Why I’m Not a Pastor

Over the years I’ve had people ask me why I didn’t become a pastor. Because I preach fairly regularly and work with churches, some people actually think I am ordained. I respect those who serve and believe it’s not an easy path, but here’s Why I’m Not a Pastor:

Not a huge fan of hospitals and funeral homes.
Brides are……………brides.
Committee meetings that repeat themselves month after month make me want to hurt myself.
People’s pain makes me sad.
I was a preacher’s kid.
Too many churches are country clubs, only serving those on the inside.
See my blog “Ambivalent” from Dec. 15, 2013, about church buildings.  (http://parsonageparables.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/ambivalent/)
I write a “sermon of the year” because I use it for an entire year. 40+ sermons a year would be ugly.
I like choosing my own food, not goulash and Jell-O from the potluck.
Worship should be about God, not about style.
I’m too tired for youth group.
I don’t want others to determine the color of my walls, carpet, and appliances.
Some people are mean.
Would rather be with my family on Christmas Eve. Christmas programs are…
I don’t like weak coffee.
The Bible has names that are hard to pronounce.
Sometimes I want Easter to be about malted eggs and Peeps.
I don’t want to be the designated pray-er at every community or family gathering.
My luck, there would be a bell choir.
God knows better.

5 thoughts on “Why I’m Not a Pastor

  1. Bruce, you have hit the nail on the head! Thanks for your insight. Also, Easter just keeps coming around…can I say the same thing this year that I said last year….how many times does it take?

    1. Thanks R. I’ve always wondered if Christians are the slowest people on earth – do we really need to remind them EVERY weekend that Christ died for their sins. 🙂

  2. Bruce, you certainly detailed the challenges to pastoral ministry. On the positive side, there is no feeling in the world like having the family say a heartfelt “Thank You!” for being with their loved one through illness and performing a meaningful funeral full of celebration and sadness. There is nothing like seeing people start to grow in faith or churches start to respond in deeper ways to Christ’s call. There is much to love about pastoral ministry! For instance, when Kitty went through breast cancer, our church really became our support group and made sure we were ok. We couldn’t have appreciated them more. So, there are great positives to the calling!

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