I love pastors.  Really, I do. I am humbled and blessed to be counted in their number. Several pastors have made an impact on my life and I am thankful for their godly influence. Each has had a part in me becoming who God has made me.

I want to give you a glimpse inside the heart and head of a pastor. Two verses in Hebrews 17 summarize quite well the awesome sense of calling we pastors feel.

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith… Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. – Hebrews 13:7, 17

Pastors and Their Role

First, pastors bear a tremendous responsibility. When a pastor looks out over his congregation, he is looking into the faces of men and women that God loves dearly. God places a pastor in their lives to teach them His Word, show them His way of life, and watch over them on their journey of faith.

Second, pastors realize a great accountability. In verse 17, we learn that a pastor must give account to God for fulfilling the ministry God gives him. The Bible teaches that we all will give an account for how we build in the foundation of our relationship with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 3:12-15), but a pastor has a second accounting to give. He accounts for his personal life, as does every believer, but he also has to account for how he watched over those people God entrusted to him. Most pastors I know – especially the one I know best (me) – feel a trepidatious sense of accountability to God. That is why our heart breaks so when we see people miss out on what we know He wants for them.

Finally, pastors live with a unique sensitivity. Hebrews encourages their readers to follow the leader so that his ministry will bring him joy rather than burden. Most people could never understand the life of a pastor, and I could never begin to explain it. A pastor lives his life on an emotional and spiritual rollercoaster. The highs are great, the lows, quite painful. During some of those lows, I have had well-meaning people attempt to encourage me by telling me, “don’t take it personally.” For a pastor, that is just not possible. You see, pastor is not my job, it is not something I do . . . pastor is who I AM.

Pastors Always On Duty

A store clerk, bus driver, factory worker, or cubicle denizen can clock out and leave their job behind them.Very seldom does someone they do not know recognize them in public and say, “Hey, there’s the secretary at my insurance agent’s office . . . let’s watch and see what she does.” A pastor never clocks out, never has the option of “turning it off.” There is never a time when a pastor is not the pastor.

Pastors are often the butt of jokes, and so often we deserve it. But the calling on a pastor’s life is no joking matter. Pray for your pastor, he needs it. Pray that God will give him wisdom well beyond his own. Then trust your prayers. And trust your pastor too. Let him do what God has called him to do – lead you, teach you, challenge you, even correct you if necessary.