Ministers spend long hours working under a variety of conditions. There is no such thing as a standard workweek. They are very likely to have a set schedule of services, classes, and meetings, but ministers are on call at all times. They are called upon to visit the sick and the dying and to minister to the grieving at all hours. Protestant ministers may also be needed to fill in for colleagues who are away or otherwise unavailable by conducting services and meeting the pastoral needs of their colleagues' congregations.
Ministers in the mainstream Protestant denominations are well provided for—they usually have an office in the church building and a residence nearby. Such centrally located facilities make it easier to discharge their duties. It is the ministers' personal responsibility, however, to ensure that they strike the proper balance between work and family life.