I have been sharing the Top Ten Things Every Pastor Wished Their Congregation Knew, but Was Afraid to Tell Them. Here is number 7:
7. I can’t be available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. My family needs some of my time and I need time away and
alone. – 1Tim 3.4,5; Mk 6.31, 46
1 Timothy 3:4-5 says of a Pastor that, “He must manage his
own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if
someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for
God’s church?” Additionally I would add that if he spends all of his time
caring for God’s church how can he possibly manage his household well? Your
pastor needs time for his wife and children. May a pastor’s family never feel
that they are second in importance to the church.
Additionally the pastor himself needs time away. After the disciples had been out ministering as Jesus had instructed him, they came back telling him everything they had experienced. Jesus’ response in Mark 6:31was, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” Later, in verse 46, after teaching and feeding five thousand people, Jesus sent everyone away including his disciples, and he “went up on the mountain to pray.” Even Jesus, in his humanity, needed rest. As a pastor I can’t be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My family needs some of my time and I need time away and alone.
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