20 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pastor

20 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pastor
.
Being a pastor is hard. The church is often guilty of only painting a picture of the blessings of being called to ministry. We forget to talk about the struggle.
.
So here are some things I wish someone would have sat down and told 20-year-old me. I've spent the last decade learning these the hard way.
.
.
1. 0:47 - It will be the hardest thing you ever do
2. 1:11 - integrity and love for Christ will not be enough
3. 1:30 - people will avoid you and act weird simply because you are a pastor
4. 1:55 - people will expect you to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week
5. 2:18 - workaholism will be rewarded but it will destroy your family
6. 2:36 - When people stop attending your church it’s going to hurt
7. 2:51 - you’ll have to fight the urge to compare you ministry to other churches
8. 3:10 - attacks from inside your church will be worse than those from the outside
9. 3:26 - you will not be discipled unless you go seek it out for yourself
10. 3:47 - you’ll have to fight pessimism bitterness and even depression
11. 4:04 - your success in the eyes of others will be measured by how many people you can get into a room
12. 4:24 - you’ll never be good enough
13. 4:47 - your family will be profoundly affected either good or bad
14. 5:05 - without a seminary degree you’ll be less qualified
15.. 5:31 - money is going to be a problem
16. 6:03 - you will likely move many times
17. 625 - when you have to leave a church, you’re going to leave a lot of friends behind too
18. 6:47 - spiritual warfare is real
19. 7:22 - you will be discouraged and think about quitting often
20. 7:45 - it will all be worth it
.
.
A side note: This is from a pastor that has ministered in the 21st century American context. Pastoring in different region (e.g. the middle East) can be quite different and some of these may not apply. Numbers like 7, 11, 14
.
.
RESOURCES:
•All the preaching tools and resources I've created for you - https://www.propreacher.com/store/
.
MY WEBSITES
• Preaching: https://www.propreacher.com
• Christian Life: https://www.brandonhilgemann.com
.
.
Video used in the Bible teaching: "202240717 A LETTER TO THE PASTORS" MINISTER DEREK HALLETT - SOUND THE TRUMPET MINISTRIES
https://rumble.com/v57dvc2-20240717-a-letter-to-the-pastors-minister-derek-hallett.html
.
.
Source: "Pro Preacher"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzlxovDfv6s
.