Politics are a daily reality in the ministry. In order to identify how pastors develop their political knowledge, eleven pastors were interviewed using a qualitative form of the critical incidents technique. Analysis of the interviews revealed that formal education was seen as helpful, but limited in practical application for daily ministry. Four ways of learning through practice were identified: reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action, mentors and models, and negative experiences. The developmental nature of learning was recognized in that pastors learn over the entire course of their ministry and every new experience provides an opportunity for growth. (Contains 1 table.)