The problem with being both a pastor and a parent is finding and adhering to the distinction between leading the members of the church and being the father of one's children. A distinction must be made between pastoring a church and raising children because of the nature of each responsibility which, combined with the others, produces a difficult situation. While being a pastor requires having a caring heart for your congregation, being a good parent requires a love for your children so deep that caring for someone else pales in comparison. Problems arise when a pastor cares too much about his congregation or what they think of him and thus ignores his family. Family should always come first, regardless of career. Often when this lack of distinction occurs, a pastor will “monitor” his children in the hopes that he can influence them in the same way that he seems to be able to influence their church. In short, he treats his children like parishioners, but with added expectations because the children are his. Other pastors will have little or no involvement with their children in the hope that this will solve the problem. Instead of spending less time with his church members and more with his family, the pastor does the exact opposite. These two opposing approaches to solving the underlying problem of pastoring and parenting provide a great starting point for an exploration of the wilderness of parenting, while the "pastor factor" adds even more adventure to a journey already perilous. ” is a term used by many to express the degree of exposure an individual has to the world outside of a certain framework. This can be a good or bad thing, as we can see middle of paper......ave. One of the expectations is for the PK to be a role model for other children in the church. Cameron Lee states this expectation in his book Life in a Glass House by saying that "like the Minister and his wife, the PK is expected to be more than human, an example to all" (168). Lee is directly referring to the pastor's congregation when he makes this statement. Works CitedNewman, Alex. “The Disadvantages of Ministry.” Toronto Star (Canada) nd: Newspaper source. EBSCO. Internet. February 1, 2010. Lee, Cameron. PK helps pastors' children through their identity crisis. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1992. Print. Lee, Cameron. The greenhouse life of the minister's family in its unique social context. Grand Rapids, MI: Departmental Resource Library, 1989. Print. Mickey, Paul A. Clergy Families: Is Normal Life Possible? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1991. Print.