“We’re always on the lookout for the next best church.” To be honest, some pastors do live that way – and they don’t make it easy for the rest of us who are genuinely committed where God has placed us. Most of really love our church, even with all their imperfections.

I started this blog last year to help pastors and church leaders because I love the local church. Leaders and laypeople alike are some of God’s greatest gifts to us, and I love being in the dozens of churches where I speak each year. At the same time, though, laypersons sometimes have misperceptions of pastors that I think hurt their leaders. Here are some of them:

1. We never struggle with spiritual disciplines. Even those of us called to lead God’s church wrestle with finding the time and discipline to spend private time with God. We live in the tension of studying for a sermon and studying for personal growth.
2. We’re all certain about our calling. The stress of leading a church sometimes causes some of us to wonder if this is what God has called us to do. We want to be 100% confident, but that’s not always the situation.
3. We don’t have to pay taxes. I’ve heard this wrong idea for decades. Some churches, I’m afraid, use this misperception to pay their pastor less than they should.
4. We never get nervous preaching the Word. I’ve preached for almost forty years, and my heart still pounds a bit when walking to the pulpit. Frankly, I hope that reaction never goes away – proclaiming the Word ought to weigh heavy on us.

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