Ministry is a Real Job

Thirty-six years ago, I was attending what was then called, “District Council”, the annual meeting of ministers in our region of the country.  I remember the message well, because the speaker had the good sense to speak the truth in humor, which in our neck of the woods is the same thing as love. Laying a foundation of scripture, he pointed out that many a ministry struggles because the ground where the worker labors is hard ground. Many other ministries, however, struggle because the stewards of the ministry simply don’t show up and put in the work necessary to see fruit.  He told the story of a pastor who complained of the challenges where he worked, and with whom he spent a week to observe how things functioned in the church on a daily basis. What struck him most was that the pastor arrived at 9:30 in the morning, had his devotions, and by the time 11 AM rolled around felt it was too close to lunch time to begin anything new, so he would go home for two to three hours for family time. He would then return in the afternoon around 2 PM and finish up around 4 PM when the church secretary left the office.  For clearly predictable reasons, he was often stressed out on Saturdays trying to prepare his message for Sunday morning and again for the evening service. He was working about ten to fifteen hours a week, plus speaking on Wednesday night and twice on Sunday. 

I recall a church planter who said the best thing that ever happened to him was getting off a church staff and having to plant.  To launch the church he needed a part time secular job and he had his first glimpse into the lives of his congregation.  The people who attend your church are out the door at 7 AM to get to work by 8 AM and rare is the soul who works only 8 hours in a day.  In our years leading up to full time ministry we worked about 50 hours a week at our regular jobs, drove straight to church, and were there for volunteer staff meetings, youth events, and the twice Sunday service.  That meant we spent another 12 to 15 hours a week at church after our secular jobs, and the commute to church was about thirty minutes each way.

The pastor under whom we worked, had four kids and a house close to the church, and recognizing that his volunteer staff was fairly hungry by 8:30 PM would often have us all over and his wife would cook something up, so we were happy as we headed back home to rise at 5:30 the next morning.  (I was normally at work by 7AM and left about 6PM).  The staff were all full time professionals but one mom, who was a full time mom, which as we all know, is a 24/7 occupation.

As I look at the young people making an impact, they understand the importance of “showing up”.  If they are tired, or the baby cried all night or whatever else it might be, they take their ministerial work for what it is: a matter of life and death for the lost.  They understand that if the people supporting the work of the ministry, do not have checks magically appear on their desks but must spend time in prayer and intercession before they attend their day job, and often are showing up at service after a long and stressful day at work. That is entirely healthy. It is a sign of good stewardship.

In these days of storytelling, influencing, and social media, there are invariably people who appear to be doing a great deal when in fact, they are just really super with media.  I have read posts and chuckled, because I either knew the real story, or recognized that a moving and emotional post that would cause people to believe they were following a planet shaker, was in fact, created by someone who spent about an hour on the job and an equal amount of time “content creating” to keep themselves employed.  The kingdom of God is not so built.

We rely on the strength and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We have a message so compelling that if we truly believe it, we will be unable to keep it to ourselves.  To share the gospel effectively, no matter what form of ministry in which one is involved, also requires an honest work ethic.  If you do not put as much time and effort into ministry as you would if you had a secular job, you need to remember to Whom you ultimately will give an account.  “It is required of a steward, that a man be found faithful” (I Cor. 4:2).  Be faithful.  Work at ministry with the at the very least, the level of commitment you would be required to give to a secular employer.  Daily faithfulness, will bring rewards.