What Does a Pastor Actually Do?

I have always heard the rumors, polite jokes, and false assumptions about pastors.

You know the ones.

“So what do you do all week?”
“Don’t you just preach on Sundays and do weddings and funerals?”

In 18 years of ministry, no one had really asked me that question until recently. And when they did, I honestly paused. Not because I do not do much, but because the truth is far more complicated. No two weeks in ministry look the same.

There are rhythms, yes. But ministry runs on interruptions. A hospital visit pops up. A marriage is suddenly on the brink. A death comes without warning. A snowstorm shuts down half the country. You can plan your week carefully, but then you pastor people, and people do not live on calendars.

Before I walk you through a “normal” week, a few important caveats matter. Church size matters. Staff structure matters. Bi vocational ministry is a completely different universe. In my context, I serve as a Co Lead Pastor with primary responsibility for preaching, shepherding, and vision casting. Our church averages around 850 on weekends, has experienced steady growth, and is supported by an incredible team of full and part time staff. What follows is my work week, apart from personal time in Scripture and private prayer.

Monday: Manic and Holy

Early in ministry, a mentor told me, “Expect the unexpected and front load your week.” Mondays prove him right every time. That is why I affectionately call it Manic Monday.

Mondays are wall to wall meetings. Worship planning. Pastoral care. Production. Creative. Communications. One on ones with direct reports. Lunch with my co lead pastor. We review Sunday, plan weeks ahead, address problems, and wrestle with the question every church asks constantly. How do we help people engage without missing what matters most?

But Monday is not just strategic. It is deeply pastoral. One of our staff values is “Pray Like Anna,” meaning prayer is not a closing formality. It is foundational. We pray in meetings, during one on ones, and sometimes in the middle of difficult conversations. Mondays are often emotionally heavy because they carry both the weight of what happened yesterday and the responsibility of what is coming next. They are long, relational, exhausting, and sacred.

Tuesday: Guarded and Quiet

I am a high extrovert, which means I can be my own worst enemy if I am not careful. Over time, I learned that my best writing and study happen alone, away from the noise.

Tuesdays are for reading, studying, and writing. No lunches. No meetings. Minimal email. This is the day where I sit with the text, wrestle with clarity, and pray through what the congregation actually needs to hear, not just what is interesting or timely. I guard this day fiercely because I know this truth. If the message suffers, everything downstream suffers.

Every other Tuesday evening, we also gather with elders for long meetings to discuss vision, challenges, staffing, and the spiritual health of the church. These nights require wisdom, humility, and prayerful discernment. Front loaded, remember?

Wednesday: Word and Wounds

Wednesday mornings are about finishing the sermon. This is where clarity, flow, and pastoral sensitivity come together. Once it is finalized, it gets shared with ministry and production teams so it can live beyond Sunday, into groups, conversations, and everyday life.

Afternoons shift toward pastoral care. That might mean sitting with a grieving family, listening far more than speaking, praying through tears, or preparing a funeral message. It may also include counseling conversations, follow ups, or crisis response. In between writing and meetings, staff stop by to check in, laugh, cry, or simply be human. Leadership rarely happens only in scheduled meetings. It often happens in hallways, doorways, and unplanned moments.

Thursday: My Favorite Day

If the week has gone well, Thursday becomes a gift. It is the day for vision, dreaming, and loving our team well.

We begin with staff chapel, Scripture, prayer, encouragement, and time together in God’s Word. This is a reminder that before we are leaders, planners, or problem solvers, we are disciples. Once a month, we gather all staff to align direction and culture, celebrate wins, and address challenges honestly.

The rest of the day flexes. It might include hospital visits, long range planning, meetings with architects or designers, or conversations about future ministry opportunities. Sometimes it even includes a standing golf tee time with guys from the church, because discipleship does not only happen in offices. Thursday feels lighter, not because it is less important, but because it is fueled by hope.

Friday and Saturday: Closed, But Not Quiet

Our office is closed, but ministry never really is. Fridays and Saturdays are often filled with moments that do not show up on a calendar, phone calls, texts, prayers, and presence.

That might include officiating a funeral, showing up at a community event, attending a game, or stopping by a ministry happening on campus. One of my personal goals each week is to have 30 meaningful touchpoints with people, and weekends create space for that naturally. These days remind me that ministry happens just as much in everyday life as it does in formal settings.

Saturday night, I open the message one more time, pray, and try to sleep, trusting that God will do what only He can do.

Sunday: The Public Part

Sunday is what most people see, and it is only a fraction of the calling.

I am up early. Message review. Prayer. Final tweaks. I spend time asking God to soften hearts, including my own. Then come the services. Before, between, and after means conversations, encouragement, listening, and availability.

I leave Sunday tired, grateful, and deeply aware that what happens on stage is built on countless unseen hours of preparation, prayer, and presence. Sunday is sacred not because of the spotlight, but because of the people.

So what does a pastor actually do?

A little of everything. A lot of listening. Constant preparation. Regular interruptions. Endless conversations. And an ongoing dependence on God.

Ministry is not a job. It is a calling. And when you see it that way, you do not get lost in the schedule. You get lost in the joy of serving Jesus and loving people, and somehow, even in the chaos, your cup keeps getting filled.

Blog By David Shane Barnett:
David Shane Barnett, D.Min., Th.M., serves as Co-Lead Pastor of Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield, Indiana. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served in pastoral ministry for more than 20 years. David is also the founder of UpsideDownFaith.com, where he writes about leadership, faith, and life in ministry.

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