Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
by Kevin DeYoung
I've been asked the question many times, and I'm not sure I agree with it. The question often assumes that pastors, unique among all the vocations of the world, will (and sometimes must) have a powerful, divine, subjective call to ministry that overwhelmingly points them in their God-ordained direction. I don't see support for that sort of normative experience in Scripture. But I understand what young men are looking for. They understand that pastoral ministry is weighty work, not to be entered into lightly. So naturally they want to know that their inclinations are not self-serving and their direction is not a fool's errand. They are looking for a few signposts along the way to show them that they're not obviously on the wrong road. That's a commendable impulse. Here are several questions you should ask yourself as you ponder a call to pastoral ministry.
2. Do the Christians who know me best consistently affirm my gifts for ministry?
The most important call is the objective call of your church encouraging you to pursue pastoral ministry.
8. Do I like to read?
Thankfully there is no GPA or SAT requirement for pastoral ministry. And yet, if we are to be "apt to teach" we must be eager to learn. Preaching grows thin and ministry get stale without time in the Book and the books.
9. Have I thought about doing this for more than a few months?
Often when students or adults come to Christ, they quickly assume that because they are zealous for the Lord they ought to go to seminary and prepare for the ministry. This is usually misguided, sometimes because of pride and sometimes due to misplaced zeal. There's a reason the Bible insists that church leaders not be recent converts.
10. Do I still want to be a pastor if I never write a book, never speak at a conference, and never have a big church?
Our passion must be to feed the flock, not feed our egos.