Thursday, August 16, 2012

Happy Pastors?!

How well do you like your job?  I admit I love reading the annual surveys that discuss job satisfaction. Headlines like 'America's Most Hated Jobs,' are attention grabbers that work for me!

Recently the Christian Science Monitor published its list of 'The 10 Happiest Jobs in America.' Multiple factors came in to play in evaluating job satisfaction.

Coming in at #1, 'Clergy', followed by 'Firefighters,  Physical Therapists, Writers and Teachers.'

 I would agree with this ranking and here's why:

1. Pastors make a difference in people's lives.  We get to see change, often dramatic and usually for the better!
2. Pastors have the rare distinction of being with people at every formative stage of their lives: birth, marriage, kids, during tragedy and at the time of death.
3. Pastors have a source of wisdom that is incomparable to all other forms of wisdom: God's Word.
4. Pastors don't have to be perfect.  In fact our effectiveness is directly connected to our authenticity.
5. Pastors have a Boss who knows exactly what it is like to Shepherd others.

Or may be it is because we only work one day a week, and only an hour at that!  Or maybe its the, 'Out Of This World' benefits package...

Does it come as a surprise to you that Clergy rank the highest in terms of job satisfaction?  Why or why not?  Post your comments below!