Do pastors work? I often get the feeling that people tend to think that we pastors don’t work. Many people assume that:

– counselling is not work

– sermon preparation every week is not work

– staff meetings and church meetings is not work

– studying Scripture and your text for the week is not work

– developing leaders thru small groups and discipleship is not work

There is an unspoken pressure for a pastor to try to add more working hours because he feels he is not working but I love what Rick Warren said:

My experience is pastors tend to overwork when they assume extra hours make them more effective in ministry. That’s simply not true, and this misguided notion can actually keep others in your church from developing into mature Christian leaders.I know how it is, when you get frustrated with the way things are going, you tend to want to control everything. It is human nature but it isn’t the way God wants us to operate. It turns your ministry into one of those “whack-a-mole” games. The moment you whack down one problem, another one pops up. It’s never ending.

There – from one of the most successful pastor telling us fellow pastors to balance work and family. Why?

– because counselling never stops – there is always a new one

– sermon preparation will always be there as long as you preach

– studying Scripture is a lifelong discipline

– there are going to be more leaders, new leaders to be discipled.

In short – work never ends, we are not Jesus and we have our family. Take a rest!