Guest Post: Lessons Learned Since Becoming a Pastor

This is a guest post by Michael Perkins.

Michael describes himself as “a regular guy who likes things simple.”  He is a husband, pastor, blogger, and a creative. After more than two years of blogging at Untitled by Michael Perkins, Michael believed it was time for a change; a fresh start, so The Handwritten was born.

Here are some thoughts by Michael Perkins:

I’m 29 and I’m about 8 months into my first pastorate, but I have been in ministry for about 5 years in many different capacities.

I’m going to be honest.

Coming into my first pastorate I thought I knew it all. I thought that I was prepared for every single situation.

And I have found that I was completely wrong. In fact, I’ve found that there is a lot more that I don’t know compared to what I actually do know.

Pastors Need Pastored

I think we have a tendency to think that because we are the ones overseeing the flock that we don’t need pastoring. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. We need to find others who are willing to pour their wisdom and experience into us. I promise that whatever you are going through, you’re not the first to do so.

You can do this several ways: listen to podcasts, read blogs, or have meet regularly with older pastors. Trust me, this is crucial.

Pastors Need To-Do Lists

Pastoring isn’t a 9 to 5 job. And because of that, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with things that need done.

I start each day by creating a list of things that need done. If I don’t do this, things start to spill over into my family time. And that’s unacceptable. My family needs to know that I’m there for them.

Pastors Need Creative Outlets

This could be in many different forms, but for me, I’ve found that my blog is my greatest creative outlet. It’s the place where I can flesh out the things that God is revealing to me.

And blogging helps me stay sharp. It helps me to look for and recognize how and where He is moving.

The Church Doesn’t Need Me

This was probably the most difficult thing to realize. I recently had the privilege of speaking at a retreat. But that meant that I was going to miss a Sunday morning. All sorts of stupid things came to mind: What if we have visitors? What if something happens? What if the building falls down?

Guess what? Even though I wasn’t there God still moved and the building didn’t fall down.

These are just a few of the things that I’ve learned since I’ve became a pastor. And I know that there much more to learn. If you are new in ministry or a new pastor I hope you can learn from some some of my mistakes.

Are you a pastor? What are some of the things that you have learned?