The standard joke for years about pastors has been: “Well, you only work one day a week!” Unfortunately, many people miss the humor because they believe that Sunday is the only day their minister does work. The confusion develops because of what a person defines as work. If a person believes that preaching on Sundays is the only work a pastor performs, then it is time for a refresher as to what counts as work.

Pastors come in a variety of ages, labeled with various position titles, and directed by lengthy job descriptions. Some ministers are called senior pastor, some lead pastor; and others just pastor. These individuals fulfill most of the preaching responsibilities, and give general leadership to the church. Other ministers may have primary responsibility for worship, a specific age group such as students, or a specific function such as missions or discipleship. (We will discuss them in a future article.)
But the word work still needs some defining in the world of ministry. Some activities get automatic acceptance into the realm of work – preaching; leading worship; teaching; funerals; and weddings.

However, many other activities get overlooked in the lives of all pastors. While the list could be endless, here is a small sampling: planning; sermon preparation; hospital visits; committee and team meetings; mentoring leaders; counseling; outreach; relationship building; enlistment of volunteer workers and their supervision; premarital counseling; wedding rehearsal; and emergency calls 24/7.

Years ago I served as pastor of a church in West Texas that was filled with good people. Late on a Monday afternoon, I boarded a Greyhound Bus to Houston. The 12-hour over-night trip was accompanied by multiple stops and crying babies. I arrived at the Houston hospital early the next morning to meet with one of our church families whose 6-year old daughter would have a new, and somewhat risky, heart surgery that day. We visited and prayed and waited together for the lengthy surgery to be done and a report to be received. The doctor came out around 5:00 PM with a great report. By 7:00 PM they had seen their daughter in recovery. We grabbed our first meal of the day and I headed to the bus terminal to catch the midnight bus to West Texas. A wreck on the way delayed our arrival back in my town to 4:00 PM on Wednesday. I took my first shower since Monday, ate a quick sandwich, and with no

sleep since awakening at 7:00 AM on Monday, made my way to Wednesday night prayer meeting.

At church one couple stopped me to inquire about the family and little girl. After updating them, they said how glad they were that I had been able to go and minister to that family in behalf of our church family. The next person that stopped me just made the comment that it must be nice to get three days off to start the week!

Fast forward three decades, and my story is the story of your pastor. He works in countless ways serving and ministering. Maybe this would be a good time to take a closer look and recognize your pastor as he faithfully does the work of the ministry. The truth is that he probably is underpaid and doesn’t receive enough vacation time . You may, or may not, be able to change salary and benefits, but you can find ways to say, “Thank you.” Today would be a good day to start!