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But there are certain professions in which, during a crisis, the family simply has to come second for a time.  A fireman cannot tell the fire chief, “I’m not going to enter that burning building and rescue those people because, well, it’s a risk, and my wife and my kids lose sleep when they know I’m on the job.”  The captain of a sinking ship doesn’t jump into the first lifeboat because he has a family to think about.  There are some jobs — and they tend to be the most vital in a community — in which pressure, worry, gossip, and rejection are felt not just by the person but also by his family.  Pastoring is one of those vital jobs.  Pastors are wise to remind their families how vital their calling is to the community, and how difficult that calling will be sometimes, not only for the pastor but for the family.

Leadership, Fall 2004, page 33