A Sneak Peek Into What A Pastor Does All Week!

Hi everyone,

Every now and then I pause and ask my husband WHY? Why would anyone willingly become a Pastor? Why would someone even consider this lifestyle? I always jokingly tell him that we could have been rich if he stuck to his profession. He gave up being an Advocate to become a Pastor. We both know it’s his calling. However, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Today I’d like to take some time to give you a glimpse into the life of a Pastor.

When you hear the word Pastor, I’m sure it conjures up all sorts of thoughts.

Many of you will probably think fraud, lavish lifestyles, fake healing, manipulation and infidelity. Of course there are those who claim to be spiritual leaders, but instead fleece their flock. Many Pastors have been grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons in South Africa. They have done immeasurable damage to the Church at large and are a complete misrepresentation of everything our faith stands for.

But there are also those on the flip side. There are Pastors around the globe, who daily sacrifice their time, finance, and resource. There are Pastors who make sure that all those within their area of influence are spiritually nourished, mentored and skilled to be successful men, women and children who go on to impact their families and communities.

Growing up I used to think Pastors had the easiest job. ‘Work’ on Sundays, pray for and counsel a few people during the week, and go shopping or relax with the family at home the rest of the time. How wrong I was ! Now that I am married to a Pastor I can confidently tell you that their entire lives are a sacrifice. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, their church family is their top priority and everything they and we as a family do, revolves around those under our care – physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially.

A Pastor’s entire existence is for the benefit of others. They carry you and your burdens as if it were theirs. I have experienced first hand the toll this takes on Pastoral families – the stress, the hurt and the pain, and well as the joy and fulfilment.

So, what are Pastors so busy with?

Well, Pastors are usually the first port of call when anyone who relates to them has a problem. This can be anything from someone who is stuck on the freeway, to someone who is on drugs and needs help.

Pastors are also called when people need advice to make big decisions – like which area is best to buy a house in, whether to stay with a job or take up a new offer or whether to pursue a legal case, or drop it.

Pastors are also called when people are in distress. In the past 2 weeks alone for example, we’ve helped someone who suffered a mental breakdown, we’ve had to deal with issues relating to an unlawful arrest, and we’ve started the journey of restoration of a broken marriage. The Pastor physically goes in to help – even in times of Covid. He was at the police station, at the court a few days later, at the hospital getting the patient admitted, at a home praying for someone who was sick and at a couple’s flat providing counselling. These are just a few examples from his packed diary.

Pastors spend much of their time visiting people, praying with them and encouraging them. For many, especially young adults and the elderly, this source of interaction is gold, in a world where people hardly ever have quality time for others.

Pastors are also called to officiate events. These are functions like weddings, birthday parties, funerals and Thanksgivings. I haven’t even touched on the main purpose they serve – which is preparing the Word of God to be of strength and nourishment to their congregants. The majority of church leaders are spending late nights and early mornings putting together sound doctrine that ultimately elevates people out of their weaknesses and brings them into a position of great strength.

Not all churches have an abundance of money, and resource can be very limited for smaller churches. It’s especially in these cases that the Pastors ensure that the needs of the church are met, before their own. This means making sure the rent is paid, as well as utility bills, staff, transport and other expenses.

Pastors also give up their own personal resource to take care of their congregants. This ranges from settling school fees, to buying groceries and helping pay rent to avoid someone being evicted. One Pastor shared with me how at a funeral the bus driver refused to transport the mourners because the grieving family had hired him but couldn’t pay him. The Pastor himself had to settle the bill. Another Pastor gave away his child’s expensive christening dress to a family who didn’t have one. You can imagine what happened when his wife found out!

I have personally witnessed Pastors go to great debt on their credit cards to help their congregants. For a Pastor, saying ‘no’ is almost unheard of and those within the ministry regularly sacrifice their resource for others.

A pastor is on call 24/7. His time is never his. He leaves home at any time of day or night to attend to an emergency. This ranges from going to a drug den to search for a father who hasn’t returned home, or to be of support to a teenager who has attempted suicide. Pastors don’t get any days off. Even if they do, they are always on call. I remember us being on honeymoon in another country when someone texted my husband to say she needed a lift to church, which he gladly arranged.

My parents in law, who’ve been in ministry for 35 years, have often had to cut short their holidays and spend thousands of rands re-booking their flights, at their own cost, when someone within their church passed away. It may sound ludicrous to you, and it really is. My point is, this is the extent of love Pastors have for those under their care.

These are the genuine men and women of God that we don’t see on the news or on social media, but they unfortunately do get bundled with abusers of the faith. These are the true shepherds who go above and beyond for the well-being of their flock. They fulfil Jeremiah 3:15 which says “Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” These are the men and women who deserve our honour, respect and support.

I hope this has given you some insight into the life of a Pastor. I pray that you will be one who understands, encourages, honours, respects and supports your Pastor as he continues his labour of love!

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