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WHAT DOES A PASTOR DO EACH WEEK?

A question many laypeople ask: "What does a pastor do each week?" - Remember pastors ask the same thing about laypeople. What we don't know about each other raises questions. Here are a FEW things pastors do in a typical week (we could add more if you had the time):

Preaching
Conflict resolution
Land acquisition
Worship planning
Strategic planning
Denominational mtgs.
Small groups
Developing leaders
Community involvement
Prayer
Supervising staff
Problem solving
Calling on the sick
Vision-casting
Crisis management
Crisis intervention
Membership class

According to a survey by "Leadership," the following points were listed as causes for marriage problems in clergy families:

81% insufficient time together
71% use of money
70% income level
64% communication difficulties
63% congregational differences
57% differences over leisure activities
53% difficulties in raising children
46% sexual problems
41% pastor's anger toward spouse
35% differences over ministry career
25% differences over spouse's career

According to a survey by the Fuller Institute of Church Growth, pastors are overworked, underpaid, often working in a conflicted environment, and seem to be some of the loneliest people:

90% work more than 46 hours a week
80% believed pastoral ministry affected their families negatively
33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family
75% reported a significant stress related crisis at least once in their

ministry
50% felt themselves unable to meet the needs of the job
90% felt inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands
70% say they have a lower self esteem now compared to when they started in ministry
40% reported serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a

month
37% confessed to having been involved in inappropriate sexual

behavior with someone in the church
70% do not have someone they consider a close friend