20 Ways You Start to Know that You are a Preacher

In my short time as a preacher, I have been called on to do many things and have faced many ups and downs. When I think about these experiences, they pale in comparison to many who read this and have worked longer and done far more.

Please read this list knowing that this is not a “resume” or an “I’m better than other preachers” list. Please read it as (1) a fellow preacher who is beginning to understand, or (2) a preacher trying to let “non-preachers” know a bit of the heart of the men who stand before you and try to present God’s Word as best we can, though we are but jars of clay.

Here are some ways that you start to know you are a preacher.

1. You, in one week, are there when one person is Born, another is Baptized, and yet another is Buried.

2. You study a text for multiplied hours, prepare a sermon, and still never really feel qualified to preach on that text, since it is from the mind of your Creator.

3. You are called to meet with someone late at night and you know tears will be shed, but you go anyway, because it’s where you need to be.

4. You stand before a congregation and preach a sermon as lovingly as you can, but still get comments about how “you shouldn’t be so harsh.”

5. You are amazed that you get “amen’s” from the congregation when you take a stand on abortion or homosexuality, but wonder where the same enthusiasm is when you preach on baptism or repentance.

6. You counsel a young couple preparing for marriage and hope they are really listening, because you sense a real problem. They are in your prayers more often than they realize.

7. You find yourself drawn to other preachers, not to complain, but because they “understand.”

8. You tell young men, honestly, that preaching is a wonderful way to make a living, knowing full well that most parents are telling them to find a career that “pays” better.

9. You know the real “pay” IS better in preaching! A harvest of souls is far greater than any paycheck.

10. You plan a huge event, set up the chairs, and cry when only you and your wife are the attendees.

11. You always wonder if you should go to another meeting, party, event, singing, counseling session, or other activity, even though you weren’t specifically invited.

12. You wonder what you should wear to all these events!

13. You want to call older preachers and ask for more advice, but you know how truly busy they are, so you wait.

14. You can define burnout.

15. You can define revival!

16. You pray daily for souls to be saved and write sermons to provide both milk and meat to the listeners, only to have someone say that you “went 5 minutes over today.”

17. You know you should give your wife and children more time and energy, but you wonder if people will see that as slacking on your job.

18. You love elders and are glad they oversee the congregation, but you find it a challenge to preach “at” them. Still, you do, because you want them to do all they can for God, too.

19. You wish every day had 30 hours, so you could scratch the surface on your daily “to do” list.

20. You fully understand Jeremiah’s passion for the word of God, because you really can’t think of doing anything else but proclaiming it with all you’ve got.

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I love preaching, and I love preaching at Lebanon Road. I hope this brief post helps people see that passion and love for a work that is more fulfilling than others will ever realize.

What would you add?