Ask the Pastor: Preparing to Become a Pastor
by the Rev. Walter Snyder
Religion Columnist

Q: I'm thinking about becoming a pastor. How many hours do pastors work? What is
the salary range? What exactly does a pastor have to do? Lastly, what schooling is required?

A: Please note a few things. First, I answer as a pastor of The Lutheran Church---Missouri
Synod. I don't know your church affiliation, so you might have to adjust some of the things I say to fit
your church. However, much of this is the same among all churches with a specially trained clergy.

Second, being a pastor does not mean the same thing as "having a job." This is not a position
where, in our church, the pastor is "hired" or "fired" by a congregation. We speak of pastors having a
"calling," an "office," or a "vocation." Our congregations are to recognize their pastors as set there by
Christ through his Holy Spirit. We are not "employees" of a certain group of people but are servants
of Christ who then serve Christian congregations through Word and Sacrament.

Pastors may have slow weeks, but if one is dedicated to his work, a forty hour week is a rare
luxury. Besides the time spent with people (preaching and teaching, visiting shut-ins, and the like), a
pastor is constantly preparing by reading and studying Scripture and various religious writings. Some
spend upwards of fifteen hours each week in crafting their sermons. Many have multiple Bible
studies each week---and each study requires preparation.

While being able to balance your time is important, if you have a week where five or six
parishioners are hospitalized in two or three different hospitals, the hours can quickly climb. So also
other emergencies, plus the working in of weddings, funerals, seasonal services and the like make for
a full schedule before it seems that you've even gotten busy doing what you've planned to do. This
connects with your question on what we do: We preach, teach, baptize, absolve (forgive sins) on
Christ's behalf, give Holy Communion, visit the sick and the hurting, marry, and bury. There may be
other things that certain pastors also do, but these are central to our calling.

For all of this, the "salary" varies widely. Among Lutheran pastors, we prefer to not treat what
we receive as salary, but as "compensation." As I mentioned earlier, this is because we are not
considered as "employees" of a congregation but as workers called by the Holy Spirit through the
working of a congregation. We are called to "give away" the gifts Christ has given his Church, such as
his Word, his forgiveness, his Baptism, and his Supper. We are then compensated for our
preparation time and our travels as we do this.

Some churches recognize the work and the stress that can accompany it and are generous in
financial compensation, vacation time, and the like. Others are trapped by their own financial
circumstances, wanting to do more than they can (or not realizing that they could do better). Sadly, a
few just don't fully appreciate the gift of a pastor they've been given and treat him accordingly. Some
realize also that their pastor will be better equipped if he continues in life-long learning and both
encourage and financially support continuing education.

This connects then with your question about education. In my church, the normal route is to
attend college, gain a bachelor's degree, then study for at least four years at one of our seminaries.
This includes a year of internship, which we call "vicarage." Since knowledge of the Biblical
languages (Greek and Hebrew) is required and Latin and German are quite helpful, studying in one
of our pre-seminary programs can help with these, as well as teach you some of the basic courses in
Scripture and Lutheran doctrine. As with the previous sections, these comments on education
generally apply for most churches that have a specially trained pastorate.

To Ask the Pastor, please write Ask the Pastor, PO Box 12, Emma, MO, 65327 or send
email to askthepastor@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."