A Pastor's Job Description

The Pastor's Job Description
2 Timothy 4:1-5

At my secular Job last week my boss sent me a copy of my job description. He wanted me to revise it because it was outdated. Apparently he wanted me to add all of the new job tasks that have been added to my job title (without adding extra pay of course) The reason for doing this is so if I quit or transfer to another job the new person will know exactly what is expected of them.

That very night I was reading through II Timothy and came across my other job description; the job description of a pastor. Now if I am being honest I have never really desired to preach this text.

There are going to be some things said in this message that are going to challenge what you believe. The job duties of many and I would say most pastors have a lot more added to them than what is found in this scripture.

I found an illustration that sums up what most people expect out of a pastor:

The Perfect Pastor

The perfect pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes.
He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone’s feelings.
He works from 8am until midnight and is also the church janitor.
The perfect pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car,
buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the church.
He is 29 years old and has 40 years experience.
Above all, he is handsome.
The perfect pastor has a burning desire to work with teenagers,
and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens.
He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor
that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
He makes 15 home visits a day
and is always in his office to be handy when needed.
The perfect pastor always has time for church council and all of its committees.
He never misses the meeting of any church organization
and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.
The perfect pastor is always in the church down the street!
From sermon illustrations. com

I will say this with a great deal of confidence. There are three things expected out of God’s man: To Pray, To Prepare and to Preach. It is that simple.

As we examine this text I want to use the same criteria that are used for my secular job. First I would like to see a few things about the employer.

I. The Employer v1

I work for a large road construction company. The owners are a father and his two sons. In this job I work directly for the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

A. The Person - v1 ķI charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,

In many churches there are a number of people who think they are the pastor’s employer. Deacons, laypeople, committee heads and little old ladies that have been members of the church for many decades.

While I do not have this problem at my church, many of my preacher friends do. A friend of mine is a full time pastor in another Baptist church. He tried to start an outreach program and one of his deacons told him that they would not do any such thing. His quote was “I am not going to visit anybody that is what we pay you for.”

While I have a great deal of love and respect for everyone in this church let me say this “I do not work for you!” I get my directions from a lot higher up.

B. The Position - v1b who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;


Charge before