Terry Dempsey looks out the window of his study. He has finally found a moment of quiet to reflect on the past week and to prepare a meaningful sermon.
"What am I going to talk about next Sunday?" he asks himself as he studies the view. "What's on the minds of the parishioners?"
"I spend time preparing and thinking ahead of time what will be the anchor," says Dempsey. Dempsey usually determines a sermon's theme well in advance. "At the end of May, I'll be thinking about what I'll do for the summer," he says. "But closer to the Sunday, I'll begin to flesh out the theme."
Dempsey ponders the time of year and community happenings to come up with sermon ideas. He says it isn't difficult to find subject matter. "The problem really isn't fleshing out the ideas," he says. The only difficulty he faces is having to change a sermon at the last minute.
"Sometimes, even a few days before the Sunday, something will happen -- such as a tragedy -- and I'll have to change to reflect that," he says. "Sometimes God will lead you in a different direction."
God will always lead you to help people, Dempsey says. "You deal with and help people of all ages, from the cradle to the grave. It is the greatest joy of the job."
Dealing with people can also be the most difficult part of working in a ministry. "You meet people at various points in their lives," says Dempsey. "Sometimes they are happy and other times they are very sad. If it's not a happy time for them, it won't be for you either."
Matthew Sullivan, a minister in Tennessee, agrees that people are the most important part of his job. "I have developed many friendships," he says.
At the beginning of his career, Sullivan had a difficult time deciding whether or not he should stay at the church he was with in Tennessee. The congregation made the choice easier for him. "My decision came down to my love for these people," he says. "I really believe this is where God wants me."
People often choose a career in the church because they believe they were called upon by God. "I was chosen by God for this work," says William Staton, a minister in New Jersey. Staton, who also works part time in telecommunications, didn't want to join the ministry. "I didn't want this, but I had to accept what God had for me."
It was difficult for Staton to accept his calling. It took him a full 10 years to decide to become a minister. "It's what I had to do," he says. "Because God said so, and I put all my faith and trust in God."
Dempsey studied for a few years at college before considering religious studies. "I had this tug, or sense of calling, as I came near to graduation," he says.
When Dempsey was a teenager, he had briefly considered joining the religious ranks, but shelved the idea. "However, I felt that old nudge again, and I felt it needed looking into."
Answering the call is easier for some than it is for others. And that's not just because it's hard to deal with family pressure or personal doubts. Even though female ministers are becoming more accepted in churches, Dempsey says it's still difficult for some to get the recognition they deserve.
"On paper, women are equal," he says. "But to be frank, some congregations aren't so open to the idea."
He doesn't want to discourage women from considering the ministry as a career. "There are a number of jobs that are opening up for women," he says. "And their numbers are growing. But it would be a falsehood to say that it is easy." And Dempsey would know -- his wife is also a minister.
The couple graduated from divinity school together more than 20 years ago. Dempsey has been working as a minister since that time. His wife, Debbie, just got her first full-time ministry job last year.
"It wasn't easy for me to find a job," says Debbie. It's also difficult for two ministers to find work within the same denomination and the same town, but the difficulties are worth it.
"The satisfaction I get from this job is unlike any I've felt in my life," says Debbie. "It's a thrill and a privilege to be able to help and counsel people."
Debbie says some members have difficulty with the fact that she's a woman. "Some people act shocked when I perform traditional ceremonies like weddings or baptisms," she says.
"I've had a few people tell me it's a man's job. But there are times when being a woman comes in handy. A lot of nervous parents are comfortable letting me hold their child during a baptism, and many seniors are quite comfortable with me holding their hand or touching them during a hospital visit. I guess some people embrace me and some shun me, but I try to ignore the negative and just concentrate on spreading the word of God."