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What exactly do pastors do?

Acts 6:2-4

2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”


That is a great question. In fact, it is one that has come up recently with a friend of mine. Aside from the Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night activities, and other than weddings, funerals, and other public speaking engagements, let’s take a look at what pastors fill their time with throughout the typical week.

The pastor is to spiritually lead the church congregation. He has to cling to and trust God to do it. He also has to trust his team and meet with them regularly. For me, it's the deacons. I trust them immensly. As seen in Acts 6 above, a pastor spiritually leads by continually giving himself to prayer and preaching and teaching God’s word. In 2 Timothy 4:2, the Apostle Paul tells Pastor Timothy to “preach the word.”

Theologians recommend that sermon preparation, including study and prayer, should be given a bare minimum of 12-15 hours per week. Most like to spend a good deal more than that. It  can easily turn into 20-30 hours per week. The general purpose of a pastor is to abide in Christ, glorify God, equip and encourage believers to do God’s work (Ephesians 4:12), and evangelize the lost. He hopes to equip and encourage Christians enough to help him do a lot of the work found below.

Other daily activities are to get involved with the church and community by visiting people at home or at the hospital, and visiting facilities in which large portions of the community gather. Alongside those, the pastor will also mentor other people of the church or community by spending one-on-one time with them on a regular basis (2 Timothy 2:2, Titus 2:6-8), while also counseling those in need. 

In addition, pastors oversee various ministries in the church while assuming responsibilities of the administrative day-to-day operations (having a secretary helps in that regard). Phone calls, text messages, and emails keep him extremely active. Some pastors might utilize other skills to help in other areas such as the church website or music, when necessary.

A pastor's duties have eternal consequences and are physically, emotionally, and mentally draining. Their work follows them no matter where they go or what they do. They work on vacation, late at night, and early in the morning. They always work on their days off and are always “on-call." Their decisions are weighty, having a ripple effect on many people.

Most pastors get nervous in front of a crowd, even experienced ones. The sermon itself is immense weight. As a friend of mine said, "No matter what a pastor does, it's always on His mind... Sunday is coming." Pastors are bombarded by the enemy, people, and their flesh. They have to fight for their personal time, family time, and time with God. If they do not, they will suffer, which will cause those under them to suffer, as well. The best thing anyone can do for a pastor is continually pray for him, respect his time, and encourage him in ministry.


Jim Albin - Senior Pastor
First Baptist - Wortham, Texas
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