The Call to be a pastor is a personal relationship with God where you must have heard from Him. You can't be a pastor without hearing from God! I need to drum this harder: you can't be a pastor without God telling you at first instance or over a period of time that He wants you to do His work. God in His magnificent glory must give you the "Job Description". God must call and if He hasn't, then you are not a pastor! Now, I can hear a few of my readers asking the next vital question "does that mean you have to go to a theological school?" Capital Yes! You sure need some form of formal training after The Call. Why do people then say, When God calls, He equips? Yes, He does. God only grant the grace to fulfil the calling, the education is your part to play. Will God force you to read the bible? Will He force you to study the bible and understand the content? God only provide the ability and enabling grace to dig deep into His word, He wouldn't force you to read His word. So, some sort of education in theology is important and in the course of this education, they as a matter of fact, teach church administration which is very important. Have you been really called by God to be a pastor? Do an introspective check! Search yourself very well! Bible references for further study 2Peter 2:1-3; 1Timothy 4:1-2; Jude 1
Why would God want you to a Pastor?
God's will must be central in this call or the "called" will loose focus from day one. (see Romans 12:1-2; Psalms 119:168; 143:8). I have heard people say "God called me" and pronto! They become pastors. (All I am going to write in these series are either experiences and/or what I have seen and I promise you not to add for personal benefits). Hard question: How did God call you? God's words are there to feed us and we must as a matter of fact run to it for better clarification. Jesus Christ initiated the call of His disciples. He called them forth! I have come to understand that the call of Jesus Christ should be a "Follow me" drama and not "I want to follow Jesus to be a pastor". I repeat with all iota of strength in me that God must call you. (See Mathew 4:18-22). When Jesus Christ called the fishermen, He told them "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men". What's the meaning of that very popular phrase by Jesus? Hear it loud and clear "Follow me and I will use your gifting as fishermen to catch men into God's kingdom!"I write boldly that God uses our personal gifts in the call to be pastors. God must have seen something just as Jesus Christ did when He saw the fishermen.
The gifts we have as believers should never be interpreted as the calling of God to serve in the position of a pastor. I have seen so many people rush into pastoral jobs because they have taught bible study and Sunday school classes. Error! The fact that you can teach with flawless eloquence at bible study class does not make you a pastor. Lets not waste time on this. I have also seen so many Personal Assistants to pastors "ordained" as pastors because they have "served meritoriously" the church and the Senior Pastors and as such must be"compensated". Sometimes, we find our ourselves on the front burner of church administration by virtue of opportunities to serve God. That's good, there's no crime in serving God at church, be it as Personal Assistant, Church Secretary, Sunday School leader, Protocol Officer, Youth leader, Mens Leader, Chief Usher, Et al but the danger is the "pushing forward" we get from the senior Pastors to recommend to be ordained as pastors without God actually calling us!
As I bring this first part to a close, I refer to Paul, admonishing Timothy in 1Timothy 3:1 "If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task". A very noble task that mustn't be taken for granted. A noble task with an intense and all absorbing desire for the work of God in the office of a pastor. I must quickly add that there is also a sense of compulsion! Those whom God has indeed called have a sense of purpose and commitment. You can't miss these pointers! I ask again, did God call you? Did God really call you to be a pastor?
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