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# Pastors and the E-Myth
- URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/200488pastors-and-the-e-myth-html/
- Published: 2004-08-08T02:12:15.000Z
- Updated: 2022-08-15T15:35:37.000Z
- Author: Darryl Dash
- Tags: Blog, Dying Church, #DashHouseCom, #wp

*This post is from the defunct blog “Dying Church”*

Michael Gerber's book *[The E-Myth Revisited](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887307280/dashhouse-20?ref=dashhouse.com)* guesses at why most small businesses fail. Most people get into a business because they're good at what the business does – shoe repair, engineering, whatever. They excel at the technical requirements of the job. Start a business, and all of a sudden they're no longer doing what they're good at. Instead, they are hiring, filing returns, marketing – in short, they're running a business. It's the difference between a practitioner and an entrepreneur. Think about this with pastors. It seems that most pastors have a choice. You can stick with what got you pastoring. For most of us, it was probably a sense of calling and a desire to make a difference. I used to dream that pastoring would involve time in the Bible, praying, providing spiritual direction, etc. In other words, pastor = spiritual practitioner. Another model has come into being. Instead of being a spiritual practitioner, pastors are church entrepreneurs. In this model, pastors read business books, attend leadership conferences, develop and execute a vision, and grow the church. In this model, pastor = entrepreneur. **Pastors as spiritual practitioners** Prayer Bible Equipping Spiritual direction Soul **Pastors as entrepreneurs** Vision Leadership Church growth and health Institution I'd hate to create a straw man, and I doubt it's all one or the other. This is worth thinking about, though. What should we expect from our pastors? Can a pastor reasonably be both a spiritual practitioner *and* an entrepreneur? If he or she does one, who does the other?