24 Hours In The Life Of A Pastor

1. 24 Hours In The Life Of A Pastor...

imagesource/NBCnewsA 'pastor' is a person who oversees our churches, guide us and look after our souls through. They help us when we stray and are always there to lend us a helping hand if we're ever in trouble. They're 'our Shepherds' - the guardians of our souls.

2. 24 Hours In The Life Of A Pastor...

imagesource/villagemissionsBut what do Pastors actually get up to during their day to day lives. We often think of Pastors as constantly being in the church, helping people and spreading the word of god. But they often do so much more. Here's what 24hrs in a pastors life look like...

3. 6am - Breakfast

imagesource/redditIt's important for anyone to get a good breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day after all. Pastor's often have jam packed days, running around visiting people. Pastor James from Newark, New York fills himself up with a egg and cheese bagel each morning before heading out.

4. 7am - Personal Bible Study

imagesource/redditLike anybody it's important for Pastor's to keep their knowledge up to scratch when it comes to their work so studying the bible is often part of their daily routine. This ensures that they're always at the top of their game and able to help the people they need.

5. 8am - Arrive At Work

imagesource/redditAfter a productive morning and sometimes dropping the kids off at school, a Pastor arrives at 'work' AKA Church where their day really begins. There's often many other people arriving at Church that morning that make up the congregation.

6. 9am - Catch Up With Work Related Emails & Tasks

imagesource/redditA lot of people may see pators as 'old' or 'not with the times', but many of them are actually young men, with families and lives of their own outside of the church. Living in 2023 now means that everyone and everything, including religion needs to keep up with the times. Checking and replying to emails are part of a pastors day to day running of the business.

7. 10am - Coffee Break

imagesource/RedditChurch pastors coffee breaks are important when they have a long day ahead of them. Just like any busy job, pastors are in charge of not only people but making sure that the running of a church goes to plan! This is their mini 'down time' before continuing the morning on a good streak.

8. 11am - 2hr Confidential Meeting

imagesource/wherepeterisAnyone involved in the pastoral work congregate to vocalise what they think needs to be done to better the church and what they think needs to change etc within the congregation. Any issues going on behind the scenes are spoken about and organisations are also spoken about too.

9. 12pm - 2hr Confidential Meeting

imagesource/thedenverpostMatters which are relevant to the church and church members are discussed and acted on. Issues about the local MPs and councils are also taken into consideration as well. These long 2 hour meetings can often go way over as well - there's a lot to talk about!

10. 1pm - Lunch

imagesource/redditLunchtime for pastors is the time for them to go back into their back room and chill out after an already very busy morning and a very busy afternoon and evening ahead. A lot of pastors have families and other commitments as well as serving God and the church.

11. 2pm - Missions Conference Debriefing & Planning

imagesource/NPRThis is a time for church pastors to gather everyone who works with them in the church and it's a way for them to plan and debrief everything to do with missions. Missions are usually organised effort for the propagation of the faith. Missions can involve individuals and groups across boundaries.

12. 3pm - Running Errands

imagesource/redditRunning errands may not seem like the 'usual' thing for a pastor to do. But it can often mean a great deal. Friends of the church often offer their help to lighten their load during the day, but if no ones around to help, they'll run their errands themselves.

13. 4pm - 'Be Ready To Lend A Hand'

imagesource/redditIn 1 Thessalonians 5:25 (MSG), Paul says, “Friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!” 

The Pastor usually uses this time to help with the maintenance of the building, running errands, and helping with any other general tasks. people show their appreciation for the pastors work with gifts!

14. 5pm - Helping With The Upkeep Of The Church

imagesource/voxPastors spend a lot of their time visiting 'friends' of the church, schools, teachers, hospitals and locals from around the area. The smaller the church, the easier it is for the pastor to handle.

15. 6pm - Giving a helping hand around the church

image source/St Faustina Catholic ChurchLike we just explained, the smaller the church, the easier it is for the pastor to handle, both visiting people and the general upkeep of the building and helping with hospital calls etc. Most of us can imagine how difficult it is to keep a church looking nice and pastors often spend their evenings, along with volunteers tidying and cleaning.

