Considering the call to pastor is a weighty matter. It should not be done superficially or individualistically.
In our society, where desires, feelings, and self-impressions are authoritative, it is tempting to anchor the call to ministry primarily in our self-assessment. Christians want to point to some “spiritual” experience, perhaps invoking the precedent of Paul’s apostolic calling (Gal. 1:1, 16–17). But is this prudent?
The calling into the apostolic office was unique to the apostles and not prescriptive for subsequent generations of ministry calling.[1] Furthermore, the New Testament presents evidence of corporate responsibility in affirming one’s call to ministry. Thus, my aim here is to persuade you to place greater weight on the evaluation of others than your own.
Why Listen to Others More Than to Yourself?
While the desire to serve as a pastor is good (1 Tim. 3:5), it is not sufficient ground, all by itself, to validate God’s call upon someone for at least two reasons.
First, a church must assess and confirm a man’s qualification before installing him in the pastoral office (1 Tim. 3:1–7, Titus 1:5–9). Clearly implied is that someone’s call to ministry must be assessed and confirmed by others. Paul even cautions Timothy not to be “hasty in the laying
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
