The Pastor with a Side Hustle

I once went to a physiotherapist who was also a chiropodist and chiropractor. He also dabbled in a few other things. While treating me, he’d share his opinions on other topics too. He was somewhat effective, but I didn’t know how much to trust someone who didn’t seem to know how to stick to his core business.

I’ve seen the same thing with pastors.

Pastors must know God well and love people. We’re called to do a lot of things: preach, provide pastoral care, and do some administration. Many of us are generalists who must switch between the various roles demanded by the nature of pastoral ministry.

The problem comes when we think we start to dabble in business that’s not ours. We may have opinions about politics, but we’re not politicians. We can and should speak to the intersection of politics and faith, but know where to stop. We may have opinions about epidemiology, organizational leadership, personality traits, life coaching, and more, but none of these are our calling.

I notice how easy it is to focus to speak on issues that have nothing to do with the oversight of the church, the preaching of the Word, and the care of souls. I lost some confidence in the physiotherapist who was also a chiropractor, podiatrist, and self-proclaimed expert on numerous other topics. I fear the same may happen with pastors who shift their focus from pastoring.

I wonder if we’re tempted to lose our focus because ministry is so intangible, because it’s hard to measure results, because pastoral ministry can seem so thankless, and because other endeavors hold greater prestige. Maybe we get bored or overestimate the breadth of our expertise. Maybe we lose sight of the privilege of the work God has called us to do. Perhaps we think that, because we deal with so many roles within our pastoral work, we’re able to handle a few more.

If you want to dabble, pastoral ministry should provide you with enough variety to satisfy that longing. Take a preaching course. Adopt a dead person and read their works and biographies. Get training about pastoral counseling and care. Pick a theological topic and spend a few months or years digging deep. Aim to become a well-rounded pastor.

But, unless you’re a co-vocational pastor, keep your focus on pastoring.

The church doesn’t need pastors who are more excited about their side hustles than they are about pastoring. The church needs pastors who are clear about their primary calling and who devote their lives to pastoring the church well. Our dabbling must never come at the expense of our primary calling.

I no longer go to that physiotherapist. I’ve found another one who’s content to focus on that one role and refer to others who are qualified in areas she’s not.

I’m sure I can learn from her example. I want to be known as someone who pastors my church well and is content to leave other fields to other experts. When I’m tempted to get distracted, I’ll try to remind myself of the immense privilege and responsibility I have as pastor, one that will demands so much and that matters now and for eternity.