11 Joys and Privileges of Being a Local Church Pastor
Pastoring can be uniquely and acutely difficult. We should not shy away from saying that, but we can add some counter-balance by offering reflections on the particular joys and privileges as well.
I was listening to a podcast this morning where the host mentioned that many seminary students are increasingly wary of pursuing pastoral ministry because of the many stories they’ve heard about how difficult pastoring can be.
It’s true - pastoring can be uniquely and acutely difficult. We should not shy away from saying that or from preparing people for it, but we can add some counter-balance by offering reflections on the particular joys and privileges of pastoring as well.
Below is a list of 11 that come to mind for me.
1. The weight of responsibility
In the 3.5 months since I transitioned out of local church pastoring to establish and lead The Shepherd’s Refuge, this has been the biggest surprise. I really miss the weight of responsibility. The relief of the unique stresses of pastoring has been very good for my mind, body, and soul but I very much miss the weight of responsibility for souls in my care (Heb. 13:17). This is a weighty assignment, but if you’re called to it, it is a precious opportunity to serve God.
2. Ongoing long-term friendships
I’ve heard first-hand from other pastors that they were told clearly and explicitly to not make friends because “you won’t be there very long” and “it makes you vulnerable,” etc. I was never given this advice and if I had been, I would have ignored it. It seems unwise and unbiblical, seeing as Jesus himself had close friends, and Paul thanks many close friends and coworkers in his epistles. There was no shortage of friendships with the people I pastored, and those friendships have continued even now that I am no longer their pastor.
3. New spiritual life
Witnessing a dramatic turn in someone’s life is an unparalleled privilege. Before your eyes, this person you’ve been praying for persistently is suddenly - sometimes after many years - transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13-14). This always fortified me in my prayers for others and renewed my faith in God’s faithfulness and sovereignty in every situation.
4. Rejuvenated spiritual life
In every church, there seems to be a cohort of believers who, for various reasons, fail to find any joy in their journey as Jesus-followers. But through exposure to bold preaching, fervent prayer, and the activation of the Holy Spirit, some of these have their eyes more fully opened. They get excited about the Lord and begin to pursue him. I’ve had the opportunity to see morose benchwarmers become deacons, elders, missionaries, and pastors and the thrill of that experience is difficult to match.
5. Opportunies to exhort and encourage
Occasionally, I’ve had a strong sense that God is calling a particular person (or couple) to a particular ministry path. I learned over the years to follow this internal prompting with spoken words and it is a powerful experience for both parties. Sometimes this is news to the recipient and sometimes it is a timely affirmation of something they already sensed.
6. Opportunities to be encouraged
I received a fair share of notes of appreciation from people and I cherished them all - the emails, texts, and definitely the handwritten notes. Notes in the form of drawings from children of the church were always a highlight as well. These types of notes often came when I needed them most due to circumstances of which my encourager was definitely unaware. In other words - these were prompted by the Holy Spirit. If you feel even an inkling of a prompting, act on it. No one has ever been encouraged too much, and this is definitely true for your pastor.
7. Funeral ministry
People place precious trust in you to help them grieve and bury their loved ones. You are asked to enter into the most difficult days of their lives and direct the necessary events. These are often times when people are more open and vulnerable about the state of their own soul and their fears of the future and so these are times when shepherding is needed.
8. Sermon prep and delivery
I love preaching. Every sermon begins with a blank page and ends with a 30-40 minute oral presentation. Between those two points is 10-15 hours of study, prayer, thinking, and writing. As someone who was a writer before I was a pastor, I often enjoyed the prep as much as the preaching itself. “Hours of thinking and writing” describes my ideal day. And the fact that I was meditating directly on God’s word itself was as formative as it was challenging.
9. Teaching opportunities
While the pulpit offers an opportunity to speak with authority, the classroom is an environment of authoritative interaction. My process in the last couple of years was to have a booklet produced with my preaching texts on one side and blank lines on the other. Then on Wednesday nights, I would lead a group of students through the process of discerning the meaning of the text. This was helpful to me as part of my sermon prep and helpful to them to see how meaning is discovered. The result was a richer experience for us all on Sunday mornings when I preached.
10. Travel and cross-cultural learning
This was not something I expected when I began to pastor, but I found myself travelling to various places and learning about different cultures. During my years of pastoring, I travelled to places like Belize, Bolivia, Australia, and many locations in Canada. Each experience broadened my perspective and increased my capacity to minister in a variety of contexts.
11. Opportunities for sanctification
Some say pastoring is no more difficult than any other occupation, but I will say this: it offers an abundance of opportunities for sanctification. Rarely do we see our pains and trials as opportunities that yield good fruit in our lives, but I have learned to more quickly transition my big question from “Why is God doing this?” to “What is God doing through this?” He is always doing something, and it is always good. Accept it as such.
If you are a pastor, do you have anything to add to this list?
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Michael Krahn is a pastor, the husband of Anne Marie, and the father of Madeleine, Olivia, and Sophia. Make a connection on Facebook, X, or Instagram.