Articulating a Call to Ministry

[LeeJUk]

Hi all,

Well recently I had the results of my interview for the ministry in the church of Scotland but one of the problems was that they felt I didn't articulate my call to the ministry that well. (This is not a final interview, this is just an initial interview to see where I should develop over next few months).

I find it difficult to know what to say when asked to describe my calling because it's such a subjective thing.

So my question is what should you include in your description of your call to ministry(full time pastoral ministry in my case)?

I don't want it just to be a sort of recounting of history like this is when I felt called, this is when I applied to church so on and so on.

Please be as detailed as you like.

 

[Whitefield]

Yes, a call to ministry is a very subjective thing. Sometimes I think it would have been easier for me if God had just erected an objective billboard outside my home that told every one passing by that he had called me into the ministry. I suspect the committee interviewing you wants very much to hear the subjective side of your call. They probably want to hear your testimony of what you felt/feel and the internal struggles this has placed in your life.

 

[Pergamum]

Tell them that you heard an audible voice..that ought to wow them over!

 

[Wannabee]

Here's one man's musings on this. Obviously it's not comprehensive. But perhaps these thoughts will help. I can't tell you what they're looking for. But I can tell you that too many men are basing their "calling" on a feeling first, even when the evidence is contrary. We all want a "Damascus Road experience." But God has given us all we need to know whether we are called or not.

Desire is a key. Most of us, unless our pride gets the better of us and we fail to see the high calling of the pastoral role, don't really aspire to it right away. There should be a healthy fear of assuming the position. As one grows he becomes more systematic in his understanding of Scripture and learns to apply it to his life more and more, day by day. This results in a desire to help others grow in godliness and eventually leads him to aspire to the work of an overseer. Sometimes (often) God is doing this without the man realizing it. He's just serving, loving the church and growing.

This growth in godliness should be evident. Others should note it in you. Others should comment on it, seek your advice and ask for your help in ministry. This recognition is key to "calling." All too often men "aspire" to the ministry with pride in the face of churches who are not recognizing such a calling in their lives. The qualifications are about character first. If godly character is not evident then pursuit of the pastoral office is an imposition. All too often a man is ordained based on his knowledge rather than his character.

Personal piety should be assessed with as much humility as possible. None of us is perfect. But we all know if/when we're truly striving for greater godliness and walking with the Lord. Is this a life pattern or something that's abstract?

Obviously he must be able to articulate the truths of God's Word in a manner that is understanding to those who hear him. Too many of us become so enamored with our great learning that we somehow think we need to show what great erudites we are from the pulpit. The result is making the simplicity of Scripture hard to understand and the depth of Scripture seem unreachable to our hearers. Such a preacher gets in the way of the growth of his people rather than promoting it.

Do you see the pastoral role as a career choice? This question surprises many men. Our churches today have bought into the culture that sees a degree as the overriding credential for pastoral qualification, just like any other "job." But the simple fact is, we all could do something else. I know I could make more at another vocation. But too many men are hirelings, seeing the church as a means to advance their career. Such men see small churches as stepping stones to a "promotion" within the "organization." This is sinful. There are no "promotions" in ministry. We may move in our ministries as God changes us, teaches us and equips us for other work. We might see how our knowledge and experience might be of more value elsewhere. But this should never be apart from the ministry of our church. They should be a part of it. But our movement should always be in recognition that we are undershepherds to the great Shepherd and men of unclean lips just as our people have unclean lips. It's a stewardship, not a right. It's a privilege.

The evidence of these things in the life of one called to the ministry must be tangible. Merely understanding these facts is not enough. It's a good start. But these things must be evident in the life of a man called to minister the Word to God's people. Otherwise his calling is no more real than the pregnancy of a woman who merely has indigestion, based all on feelings but lacking facts.

All of these must allow for the fact that we are sinful. We slip from where we want to be. God humbles us by showing us our dependence upon Him when perhaps we might think something of ourselves. This makes the man of God more compassionate toward sinners struggling with sin rather than judging and condemning, usurping the prerogative of God. Such a man weeps with those who weep and rejoices with the joyful. May we be such men.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Here's what I'd do.

1. Talk about your subjective sense of call. Tell them what makes you believe you've been called, why you think you've been called, your passion for ministry, giftedness, etc.
2. Then move into how your personal sense of call has been confirmed by your local church. (Assuming your local church has given such confirmation.)

If you can explain these two things, then the larger denominational assembly should recognize it without much problem.

 

[Jack K]

It's helpful to be able to confirm the call you feel by pointing to objective, outward evidence. Are you already doing ministry-type work for your church? If so, does God appear to be blessing those efforts? Do others concur with that assessment? Has your call made you more eager to care for other people? Can you point to specific occasions recently where this increased caring has been evident? Would others agree that you care for them well? Is there objective evidence that you have an aptitude for understanding God's truth and use that understanding for the benefit of the church, helping others in their Christian life?

