Though difficult, this is important ministry. These hurting people are all a valuable and important part of God’s kingdom. They need to be loved and encouraged with a word from God from God’s man.

So you want to be a pastor? It’s the greatest privilege in the world!