Pastor vacations

Pastors get vacations every week.
They only work on Sunday.

[/sarcasm]

Like all working people, it’s based upon time served.
Starts at 2 weeks and increases over time.

Various conferences and outside speaking engagements are considered work related.

Rob

 

Sometimes a pastor gets his vacation time, but also has time of to go to conferences or conventions. I have a friend who gets 2 weeks off to preach revivals in addition to his vacation time.

 

As far as ministry goes time served has got nothing to do with it. The church should always provide for the pastor and his family as much as they have the ability to do. Unlike secular jobs there is a spiritual element which makes the job 10 times as hard. It’s to the benefit of the church to do these things and support the pastor as much as possible. Any pastor worth his salt earns it 10 times over. Those that don't should probably go sell copiers or something.

 

Absolutely.

There are no "secular" jobs for a disciple of Jesus. All work is holy and has spiritual relevance and import.

I have served as the senior pastor on staff in a church and have spent most of my adult life making a living outside of the church. I have found more opportunities for "spiritual" ministry working with and beside people who may or may not have any church experience. But I not only serve God in my employment outside of church, I also serve the local body as a Bible teacher, disciple maker, and occasional preacher.

If a pastor is doing ministry in the power of the Spirit, the yoke of discipleship and ministry is easy and light (Matthew 11:30). Of course, that doesn't rule out persecution from religious people, nor guarantee that fickle congregations who don't like the teachings of Jesus won't get rid of you at a moment's notice.

If one is trying to make a stable career out of pastoral ministry, then the temptation to please the most influential voices in the congregation can be very difficult to resist, since most "conservative" American congregations are have been discipled by the right-wing cultural warrior outrage media. It is nearly impossible to be a faithful advocate for the way of Jesus in that environment and maintain employment.

I have a lot of sympathy for pastors who face "losing" their carefully tended careers for the sake of being faithful to Jesus. But God will be faithful to those who have the courage to do the right thing.

I agree.