I’ve done a lot of things in my life.  I’ve been an employee as well as an employer.  I’ve worked for major institutions and minor companies.  I’ve also been a business owner and a consultant.  And, I can tell you without hesitation that there’s nothing quite like being a senior pastor.  There’s a weight to it that is truly unique.  The apostle Paul wrote specifically about the weight that pastors feel.

Besides all this, there is on me every day the load of my concern for all the churches.  2 Corinthians 11:28 (NCV)

Notice that he says that it’s a load and that it’s a daily thing.  The truth is that this is not something that can be removed.  It can only be managed.  There is a responsibility to God for the local church that is both a marvelous opportunity and at the same time an unyielding weight.

The amplified version says this verse a little differently.

And besides those things that are without, there is the daily [inescapable pressure] of my care and anxiety for all the churches!  2 Corinthians 11:28 (AMP)

In a church, you do deal with a lot of things that other organizations and businesses deal with.  You have staffing issues and utility bills and facility concerns.  There is, however, an “inescapable pressure” that comes with the call to pastor a church that is quite different than anything you might come across in the business world.

Honestly, a lot of people think they understand the pressures that lead pastors face but they don’t.  It’s like trying to explain what it feels like to be a parent to someone that has never been a parent.  They might think that get it but they don’t.  I like what Perry Noble said at Unleash about staff members that think they know what senior pastors go through…”You don’t have a freakin’ clue.”

Now, I’m not writing all this to complain or whine.  I’m writing this for two groups of people, those considering the ministry and those already in it.

If you’re considering becoming a lead pastor, I want you to know that it’s hard.  It’s amazingly hard.  You’re going to deal with everything a small business deals with and you’re going to deal with a lot of things no business leader ever has to deal with.  Again, it’s a hard job and you’re going to feel a weight on you that’s hard to explain.  At the same time, it’s an amazingly cool calling and you’re going to get to go on an incredible adventure.  Just be sure, positive, that you’re called.   (If you can do anything else with your life, do that instead.)  Don’t make the decision lightly but, once you make it, jump in with everything you’ve got and never look back.

If you’re already a senior pastor, I want to stress that the weight that you feel is normal.  It’s part of the calling.  Just think about it.  What sane person could presume to speak on God’s behalf each week, lead His people and try to impact the world without feeling some inescapable pressure?  At the same time, who can ignore the call of God?  Who can keep that fire shut up in their bones?  Who can keep silent when God is putting words into their hearts and minds?

At C3 this year, I heard Ed Young describe the ministry at “brutiful.”  He said that it was both brutal and beautiful.  I couldn’t agree more.  And, in a way, it has to be.  It’s filled with love for God and others as well as spiritual warfare and assaults on the enemy.  It’s harsh and hard and wonderful and amazing.  It’s a weighty call but a glorious one.