Being a pastor is not a once-a-week responsibility. It is a daily calling. It is waking up with people on your heart and going to bed with their burdens in your prayers. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills understands this reality well. That’s why he teaches that the daily life of a pastor is not glamorous—but it is deeply rewarding.
He trains his pastors to approach each day with purpose. To see each morning as an opportunity to shepherd someone, to teach someone, to strengthen someone. The work is never done. And for Bishop Dag, that is not a burden—it’s a joy.
He teaches that pastors must be awake spiritually, emotionally, and practically. They must be present in the lives of their members. They must be available. And above all, they must be faithful. Every day counts in ministry. Every conversation, every visit, every sermon, every prayer—it all adds up.
Behind the Scenes of Ministry
What many people see on Sunday is only a small part of a pastor’s life. Bishop Dag often talks about the unseen hours—study, prayer, fasting, counseling, planning, traveling. These are the moments that shape the public fruit.
He teaches that a pastor’s effectiveness is found in what they do when no one is watching. The hours spent in the Word. The phone calls returned late at night. The visits made when energy is low. The emails, the meetings, the decisions—all part of the daily life of a shepherd.
And in all of this, Bishop Dag models consistency. He shows that the secret to lasting ministry is not found in one big moment, but in many small faithful ones. It is what you do daily that shapes what you see publicly.
Caring and Building, Every Day
Every day, a pastor is caring and building. Caring for the souls God has entrusted, and building the church God has planted. Bishop Dag teaches that these two assignments cannot be separated. Pastors must care with their hearts and build with their hands.
He teaches pastors to plan, to organize, to communicate, to teach, and to lead with intentionality. The church does not grow by accident—it grows because someone wakes up every day to tend it, feed it, and water it. And that someone is the pastor.
Through his example, pastors have learned how to structure their days, how to prioritize spiritual and practical tasks, and how to keep growing themselves so that they can keep feeding others.
A Life of Quiet Sacrifice
The daily life of a true pastor, as Bishop Dag teaches it, is a life of quiet sacrifice. There are few thank-yous, few breaks, and few people who truly understand the weight. But it is a life that pleases God. It is a life that resembles Christ. It is a life that is poured out, not wasted.
And because of pastors who live like this—who follow Bishop Dag’s example—churches are healthy. People are growing. Souls are being saved. And the kingdom is advancing.
Bishop Dag continues to live this life daily. Not from a distance, but from the heart. And he continues to raise others who will do the same, one faithful day at a time.