The pressures of ministry

I appreciated Keziah's recent post Rest for your Soul. Keziah quotes statistics about the problems many pastors face. I am not sure if things are as bad as these quotes make them out to be, but I am certain that pastors do face many unique pressures. They are often faced with unrealistic expectations from their congregations. I have been known to say that I don't want to marry a minister, because of the pressures their families face. I realised later that my thoughts were coming from selfish motives. However, I still think that it would be important to consider the particular pressures of ministry and whether you are called to that role before marrying someone who is headed in that direction. Thankfully I am going out with a scientist so it is not something I need to think about!

One of my friends pointed out to me that the Bible teaches that we are all ministers in one way or another. If we were all ministering to one another in the way the Bible teaches us to, those who are called to devote themselves to full time ministry would not find themselves so pressured.