The World's Most Impossible Job
(Being A Pastor in 2025)
Imagine a job out there that demands you to be a competent leader, skilled counselor, insightful teacher, strategic thinker, creative communicator, cultural commentator, event planner, social worker, and spiritual guide—all rolled into one.
It also expects you to manage teams, cast vision, build systems, care for the broken, navigate board politics, speak to current issues, and still preach every Sunday with conviction and clarity.
It’s called being a pastor.
And frankly, it might just be the most impossible job in the world.
(Tied with being a working-parent of human offspring - “fur babies” don’t count)
The Weight of Expectation
Today, pastors are expected to wear more hats than ever before—some of which, on their own, are entire careers. You’re not just shepherding people; you’re steering an organization. You’re not just preaching the Word; you’re crafting content. You’re not just discipling people; you’re also keeping up with culture, crisis, and comment sections.
And yet, despite the mounting demands, many pastors serve with minimal support. They carry the weight of the church’s spiritual, emotional, and operational health—often quietly, and often alone.
It’s no wonder so many are tired. Burned out. Quietly wondering if they’re failing God, when in reality, they might just be drowning in human expectations.
To Current Pastors:
Let me offer something that sounds simple but takes real courage: be honest about the kind of leader you are—and the kind you’re not.
You don’t have to be all things to all people. That’s not heroic—it’s stupidity.
Some pastors are gifted visionaries. Others are better at shepherding. Some thrive in one-on-one or small group meetings, while others shine when they’re building systems and structures. Trying to be everything will eventually leave you with nothing to give.
Instead, lead with humility and clarity. Know your strengths. Be honest about your gaps. Build a team that complements you, not clones you. And above all, remember: your primary calling is to be faithful, not flawless.
To Churchgoers:
If you’re part of a church, here’s the truth: your pastor/leader is not your everything.
They are not your personal counselor, life coach, event host, spiritual guru, or crisis hotline. They’re human. Limited. Finite.
So adjust your expectations—not downward, but inward.
Taking greater ownership of your own walk with God.
Grow in maturity in the scriptures, theology and spiritual practice - and develop discernment.
Stopped outsourcing your spiritual life to others - it’s like hiring a personal trainer and expecting him to do the heavy lifting with you getting the results.
Hebrews 5:13-14 (NLT)
13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
The difference is babies are fed milk, the mature hunt for their own meat.
To all of us:
Being a pastor will never stop being hard but it shouldn’t have to feel impossible.
When leaders are honest about who they are—and who they’re not—and when congregations stop demanding superheroes and start becoming disciples, something beautiful happens:
We make space for grace.
We make room for real leadership.
We build a church where Jesus is the focal point, not just the figurehead.
That’s the kind of church I am believing in.