The duties of a pastor include family visitation, preaching and teaching the gospel, administering the sacraments, visiting the sick, preparing for burial and other important duties. A pastor must be able to fulfill all of these duties according to his own understanding of his faith, as well as more efficiently than any other chaplain on site. He is responsible for providing spiritual guidance and counseling to others who may need help in dealing with problems such as drug addiction or abuse.
Churchgists will give you all you ask on the importance of a pastor, the role of a pastor in church growth and so much more.
The duties of a pastor include:
- -Leading the church in worship and prayer
- -Preaching, teaching, and administering sacraments
- -Pastoral care for all members of the congregation
The Duties Of A Pastor
While pastors are the leaders of a church, they have many other duties aside from giving sermons. Read on to learn more about the job responsibilities and skills needed to become a pastor.View Schools
What Are The Top Three Responsibilities of A Pastor
Job Responsibilities of a Pastor
As a pastor, you provide spiritual leadership to members of a church. Your duties include preparing weekly sermons, preaching and conducting worship services. It’s your responsibility to interpret biblical scripture for the congregation. You also provide care and counseling to church members and assist them in crisis situations. In addition, working as a pastor may require you to officiate at special services, such as confirmations, baptisms, weddings and funerals. You collaborate with choir leaders to integrate music into church services. Job hours are a bit irregular, because you must divide your time between conducting worship services, attending social events at the church and completing administrative duties. Additional job responsibilities may include:
- Assisting in church financial matters
- Overseeing management of all areas of the congregation’s ministry
- Supporting, overseeing and evaluating congregation staff
- Holding regular staff meetings to coordinate ministries
- Ensuring church facilities are functioning
Important Facts about Pastors
| Work Environment | Church and parish office |
| Mean Salary (2020) | $51,940 (clergy) |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 4% growth (clergy) |
| Similar Occupations | Director of religious education, professor, fundraising manager |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Essential Knowledge and Skills
To work as a pastor, you must have comprehensive knowledge of the Bible and a strong religious conviction. You also must be ordained by a church or accredited body. Beneficial skills may include:
- Strong character
- Impartiality
- Public speaking
- Compassion for struggles and concerns of others
- Ability to communicate clearly
Education Requirements
Some churches may require you to have various qualifications, such as a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree in divinity, theology or religion. Typically, churches require pastors to have a graduate degree in divinity from an accredited seminary school. In undergraduate school, aspiring pastors often major in a related subject, such as religion or theology. Graduate programs are intended to give you a deeper critical education in theology and religious studies as well as train you in other aspects of being a pastor, such as preparing sermons and conducting worship services.
The Importance of A Pastor
- The pastor who preaches every Sunday sets the agenda for the church. That’s true for both the positive and the negative; the church will do what the pastor does, and not do what the pastor doesn’t do. If the pastor is not doing evangelism, the church won’t, either.
- The pastor has the best opportunity to keep the challenge of evangelism in front of the people. New believers and young churches start with an outward evangelistic focus, but that passion dissipates without intentional efforts to keep it high. The pastor can take that lead.
- The pastor can be an evangelistic role model, even from the pulpit. Most church members have never had a role model for evangelism. They don’t know what a heart on fire for Jesus looks like – but they can see that heart in a red-hot pastor.
- The pastor can set the example of getting connected with non-believers. If anyone faces the danger of getting cocooned among believers, it’s the pastor. The one who intentionally gets out of the office to get to know lost people, though, shows the way for other leaders.
- The pastor has opportunity to tell stories of evangelism. I can still remember evangelistic stories my pastor told us decades ago as he continually reached out to others. Few people have as many listeners with ears ready to hear as a pastor does.
- The pastor can often enlist enthusiastic disciples to train. The leader must make the choice to mentor others, but evangelism ought to be one of the first lessons. As others have said, “Evangelism is more caught than taught.”
- The pastor can hold other pastors and staff members accountable for evangelism. Evangelism at its best is the natural response of believers who love Jesus, but it’s also a requirement of Christian obedience. Accountability among church leaders for this task is appropriate.
- The pastor can teach and emphasize the ordinance of baptism. God gave us that picture as a witness of the gospel, and believers who see it regularly are more likely to tell that story.
The Role of A Pastor In Church Growth
Perhaps one of the most critical keys to the growth and revitalization of a congregation is the leadership capacity and the role of the pastor and the pastoral staff. In his book How to Reach Baby Boomers (Abingdon, 1991), William Easum says that the single most important factor in determining the growth of a church is the pastor’s attitude about its mission. If the pastor believes that the mission of the church is to win people to Jesus Christ and if personally works for that mission, the church will most definitely grow.
Many other experts on church growth affirm Easum’s statement, and I have discovered it to be very true. It is the pastor who must lead the church to vitality and growth. In my numerous visits to local churches as a consultant, I have again and again observed the important role of the pastor in a church’s growth. Whenever local church pastors have made up their minds that they want to see revitalization and growth happen, then revitalization and growth inevitably happen. Whenever pastors have a zeal and a passion to win the lost, growth inevitably happens. Whenever pastors have held a vision big enough and have led congregations to accomplish that vision, growth happens. Whenever pastors have taken charge (not in the sense of taking control, but in the sense of being true leaders) and have led congregations as God has indicated, then growth happens. Whenever pastors preach the Word of God uncompromisingly and with integrity, growth happens. And whenever pastors have trained, equipped, and liberated the laity to actively engage in the ministry of the church, growth happens.
Robert Reardon, former president of Anderson University and a man who often serves as an interim pastor, has said that superior pastoral leadership is the key for the growth of the church.
In discussing the leadership role of the pastor, Lyle E. Schaller, in his book Growing Plans, says that the pastor must want the congregation to flourish and grow. The pastor must have a vision and a future orientation.
Robert Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, says there is no substitute for dynamic, positive,inspiring leadership. He says that a lack of success means a lack of effective leadership and that great success is the result of great leadership.
For a church to grow and become vital, the pastor must take on a more aggressive, active role. He or she must have a strong sense of will and determination to lead and equip the church for growth.