Prior to entering full-time ministry, I spent five years as an entrepreneur. I was told prior to that that being a businessman was going to be the hardest profession anyone would get into. Being a businessman was tough for sure, but it was nowhere as tough as being in ministry.
This is not to compare or consider that any other profession is not as special as vocational ministry because it can be different for many. Some businessmen have it really difficult, and some pastors have it easy, but the point is that being in full-time vocational ministry isn't as easy as it seems.
Vocational ministry is filled with long working hours, messy relationships, financial burdens, spiritual warfare, leadership pressures, social pressures and so much more. The question that many vocational ministers have found themselves asking God is, "Lord, why must it be so hard to serve you?"
I'm nowhere close to being an expert yet in vocational ministry, but in almost four years of serving God on a full-time basis and for a living, here are three reasons that I have found why ministry has to be so hard.
There is an enemy
In 1 Timothy 3:7, Paul says regarding ministerial requirements that vocational ministers "...must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
There is an enemy that wants vocational ministers out of a job and all out of faith. While we all know that the enemy is a defeated one and that his fate is sealed, that doesn't mean that Satan is going down without a fight. He lets stress, weariness, discouragement and condemnation come to stop us from doing the work that God has called us to do, especially since it involves getting more people off the devil's track and onto God's.
There is a process
Romans 5:3-5 says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
God puts us through a process of building our character, hope and faith because He wants to prepare every full-time minister for greater levels of impact and influence. As God takes us to greater heights, he wants to make sure that our characters are pride-proof, selfishness-proof and immorality-proof. To skip all the processes of growth that God brings puts us in danger of not having the right preparations.
God reminds us that it's not about us
Paul shares also in 2 Corinthians 12:7, "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited."
God uses challenges, trials and a lot of hardships to remind vocational ministers always that the work is never about our speaking skills, leadership ability or charisma, but about the grace and favor of God over our lives and over our ministries.
