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Overworked Pastors vs. Lazy Pastors

Orginally published on Monday, October 31, 2005 at 11:00 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Scott Williams is a former pastor who now looks back at his professional career differently.  He’s posting a series called "I Was Wrong"… today’s subject is the work load that he had while he was a pastor… see what you think…

ministers love to brag about how overworked they are.

it has been difficult for me to start this blog inasmuch as, of all the confessions i have made in this series, this one hits the closest to home. i have been grossly negligent in this area. for 20 years of ministry i have used this crutch to excuse all manner of laziness, poor scheduling, inadequate preparation and relational aloofness. and i'm not alone.

everything is work time. including blogging. and coffee with friends. and shopping and driving and phone calls and reading and praying and talking and writing and visiting and planning and napping and thinking and answering emails and surfing the net and going to the bank and reading the paper. many of you have full time jobs that you come home from in order to make it to the church on time for any number of reasons. i usually had a nice nap before the meeting because i would be putting in extra time.

on many levels it is an amazing life. you are your own boss. you can literally blow off weeks, even months, without anyone really knowing. all you need to do is be unavailable, look a little haggard and constantly whine about how busy you are and no one will know. trust me, i've tried it.

pastors love to point out how busy we are. we NEVER say that things are slack. pastors realize that people don't think they work much and there is something ingrained in their psychie that must justify their existence. it is frustrating to have people constantly make fun of you for working "one hour a week".

it is not as though some pastors do not get their hours in. many work chaotic shifts and are barraged by demands and complaints for which there is no obvious solutions. pastors complain that they are always working, which is an exaggeration, but even if that is true - they may be working but not always working hard. and frankly, a ton of pastors i know are just lazy. there is said it. i could give you lots of names.

my name would sometimes be on that list as well.

many pastors would react to reading this words. some are justified. others simply do not know or remember what it is like to have a real job. they live in a bubble of pseudo-activity and flexible scheduling. no one yells at them everyday at work. they don't have to drive 2 hours to get to the job site. they don't have to get up early, or pack a lunch, or listen to complaints all day. they can shut off their phone and not be fired. they don't get disciplined for being 10 minutes late to work. they can deduct their mortgage from their taxible income. they can write off any activity or expense. they are the only one paid to be at a funeral.

this is a very one-sided blog but i have, on many occasions, bemoaned the struggles of the pastor's life. it can be a very difficult vocation. very few people have, however, discussed the other side of the equation - the incredible perks, the lack of tangible accountability, the accolades, the tax breaks.

and right now i'm not even getting paid to blog.

OK, current and former pastors... any truth here?


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 TRACKBACKS: (1) There are 29 Comments:

  • Posted by
    Monday, December 11, 2006 at 3:10 PM

    Lazyness on the Job Not Only Applies to the Pastor

    Many, many Christians that complain about how the Pastor spends their time on the job are also guilty of how they spend time on their jobs.

    I’ve worked with Christians who have complained about how focused I was on the job ( I actually thought it important that I treat my job as if I was working for the Lord)! They thought nothing of spending their “work” time in the bathrooms chatting or in other’s cubicles chatting. Coming in to work “just in time” and then going off for breakfast on company time. Long lunches and breaks. Surfing the web, doing things other than completing their assignments on time.

    Then there are those Christians who spend 50 - 60 hours per week on the job AND bring work home.They are tied to their pagers, cell phones and laptops.  Take calls from work, answer emails, etc., any time any where and everything else has to take a back seat. They neglect family, their health and ministry obligations for the sake of their jobs.

    I don’t think that Pastors, who are lazy or poor time managers have the market on greiving the Holy Spirit on how they spend their time on the job.

  • Posted by aofkmzpy
    Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 7:52 PM

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  • Posted by tactical riflescopes
    Tuesday, November 04, 2008 at 9:45 AM

    I believe this is an important issue.
    Two Pastors can receive the same remuneration. But one will not work ceasing and the other just lazy and do nothing (hiding it).
    I think you need to have people who will control. Paying his salary is much cheaper than to do nothing Pastors.
    In principle, this method is used in all business areas, not only in religion. But everyone their methods.
    I hope you will find the right solution. Bless you!

  • Posted by
    Friday, January 02, 2009 at 12:51 AM

    My husband and I are close with two pastors who lead different churches.  The first pastor is the type who complains about all the work he has and how he can’t even leave his work when he goes home.  His office hours are about 20 hours a week.  The elder board is designed soley to agree with anything he wishes, including a huge raise for himself because he wants a big house.  When a member of his congregation stops attending, he won’t even give them a call to see why.  He shows up for business meetings completely unprepared.  Sometimes he forgets to show up for planning meetings.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  The other pastor had been getting $500 a month from his small satellite church until the parent church shut it down; it wasn’t growing fast enough.  Even with no income, his flock went with him and he started a new church for them.  He works three other jobs and his wife works to support their family.  He refuses to take pay until the church has the chairs and facility it needs.  He wants to bless people with the Word and never complains about his duties.  He is truly called and can’t help but pastor his flock.
    The first pastor asks me to be on planning committees and boards.  He always wants my opinion and thinks I’m so talented and could do so much for the church (my husband notices this and feels underused).  The second pastor told us “I care more about you than what you can do.”

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