I grew up the daughter of a youth pastor. A lot of people will tell you that they think being youth pastor is an easy job because you can play games and hang out with kids instead of doing real work. That was what this list was born out of, because I know first hand how hard being a youth pastor (or any other kind of pastor) is. I hate to see people misunderstand the work actually involved in being a shepherd such as they are called to be. So, without further ado:
1. He is human. Sometimes, People get this idea about Pastors that says they are somewhat of a celebrity. He's hard to get to talk to, but when you can, he always knows what to say. Well... Part of this is true. Pastors are supposed to be good at knowing what to say, but only to the extent that God has given the ability to. Pastors aren't celebrities. They are real people with families and lives and bills, just like everyone else. Sometimes, the church body might forget that because they only see certain things about him, but that makes it no less true. And Pastor's KIDS need their dad just as much, if not more.
2. He doesn't have all the answers. As a youth pastor's kid myself, I can remember the amount of times my dad came home or out of church and was talking on the phone with someone for hours. Now, that is not bad at all. That was his job, to be the guy people seek out as their mentor, that's what he was biblically called to be. But sometimes, those people seem to get the idea that talking to the pastor will give them some kind of miracle and all their problems will be whisked away because he can tell them exactly what to do. (This especially happens in Youth ministry because a lot of the people wanting answers are teenagers.) This, this is not true. As previously stated, he is human. God ordained him as a mentor and pastor, yes, but that does not mean that he has all the answers to everyone's problems, there is only a limited amount of help he can give before he has to tell them that he doesn't know, and that God knows what he is doing. Which some people take pretty hard, because they have inhuman expectations of a human man.
3. He DOES have problems of his own. This one comes with a little bit of a secondary line. "Since pastors do so much counseling, they must not have problems of their own." Yeah. That's right. Apparently my dad is perfect and has no problems to speak of, because he always is able to counsel others so well. I think if someone said that to me... I might laugh in their face. Just because he is a pastor doesn't mean that he has no problems. All pastors, I don't care if he leads a mega church or a small town church who gets weekly an attendance of twenty, all of them have issues. Just like their kids. Just like their neighbors. Just like their congregation. Everyone has problems. Please don't assume that he doesn't.
4. If he is struggling, it doesn't mean that he isn't qualified to be a pastor. In the bible, there are many, many instances where disciples of Jesus struggled. Peter struggled with pride, David was married to WAY more than one woman (and also had an affair with his best friends wife) and John was doubtful in the face of his trials. These were all men that God had chosen to be the foundation of his Bride, and they were all screwed up people. He chooses broken, struggling people in order to make his glory apparent through them. In 1 Timothy 3:2-7, Paul discusses the character of those who aspire to become "overseers" or pastors. He says, ".... [Pastors] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober minded, self controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money..." and it goes on. This is not a list of things that HAVE to be true about a man in order for him to become a pastor, because then we would have no pastors. This is, rather, a picture of how a man's faith should have a tangible impact on his character. He needn't be perfect, just willing to serve Christ and let his character be changed by the servitude he will find.
5. He is not lazy. Ohhhhh how mad this one makes me. Youth pastors especially get this one. People think that all they do is play games and go on fun trips. Ok. I see where one might get that impression but if they'd bother to even look at the background, they'd see so much going in to the pastor getting to play games and go on trips. The amount of planning that goes into youth ministry, and ministry in general, is staggering and it takes a really special person to be able to juggle it all.
PKs know, ministry is tough. Pastors get an unfair amount of assumptions thrown on them often and sometimes, it's hard for them and their families to figure out why God would put them in such a situation. But He gave them a job just as he gave us a job to submit to them.
"Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." (NASB) Hebrews 13:7
They are carrying out their work continually and joyfully, bringing glory to their father, we should do the same.
