Virtually Paul

When Pastors become salesmen

November 7, 2006 on 11:06 pm | In Uncategorized |

Digger has some interesting comments from Eugene Peterson that are pretty full-on in asking us whether or not our pastors are actually pastoring or just performing for the crowd.

I think Peterson has written it to be deliberately provocative… and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

I’ve been thinking a lot about pastoral ministry lately and wondering… “What does a typical pastor do with their time?”  I get the impression that it’s more than a full-time job… people ringing up, elders meetings, church admin meetings, bible study groups to visit, etc… most of which would have to fit in around the 9-5 jobs of the majority of the flock.  Then there’s preparing a sermon for Sunday morning.  So I have a bit of an idea… but I’m also quite interested in the time breakdown.

What’s the biggest part of the job, task-wise and time-wise?
How often does the list of things that need to be done, change?
How does someone take on the role while still feeling as though they’re maintaining a sense of structure and balance in their approach to their work and also their life?
How can someone safeguard themselves against the risk of getting too comfortable?
How easy would it be to lose sight of the reason you’re there and pursue other interests?
Once you’re in the job, could you pursue other interests while keeping up appearances with the church members so that the salary continues?
How do we measure success in pastoral ministry?

I guess those are big questions and largely depend upon the person and the circumstances of their ministy context.  Does anyone have any smaller questions or personal reflections?