Leonard,

Again, I TOTALLY understand where you’re coming from. I tend to ignore complaints that are either anonymous, given by someone who has nothing good to say, given by somebody who has no real involvement in my church, or given by somebody who just doesn’t get what we’re doing. Ignoring complaints by people who don’t give is understandable, but I do know mature believers who aren’t “there” with giving yet (they always get there… always...) and I for one am glad that I don’t know what people give, especially during difficult seasons of life.

Anyway, we’re getting off track, but it’s a good discussion. I plan to continue it with some folks I work with.

Thanks Tony

iT’S FRUSTRATING TO GET TO KNOW SOME PEOPLE IN OUR CHURCH WHO CONFESS THAT THEY ARE CHRISTIANS BUT DO NOT ANY CONCERNS FOR MINISTERS LIKE US. I MYSELF IS A MINISTER RECEIVING I CONSIDER A BLESSING ALTHOUGH IT IS THE LEAST I GUESS AMONG YOU GUYS. hOWEVER IT IS MUCH JUST MONEY OR CONPENSATION WE RECEIVED FROM OUR CONGREGATION THAT MOTIVATES US PASTORS TO SERVE GOD AND THE PEOPLE HE ENTRUST TO OUR CARE.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

David, it is true many pastors do not sweat it out on the job site.  But that does not mean the job of pastor is not physically demanding. 

Many pastors do what is never seen by anyone other than God.  They do the heavy lifting of grief and comfort for families who will never darken the door of their churches.  In my first church I never buried one person from my church but I did services for kids who died in their cribs, people caught in gang activity, murdered people, people who took their lives, leaving behind a scar and question that cannot be answered and a dozen other horrific situations. 

This is very demanding.  emotionally, physically, spiritually… It is never done in the 9-5 time frame either.  Of course there are the couples who have decided that cannot live together any longer as man and wife, there is the husband whose wife left him for some guy at work, the husband who from time to time hits his wife, the man who for some reason of his past and his choices has molested a kid, possible and often his own.  Pastors deal with this stuff.  This is serious heavy lifting. 

Did I also mention that these are not usually planned or scheduled events?  We don’t get to say, hey on Thursday I do grief work… if you have someone die on Monday, wait till Thursday.  The expectations on pastors are unique as well. 

Expectations about family, biblical ones and not so biblical ones.  What we are expected to know, to do, to think, to act… are all surreal at times.  There are a lot of jobs out there but not many carry with them the scrutiny a pastor gets.  From God we are held to a stricter judgment and higher standard.  From people we are helped to a standard that includes; expertise in human hearts, biblical truth, wisdom, social issues, family issues, all relationships, finances and much more.  We are supposed to be experts in marriage, parenting, communication all while maintaining great health, great attitudes, great teeth and great… Well you get the picture.  We are expected to be funny but not too funny, smart but not considered smart in “real life” issues, we are most often highly educated, most often entering a field which the expense of our education does not and will not match for about a gazillion years. 

Did you know I can never be rude, tired, snippy, cranky, fussy without giving God a bad name?  Most people, if they lose their temper will not lose their job, if they look at porn will not lose their job, if they curse now and again will not lose their job, if they get divorced will not lose their job, if they tell the truth will not lose their job, if they lie will not lose their job… but I have seen pastors lose their jobs over every on of these issues. 