16. 7pm - Time At Home With The Kids

imagesource/presstelegramMany Pastors have families who often have a lot to do with the church themselves. But when their kids are young, it's important for them to spend time with their little ones when they're not busy at school. After a long day at church, Pastors head home for a break, recharge and spend some time with their kids before heading back to church.

17. 8pm - Student Ministries

imagesource/bostonuniversityA pastor is often responsible for ministry and discipline of students from the local Middle School or High School and their role and responsibility involves them having to reach out to the youth community and engaging then with the gospel.

18. 9pm - Worship Team Meeting

imagesource/mysonginthenightWorship team meetings don't happen every day but churches and congregations need meetings like these so they can learn something from the self evaluation process. They tend to happen in the evening as volunteers are often needed.

19. 10pm - Home Time

imagesource/mounthomeIt's all about time management in a Pastor's life. They need to serve God but also his family as well. Many Pastors are married with children so it's important for them to spend enough time with their kids as well as serving God & the people of the church.

20. Here Are 10 Things That Everybody Should Know About Church Pastors!

imagesource/bitterwinterA Pastor is one who "shepherd his flock", he preaches, officiates weddings and holds meetings in his office to explain some theological question. But what are some facts that we don't actually know about Pastors?

21. Pastors are called by god, they don't 'volunteer'

imagesource/wikipedia“….He will send forth laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38). 

Most pastors do not choose that path for a 'nice career'. The work is very hard, its demanding and it takes up a lot of their time with the high expectations which are never ending at times. Only those serious about God stick to it.

22. They're 'Professional Extroverts'

imagesource/RedditPastors spend a lot of their time studying, deep in thought and alone and most of the time they love it. But just like anyone, they like to be around people as well, often known as 'professional extroverts' - relating to their job of 'leading and serving' the congregation.

23. They really don't get paid very well at all

imagesource/RedditYou will hear a lot of people ask their pastors why they do what they do & why they didn't chose a job that paid better. But when they got their calling from God, it would be really hard for them to turn it down. The feeling they describe getting is a sort of pulling towards God and the church.

24. They find it hard to have many friends

imagesource/crosswalk.comPeople would assume that pastors have many friends and in a way, they sort of do. But the church is a place of worship and it can often make it difficult for them to make 'true friends' as people struggle to not treat them like a pastor at all times. Pastors spend their lives serving God, they barely have enough time for themselves.

25. The exceptions to the rule

imagesource/CNNMany Pastors really don't earn much at all, however, there are always exceptions to the rule. Pat Robertson is a pastor with an estimated net worth of around $105 million. A member of the Southern Baptist Church, Robertson has become a media mogul and founded a couple of networks like the Christian Broadcasting Network.

26. The No.1 richest Pastor in the world

imagesource/theindependentKenneth Copeland is the richest Pastor in the work with a net worth of $310 million & is the founder of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which employs over 500 people. He was also a member of ex-POTUS Donald Trump's committee of evangelical advisors.

27. Many Pastors start their journey in their teens/early adult years

 imagesource/PinterestThe median age of an American pastor is around 50 years old, however, many of them get their first callings from God at much younger ages and spend their 20s and often 30s earning money in another career before turning to the ministry. After all, they have families to support and a pastors pay, really isn't much.

28. The main reasons for Pastors leaving the church

imagesource/lifewayresearchSenior Pastors who have left the church have explained it's been because of a change in calling - 37%, a conflict within the Church - 26%, family issues - 17%, moral or ethical issues - 13%, poor fit - 13%, burnout - 10%, personal finances - 8% or illness at 5%.

29. Pastors and mental illness

imagesource/RedditWorking hours can vary between 42 and 63 hours per week and a third of their time is spent preaching and worship. Twenty three percent of Pastors have personally struggled with mental illness such a depression with 12% saying they have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

30. Pastors are involved in the whole spectrum of life's 'big moments'

imagesource/word&wayPastors are involved with every intimate part of births, deaths, baptisms, marriages, salvations, sacred holidays, struggles and victories. Pastors are invited into every 'big moment' in a person's life and it can feel deeply rewarding - a special gift that makes the whole thing worthwhile.