Lovett Weems writes, in the most recent e-newsletter Leading Ideas, on the potential impact of pastoral leadership and its importance as a calling for persons who have received it to pursue. Check it out here.
He writes, thinking of a recently departed friend:
“He loved to preach not because it was the only thing he could have done with his life. He became an outstanding religious leader in his state and denomination, but he could just as well have reached the highest ranks in any number of professions. He loved to preach because he was convinced that God had called him to this ministry. Neither he, nor those who knew him, ever thought that he was ‘squandering leadership potential.’”
Guy M Williams 
That’s an interesting quote. There may well be an issue of perceived “squandering” when it comes to devoting one’s life to the church. But I don’t think it typically comes from others (i.e., the community of which the leader is a part). And I don’t think it comes from the pastoral leader himself. I think the problem comes from the potential pastoral leader.
When teenagers and young adults are testing out various career possibilities, and possibly struggling with a sense of call to ministry, they have to deal with the overarching perceptions of how society views various professions. And fields like law, medicine, and business are seen as more valuable or prestigious in the abstract, regardless of whether the community rallies around the individual after the choice is made. For potential pastoral leaders, that front-end perception makes a difference. And so it remains a problem for the church.