If you can answer "yes" to these questions, and have a few examples or stories to tell that show why you say "yes," I'd say you're well on your way to articulating your call. Personal stories are often the best way to articulate personal feelings and God-given passions.

 

[PuritanZealot]

Again I must recommend William Huntingtons "Letters on Ministerial Qualifications" which you can obtain from the Gospel Standard Trust (linked) or the Huntingtonian Press.
I can't recommend the mans ideas and burden for true calling in ministerial qualification. I wouldn't try and work out how to articulate your calling, I would deeply study how and why you were called. If a minister is truly called by grace there should be something deeply effectual going on in him, others should see it, others should be exercised by it in prayer. Every office within the Church is a calling of God, by Christ through the Holy Spirit so the one called to office should be deeply burdened about it.
I was convinced I was being called to the ministry for years, until I very recently studied my inmost thoughts about WHY and HOW and discovered to my horror that the root behind all my 'calling' had been my own self importance, self righteousness, arrogance and pharisaical 'decision'.
I would spend a long, long time in prayer and ask God to show you how you've been called, and if the judgements of others as to whether you truly have been called affect you, just leave your training and serve under another denomination that do recognise your calling.

 

[R. Scott Clark]

It might be that those conducting the examination for the CoS are operating with premises that need to be questioned. You might talk to the Rev David Strain, PCA pastor in Columbus, Miss. about the likelihood of confessionally faithful ministry in the CoS.

Here are some considerations about the pastoral call.

 

[Pergamum]

Again I must recommend William Huntingtons "Letters on Ministerial Qualifications" which you can obtain from the Gospel Standard Trust (linked) or the Huntingtonian Press.
I can't recommend the mans ideas and burden for true calling in ministerial qualification. I wouldn't try and work out how to articulate your calling, I would deeply study how and why you were called. If a minister is truly called by grace there should be something deeply effectual going on in him, others should see it, others should be exercised by it in prayer. Every office within the Church is a calling of God, by Christ through the Holy Spirit so the one called to office should be deeply burdened about it.
I was convinced I was being called to the ministry for years, until I very recently studied my inmost thoughts about WHY and HOW and discovered to my horror that the root behind all my 'calling' had been my own self importance, self righteousness, arrogance and pharisaical 'decision'.
I would spend a long, long time in prayer and ask God to show you how you've been called, and if the judgements of others as to whether you truly have been called affect you, just leave your training and serve under another denomination that do recognise your calling.

Please don't read anything by William Huntington.

 

[PuritanZealot]

Please don't read anything by William Huntington.

Why not? The man preached Christ alone and grace alone, no ornamentation, just a simple true Gospel of the Bible. He was an uneducated coal heaver and was used by God to confound the educated and preach the Gospel to hell bound poverty stricken sinners. The Coal Heavers Confession is a marvel of simple grace.

 

[Pergamum]

Please don't read anything by William Huntington.

Why not? The man preached Christ alone and grace alone, no ornamentation, just a simple true Gospel of the Bible. He was an uneducated coal heaver and was used by God to confound the educated and preach the Gospel to hell bound poverty stricken sinners. The Coal Heavers Confession is a marvel of simple grace.

Huntington had hyper-calvinistic traits such as the denial of duty-faith.

 

[PuritanZealot]

I do deny duty faith -

ARTICLE 26 - Gospel Standard Articles of Faith
DUTY FAITH AND DUTY REPENTANCE DENIED
We deny duty faith and duty repentance – these terms
signifying that it is every man’s duty to spiritually and
savingly repent and believe1. We deny also that there is any
capability in man by nature to any spiritual good whatever. So
that we reject the doctrine that men in a state of nature should
be exhorted to believe in or turn to God2.
Scripture references:
1 Gen. 6. 5; Gen. 8. 21; Matt. 15. 19; Jer. 17. 9;
John 6. 44, 65.
2 John 12. 39, 40; Eph. 2. 8; Rom. 8. 7, 8; 1 Cor. 4. 7.

I don't regard the above as hyper-calvinist, and I regard the term hyper-calvinist as offensive and derogatory. But then that's a subject for an entirely different thread.

 

[Pergamum]

Craig,

yes, this does deserve another thread so that you may see the errors of your ways and repent.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent

 

[JM]

Pergamum/Zealot, I need some help understanding the problem.

The 1689 clearly states that saving repentance is an evangelical grace given by God. The Bible tells us that all are to repent. Could we not deny that it is the duty of all men to repent savingly and maintain that all are to repent in some sense...perhaps legally?

Rev. Winzer explained it a few years ago, the difference between legal and saving repentance, I'll see if I still have it saved somewhere.

Thanks.

jm

 

[JonathanHunt]

You're going off topic, friend!! Let's not derail our brother's thread. I have zero sympathy with Craig's position, but I wouldn't discuss it here!

 

[JM]

Apologies.