Why Your Pastor Is Busy
Does it ever seem like your pastor or team of pastors is busy?
I mean, what do they do all day anyway? Don’t they just read the Bible, pray, and send out an email or two?
According to Gary L. McIntosh, president of the Church Growth Network and professor of Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology, there are 10 hats pastors need to wear in his book, “The 10 Key Roles of a Pastor: Proven Practices for Balancing the Demands of Leading Your Church.”
These roles are 1. Speaker (Bible Teacher) 2. Captain (Leader) 3. Coach (Developer) 4. Executive (Manager/Operator) 5. Director (Discipler/Overseer) 6. Counselor (Care Provider) 7. Student (Learner) 8. Pioneer (Trail-Blazer) 9. Conductor (Orchestrator) and 10. Reporter (Communicator).
As someone who has served in church ministry for a while, I believe these are real hats. Why? Because the needs are great in every church. I’ve served in small, mid-sized, and large churches and these 10 hats would be relevant to all of them.
This leads to a few thoughts:
1. Pastors are busy because they should be. I once heard Matt Chandler say, “If you’re not busy in ministry, you’re not doing it right.” I agree with his sentiment. Sure, pastors shouldn’t be overworked. But pastors shouldn’t be bored either. Pastoral work is grimy and plenty. If you’re a pastor and you have loads of free time or think you have a relatively easy job, there’s a real chance you may not be serving your people very well. Sure, some positions may not necessitate certain hats, but pastoral ministry gives us plenty to do.
2. Pastors should be disciplined in the hats they wear. Pastors need to constantly take inventory of what hats need to be worn at what time for what purpose so they can best serve God’s people. The average pastor probably should not spend 80% of his time sermon prepping unless his position has been specifically built out for that primary purpose. I’m currently in the process of launching a church in a multi-congregation model. Therefore, while I’m one of the teaching pastors for my church, I am intentionally scaling back my Bible Teacher hat this season due to other demands of the launch. The hats we wear and their duration, can and should be evolving depending on the needs of the people.
3. God’s people can be gracious and caring. If McIntosh is right, this means that it will be impossible for the pastor to adequately lead the church and meet every single person’s expectations. God’s people are invited in to be gracious and caring for their pastors. Yes, we should hold our pastors accountable to be pastors. If our pastors are golfing 18-holes a week but not plugging holes in the ministry, we should blow the whistle. But most pastors I know are doing their best to keep up with their responsibilities. They need our love, prayers, and support.
Conclusion
I’m in a busy season.
Truth be told, I feel like I’ve been in a busy season since I entered pastoral ministry. Pastoral ministry is not like what I thought it’d be when I was in seminary. It is much more complex and layered than I imagined.
And yet, it is one of the greatest privileges in the world because I get a front-row seat to how Jesus builds and leads his church. Jesus said he does the works he sees his Father doing. Jesus stayed busy in the business of his Father. I hope to live this way too.
At least until I hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
