When I speak with other pastors I am always interested to hear how they approach their calling. I want to know what their work week is like. How much do they preach? How much do they teach classes, Bible studies, etc.? How much time do they spend with family? How much do they engage with the congregation? You can see how much a pastor really loves a church by how much they put into it. You can get an idea of their attitude towards their calling in the way they carry out their days. Maybe they don’t get to preach that often, but they’re constantly with the people, old, young, chatty, silent ones, families, singles, etc. Or maybe they preach all the time and then they are never seen again.

Last week I met a pastor who taught service during the week, then on Sunday he taught a Sunday School lesson in the morning, preached a sermon, stayed till everyone was finished speaking him, went home and took a nap, then preached in the evening and stayed till everyone was finished speaking with him. You would think someone that went through that sort of day was a young, fresh out of seminary, single, man. But you would be wrong. He was a pastor of a congregation of 5,000 and he had been in ministry for over 30 years! (more…)