What Pastors Do

In my previous pastoral position, there was a job requirement that all staff members would “be able to lift 20 pounds.” I don’t remember being asked to shlep 20 pounds of anything, but I was ready.

In my role as a pastor, I have done all the usual things (preaching, teaching, administrating, etc.) and I have also:

• Vacuumed the sanctuary
• Copied the bulletin
• Trapped a squirrel in the fellowship hall
• Driven a goat back to his petting zoo in my minivan (Leviticus 16:21–22)
• Judged costumes at a Halloween Parade (and was literally bribed to choose a specific witch)
• Unplugged countless toilets

On this Labor Day weekend, I’ve learned that there is an International Meeting of European Worker Priests comprised of priests whose “tentmaking” involves jobs from aeronautical engineers to ambulance drivers. The pastors I know who support themselves by taking secular work tend to be Uber drivers and barristas, although I do know one pastor/orthodontist.

Most parish pastors who “tent-make” do so being consultants, counselors, chaplains, professors, spiritual directors, or some other parish-adjacent position.

The truth is that seminary rarely trains us for all the jobs that we are asked/expected to do. There are fewer and fewer pastoral positions that involve a specific slice of professional ministry (Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care, Associate Pastor for Children and Families.) Most positions are for solo pastors who often turn on the heat in the winter and unlock the doors on Sunday mornings.

I remember, as an exhausted rural solo pastor in my first call, visiting The Riverside Church in NYC and bursting into tears when I saw that they had ushers whose only job was to welcome people at the doors. They had another set of ushers who collected the morning offering. We opened our own doors in Schaghticoke, New York and we scrambled to find somebody to collect the offering about ten minutes before worship started.

On this weekend when we honor union workers and legislators who gave us weekends and paid vacations, please remember your pastors – especially if they are so “solo” that there is not only not a Christian Educator, but there’s not even a sexton or a financial secretary. These are also the least well-paid pastors, and many only work part-time because that’s all the church can afford to pay.

Note: there is no such thing as a part-time pastor. What are you going to do when someone has a hospital emergency on the same week you’ve already had a funeral and a wedding?

Congregations: think of something creative you might offer to offset the extra hours your part-time pastor is working. Ideas:

• An elder preaches one Sunday a month. Every month.
• PT Pastor works the first three weeks of the month, but gets the 4th week off. (This is a great opportunity for church leaders to learn how to visit the sick and pray with people – like the Bible teaches.)
• Give the pastor free tuition in your church preschool.
• Loan out your family vacation home (with no expectations that this means you will always get your way in church business decisions.)
• Never ever interrupt the pastor’s Sabbath, Vacation, or Sabbatical. (Uncle Joe’s funeral can wait until the pastor’s back or you can happily accept the neighboring pastor’s willingness to step in.)

Most pastors I know have fixed copy machines and coffee makers. Many have a disturbing wealth of knowledge about boilers and sump pumps. Most of us love Jesus, and we would rather prepare a sermon than clean out the church fridge. The very least church members can do is ask if you can help clean the fridge. (Thank you.)

Image source.