How is life as a minister different than life as a practicing Buddhist?
As Shin Buddhists, there is not much difference between being a minister or lay person. The professional aspects of being a Resident Kaikyoshi (Minister), of course, have added responsibilities and duties to serve the members of the temple. But the core of appreciating the Buddha-Dharma is very much the same.
More recently, I have really come to appreciate the unique teachings of Shin Buddhism that allows “ordinary people” to discover Awakening. There is not a separation between monks and ordinary people since we are all fellow travelers.