Essential Lessons for Young (and Old) Pastors

I'm used to reading blog posts with titles like “What They Didn't Teach Me in Seminary.” Usually, the goal is to create buzz or sell a course or book. I don't want to add to that noise, but I'm going to write about a few things they didn't teach me in seminary that I think are important for a young pastor to know.

First, aim to be boring.

I don't mean your preaching should be boring, but your ministry should largely be pretty ordinary. Ministry involves doing a few things well over a long period of time and staying faithful at them.

Mark Dever summarizes these things as: preach, pray, love, and stay. Learn to be a good preacher. Love the people God has entrusted to you. Be a pastor who prays, and with God's help, stay faithful. Stay a long time if you can.

Trust the ordinary means of grace. Don't look for extra tactics, techniques, or secrets. Stay faithful to your charge. Engage in the ministry of the word over a long period of time.

It probably won't look like much, but God will work through your ministry. You can always count on the fact that God will grow his church through his word. God will hear the prayers of faithful pastors. God will be at work as you love them and serve faithfully as a pastor.

Second, guard your own heart.

It's no accident that Paul told Timothy to guard his life and doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16), and as some have pointed out, that order is important. You can have all the right doctrine in the world, but if your heart is out of whack, you won't have an effective ministry. Proverbs 4:23 is helpful advice for pastors as much as it is for anyone: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

I don’t mean that you should become overly introspective or self-focused. I do mean that you pay attention to your own personal godliness, and cultivating a heart that is growing in love for the Lord.

Pursue a healthy soul. Learn to laugh at yourself. Take days off. Have a hobby. Build friendships. Guard against cynicism and sin. Read good books. Look after your body. Get outside. Take vacations. Aim to be a person who has no secrets, who repents regularly, and who basks in Jesus' love. If you're going to last long in ministry, you're going to need to watch your life and build a healthy soul.

Third, prioritize your marriage.

At one point or another, you will be tempted to neglect your wife for the sake of ministry. Don't do it. There may be seasons when you are busier in ministry, but talk about those with your wife in advance. Never give up the instructions that God has given you in Ephesians 5. Love your wife and lay down your life to serve her. Or as 1 Peter 3:7 says, live with your wife in an understanding way. You made vows when you married her; keep them. Ministry is no excuse to break the wedding vows you made before God.

Fourth, expect to suffer.

Read 2 Timothy 2:1-13 often and meditate on it. Think about what the suffering of soldiers, athletes, and farmers has to teach you. Expect that you will go through at least one intensely difficult period in your ministry and prepare for it. Of course, you still won't be prepared, but perhaps, at least, you won't be surprised. It will be harder than you expect, but with God's grace, you will get through it.

Finally, resign from measuring the impact of your ministry.

We're continually looking for results, but worrying about them can distract from your ministry itself. Stay faithful to what God has called you to do and leave the results up to him. God may lead you into seasons of fruitfulness or periods of fruitlessness, which can be difficult to understand without recognizing God's providence. Trust in that.

We need the Holy Spirit's blessing for effective ministry; without it, our efforts are in vain.

That's my list of things they didn't teach me in seminary but that I wish I had known. It's not flashy, but I hope this helps prepare you for the reality of ministry and years of service with God's assistance.