Just like any other profession, being called into ministry is a noble call from God given to a chosen few. It's special not in the sense that it's better than being a lawyer, doctor, engineer or businessman, but it is special just like every other in that it is unique and specific.
Also, just like any other profession, there are aspects to being a pastor, evangelist, apostle, prophet or teacher that are not all that enjoyable. Sure, you get to preach on a stage, pray for people's sickness and train leaders, but there can also be some small parts that are not as enjoyable as any of those.
There are undoubtedly those areas of full-time church work that can be less enjoyable and often greatly time- and effort consuming on the part of pastors.. Here are four aspects of ministry that most pastors do not enjoy a whole lot.
1. Broken relationships
Church can be imperfect and messy because churches are composed of broken and diverse people who are terrible sinners and hopeless without the grace of God. This can cause a lot of relationship problems.
When conflicts arise, pastors are called to the scene to put out fires and extend love. As fulfilling as this part of ministry can be, it can be physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausting. That's why pastors need constant in-filling of God's love -- so that they can extend love and grace where they are inadequate.
2. Family pressure
When a pastor gets into the ministry, the whole family feels it. Whether it involves spiritual attack, expectations from church members or staying out late for a prayer meeting, the call to ministry is always a call to the family.
Although it is understood that pastors' wives and kids come to the ministry as volunteers, they do willingly get involved as support to their family members who are called by God to serve the church.
3. Confronting sin issues
Confrontation of hurt and failure can be hard, especially when there is a need to remain compassionate and nonmoralistic. All humans tend to judge and make assumptions, but pastors come to a meeting to confront sin without both. This can be challenging in many ways.
The hardest part of this, though, would have to be removing responsibilities and roles from leaders who have sin issues to allow them time to rest and focus on their relationship with God. I know we hate losing leaders, but it's essential to not losing brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. Fighting for devotionals
There is a strong misconception that pastors have all the time in the world to read their Bibles. When you have the schedule and workload of a pastor, you will understand how hard it is to fight for undistracted time to read the Word of God and pray to Him.
Full-time ministry is such that pastors cannot give what they do not receive. That's why pastors must fight for their alone time with God and make sure that they are getting healthy portions of His presence and not going spiritually hungry.