So to assume we work in an air conditioned building, getting great pay for a job that is not that physically demanding is an error.  My day usually starts way before the sun comes up and struggles to end before the sun goes down.  By the way, pastors never get to not be pastors.  When I travel, go to the store, see the game, go camping… I am still the pastor.  I still am accountable to the ethics of the profession in my private and public life.  If my church does not do it all “just right” you will never get the blame, but I will.  If I lead people to places that do not want to go, they write nasty notes, if someone is not growing, I get the blame, if we run short of money, I don’t get paid… I think you can see where I am going with this.
I have never pastored for money.  I have never pastored for fame.  I pastor because it is what God made me to do and I want to honor him.  I do not do it for the perks, bennies and applause because frankly, you couldn’t pay enough to do what I do week in and week out.  I pastor because my Father has heard the cries of his people and has sent a deliverer and without that Deliverer, Jesus, those cries will end in death.  I pastor so people will know the greatness of my God.  I am richer than money can ever make me, more successful than success can make me and I am famous enough that in at least one place in heaven my name was written. 
That being said, I draw my living from the preaching of the word.  I work harder than anyone would ever know, doing what no one will ever see and I love it. 

This is very demanding.  emotionally, physically, spiritually… It is never done in the 9-5 time frame either.  Of course there are the couples who have decided that cannot live togehter any longer as man and wife, there is the husband whose wife left him for some guy at work

Leonard, that was awesome!  Very well said.

I would add also that your family has a lot of those expectations too.

I read somewhere, I think it was J.B. London, that the stress on a pastor compares to the stress of the president.

I believe it.

Wow. We are no where near those numbers. I knew I was making less than most, but that’s really a reality check. We are averaging 250 in the Sunday AM, I make $50,000, no benefits of any kind.

Dear Frustrated, I’m sorry you are so bitter. Many of us that are serving as Pastors started off without a salary & earned our living outside the church.....Let me tell you, it was hard! I’m the Senior Pastor of a grass roots ministry and church where we help and house homeless families with children in San Antonio, TX. For the first few years there wasn’t any money for me. I currently receive a housing allowance and one of our partner churches has designated $2000 each month for me and my family. Now you may think that is to much, but please keep in mind, there have been as many as 88 people living on site including 49 children at one time. There are over 70 women and children with us now, I’m on call 24 hours per day and I work between 60 and 70 hours per week, and make no mistake, I AM BLESSED! If a church is able to provide their Pastor with a good salary and can afford the staff that is needed along with the volunteers to serve the lost then Praise God! If God is using you, and He has provided a way for your needs to be met without the Church paying you a salary, then Praise God!  Let’s not begrudge a Pastor earning a living doing what God has called him or her to do. When our hearts are right, wonderful things will happen, lives will be changed and we will all become more like Christ. Then the people in the world will want what we have, which is Him in us. Be Blessed! Pastor Jim Gipson, Strong Foundation Ministries

It appears to me that Frustrated has spent some time reading Barna’s book “Pagan Christianity.” I’ve always liked Barna and have read a good deal of his stuff (since “Frog In the Kettle” days) and found a great deal of it insightful and helpful.  As I was reading PC I realized that, while a decent brief church history book, it was noting more than a support for his and Viola’s agenda of killing the institutional church and going to all house churches.  The agenda was so heavy and the bias was so think that it left a very unpleasant aftertaste.  I always respected Barna for his research that helped me as a pastor to see the state of the country, the church, teenagers, etc.  But writing a book and calling it reasearch just to drive a personal agenda disappoints me.  ANyway, most of what Frustrated writes here sounds like it was almost word-for-word from this book.  I agree that there are some very frustrasting things going on in churches in the US.  And I agree that we have some major repairs to do in areas.  But throwing the baby out with the bathwater is foolish.

Shaun,
Your two sentences were short and to the point, but like a breath of fresh, spring air...a glass of cold, cold water on a hot summer day....IN SAUDI ARABIA.  There may have been others, but you are the first I’ve seen to say exactly that.  I don’t personally know your heart (of course) but a statement like that, if made in honesty, is the mark of Godly humility.  Biblical humility.  The attitude of a tent maker. 

Thank you thank you thank you. This dark cloud fell over my heart when I went to a church gathering & fell into a kitchen conversation with the pastors, youth pastors etc I was flabbergasted by their casual discussion about their benefits, housing, income.  The tone was almost as though they deserved it all and so much more.

Thanks again for the great attitude.