"So You Want To Be A Pastor?" (pt.6)

1 Corinthians 12:15) " I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?"
Last week marked a great blessing and a spiritual renewal through our meetings at Pleasant Hill Baptist with David Miller. The four nights of meetings with Bro.David proved very profitable to the people at PHBC. Our people were of course amazed of how David has disciplined himself to the Word of God to where he can quote and preach from memory. This is of course a gift from God to build up the church of God. I believe as well our people were encouraged by David just being a "country preacher." Nothing that is, "flashy" or "glamorous", just a man God has called to preach his gospel.
We had above normal attendance throughout the week, which I was thankful for. But that meant extra work for the pastor. What do you mean extra work? Often as a pastor you have to do alot more than just study, pray, and visit shut-ins (especially in a smaller congregation). There will often be things you see as a pastor that will need to be done which no one else will see.
I write this not because I am upset to have to do these things but rather to let men who might be pursuing the ministry to know (the ministry) is more than just praying, studying, and visiting. Throughput the week it rained periodically and people were coming in the building with muddy, wet, and grassy shoes. Our custodian only cleans once a week, usually on Friday. So, that meant if the grass and mud where to be cleaned either I would have to call one of our deacons or someone else to do it...or do it myself. So on throughout the week, I spent a couple of hours cleaning some mud up and vacuuming the building. Also the bathrooms needed to be cleaned. Not a big deal right? The bathroom was out of toilet paper, needed paper towels, and swept and mopped as well. After each nite of the meetings I was up early downloading sermons on the computer so we could mail out cd's for our shut-in ministry and others who visited. Which we ended up mailing out over 100 copies of the cd's to people throughout the community and others.
You might say why are you telling us this? Are you trying to get glory? My answer is, NO! My desire is to those of you who think being a pastor is studying for 30 hours a week in your office, praying, and making a few visits each week...please do not fool yourself. If you truly take shepherding the flock of God seriously there will be times where you will have to vacuum, clean a toilet, and even make cd's. I believe if a man is not willing to clean the toliet for the glory of God how can he preach for the glory of God? Is cleaning the toliet any less than preaching the gospel if it is done for God's glory?
If you are a pastor who has never had to do such tasks in the church, I urge you to take it on one week. It will humble you and cause you to appreciate those who do it week in and week out. At the end of the day men being a pastor is not all about standing in the pulpit in your polished suit and telling people all you have learned. Sometimes it is doing the small menial tasks and doing it for God's glory!
What do you think do you agree or disagree?