When Pastors Become Employees: Remembering the Sacred Nature of the Calling
Something concerning has been happening quietly in many churches. The ministry, which used to be seen as a sacred calling, is now too often treated as just another job. Pastors, once viewed as shepherds who lovingly guide the flock, are being managed like employees whose value is measured by performance, productivity, and popularity.
The Rise of the Corporate Church
It’s not hard to see how we got here. Modern life runs on efficiency, systems, and measurable results. Churches have borrowed management strategies, growth models, and leadership language from the business world. None of these are bad in themselves — structure and excellence are good gifts when they serve the mission of Christ.
But something essential is lost when the church begins to think like a corporation. Instead of prayer and discernment, we get performance reviews. Instead of covenant and trust, we get contracts and targets. Instead of calling, we get compensation packages. The church becomes more like an organization to be managed than a family to be loved.
The Weight on the Shepherd
Many pastors entered ministry with a deep sense of calling — a burning desire to preach the Word, care for people, and lead others toward Christ. But in this new environment, many find themselves under immense pressure to “produce results.” They are expected to be administrators, social media strategists, and event planners — often at the expense of prayer, study, and personal rest.
This system leaves countless pastors feeling lonely and disposable. Some are even treated as replaceable if the numbers don’t look good. It’s heartbreaking, because ministry is not a career someone chooses; it’s a cross someone carries.
What the Church Loses
When we treat pastors as employees, the whole church suffers. A pastor who is constantly evaluated by performance can easily lose the joy of serving. Sermons become safe. Decisions become political. Vision becomes cautious.
And the congregation misses something too — the spiritual authority and tenderness that comes from a shepherd who leads not out of pressure, but out of passion and calling. A church led by a hired hand may still function, but it will struggle to flourish spiritually.
Recovering the Heart of Calling
We need to remember what the Bible teaches. In Ephesians 4:11–12, Paul writes that pastors and teachers are gifts from Christ to equip the saints. A pastor isn’t an employee of the church — he or she is a servant of the Lord, placed in the body by divine appointment.
Of course, churches need structure, accountability, and financial stewardship. But those things should support the calling, not define it. The relationship between a church and its pastor should be a covenant of trust, prayer, and shared mission — not a contract between an employer and an employee.
A Call to Mutual Care
The solution is not to throw away systems, but to recover the spirit behind them. Churches must once again honor the sacredness of pastoral calling. And pastors must guard their hearts from turning ministry into management.
We are not running a company; we are building the Kingdom. We are not employees; we are shepherds and sheep under the care of the Good Shepherd.
When churches and pastors walk together in that spirit — bound not by contracts but by calling — the church becomes what it was always meant to be: a living, loving community where Christ Himself is the Chief Shepherd.
Lierte Soares Junior is a Brazilian-American pastor, missionary, and educator serving in New England. As a "reverse missionary," he was sent from Brazil to New England to help revitalize churches. He serves as the president of the Baptist Churches of New England.
Soares holds a law degree from Faculdade de Direito Vale do Rio Doce, a business degree, an education degree plus a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Faculdade de Teologia Integrada in Brazil. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Missouri and a Master of Theological Studies with a concentration in cross cultural missions from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Missions and Evangelism from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Lierte Soares's extensive educational background in theology, missions, and evangelism directly informs and empowers his ministry as a "reverse missionary" in New England. His academic path, spanning degrees from both Brazil and the United States, has equipped him with a nuanced understanding of cross-cultural ministry, church planting, and leadership in diverse contexts.