Pastor, you’re always a pastor.
A pastor doesn’t clock in or clock out. Whether you’re behind the pulpit or walking through the grocery store aisle, the calling on your life continues on. Ministry is not a job it’s a calling, and it comes with a 24/7 responsibility and privilege.
We don’t get to schedule when ministry takes place or is needed. It’s impossible to plan the timing of an urgent hospital call, a spiritual crisis, or a dire moment when someone needs pastoral care. Really, when you think about it, moving things around for your own schedule and your own comfort isn’t really a reflection of Jesus. You’re a pastor wherever you are, and you’re a pastor whenever you’re needed. That’s the life you said yes to. You answered the call of Jesus to follow and serve Him in ministry.
There are seasons where the pressure and work feels heavier. That’s for sure. But there are also those times when the workload is less and it seems as if the Lord is giving you the needed rest that will revitalize your soul. Inconvenience is not unusual for the past. Yet in the Spirit, caring for people when you’re tired is not an inconvenience at all. It’s a blessing. There is s real cost of shepherding people.
Mark 4:38–39 (NKJV) “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”
Pastoral ministry is often demanding. If you’re the kind of person who watches the clock, pastoral ministry isn’t for you. Because the timing of God is always different than our timing. What God is looking for is our faithfulness. It’s a beautiful thing to serve the Lord as a pastor, but also hard, challenging, and well just hard. Our weakness makes room for His strength.
There will be days when you feel like you don’t have anything left in the tank. That’s not unusual. The disciples felt it too. They returned to Jesus with stories of all they had done, hoping for rest. Jesus did lead away for a time of rest but the people followed too. Instead of running away from people or even pushing people away, Jesus pressed into the moment and taught them again.
Mark 6:30–34 (NKJV) “Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat… And Jesus… saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”
That’s the picture of ministry: real tiredness, real needs, and real compassion.
Pastor, keep showing up. Serve with joy. Rest when you can, but be ready when the call comes. God will meet you there. When you feel overwhelmed, remember: you’re not the Shepherd. You’re an under-shepherd. Jesus is with you, and He will strengthen you to do what He’s called you to do.
Adapted from the book, Sure and Steady by Pastor Ed Taylor. Chapter 17
