Dr. Allen proposes a biblical method to evaluate whether a person is receiving
God’s call to ministry. The foundation for the evaluation is 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Within
this biblical passage are ten questions to answer to discern a person’s calling to
ministry. Dr. Allen begins by defining what is meant by calling. He states, “Martin
Luther and the other Reformers reasserted the biblical concept of vocation, which
holds that God calls and gifts every person for an occupation. Calling is not
limited to the ministry; it reaches into every arena of life.”[1] He breaks down
“calling” into three areas: call to minister, called to ministry, and called to the
ministry. The differences are that all Christians are called to minister. The meeting
of 1 Timothy 3 qualifications or ordination is not necessary for a call to ministry,
and called to the ministry is the adherence to all the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3.
All three areas are essential in God’s church. Dr. Allen writes, “Whether you are
called to minister, called to ministry, or called to the ministry, your service matters.
Every Christian has a holy duty to do his or her work as unto the Lord.”[2] The
book is concerned with the third area of calling, and Dr. Allen provides an
unbiased assessment of a calling to the ministry in the context of 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
The apostle Paul provides qualifications in the biblical passage that gauges the
obedience, character, and sacrifice necessary for a Pastor, and these
qualifications are the sections in Dr. Allen’s book. Each qualification is explained
according to the biblical context, related to Dr. Allen’s experience, and ends with
relation to the reader’s calling experience.
c c c c c c c c c c My experience involved some of the same qualities as with Dr. Allen’s. I
remember having some of the same types of questions posed by Dr. Allen. Was
this an enthusiasm for Christ, was this just a phase in my life, and how is God’s
calling issued?[3] Like Dr. Allen, it required me to study the Scriptures and seek
many consultations with the pastor of my home church. It took time, nearly three
years before I became obedient and fully committed myself to God’s calling.
However, the circumstances leading to the calling and what I was being called to
are starkly different from Dr. Allen’s. I committed myself to Christ when I was
seven years old. Upon joining the Navy after high school, I lived my life according
to the way I wanted. It was not until a near-death experience that I focused my life
dependent upon God. It was then that I felt His calling. However, I was not sure if
it was a zeal for Christ or a phase of life. Therefore, I did not rush into
commitment but took time to absorb and understand the calling. Also, I knew that
my calling was not to the ministry but ministry. I do not meet some of the
qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and I was okay with that because I felt that my
calling was to teach and prepare the future generations of pastors and teachers.
Therefore, I can understand and appreciate the direction of Dr. Allen’s book even
though it does not deal directly with people responding to a call to ministry.
c c c c c c c c c c In his discussion about Christ’s incarnation and historical investigation,
Daniel Wallace writes, “I believe it is disrespectful to our Lord not to ask the Bible
the tough questions that every thinking non-Christian is already asking it. The
result of this incarnational approach is that we will no longer be afraid to wrestle
hard with the text, and we will no longer be afraid to go where the evidence
leads.”[4] Understandably, Daniel Wallace is talking about New Testament textual
criticism; however, I feel that his statement can apply to questioning God’s call.
Ultimately, answering God’s calling is “surrendering to ministry [and] not caving to
an unwanted vocation; it is embracing what becomes increasingly irresistible:
gospel ministry.”[5] I want to distinguish that resisting God’s calling and
questioning God’s calling is not the same. Dr. Allen discusses Jonah’s resisting
God’s call to proclaim to the Ninevites. Jonah initially disobeys God because he
did not want to see the Ninevites, Israel’s enemy, repent and escape judgment. Dr.
Allen states, “God’s ministers are not spiritual free agents. We are not
ecclesiastical entrepreneurs who strike out on our own and minister in accordance
with our own desires.”[6] However, questioning God’s calling, in my experience,
drew me closer to the Scriptures, God Himself, and to the church. Questioning
caused me to perform a severe reflection upon my life and how I can be of
service. My surrender to ministry was not an overnight decision; it took time.
Before surrendering, the calling got more substantial and the pathway clearer.
Now, obedience to God’s calling is the driving force in my life. The questions of
how, what, why, and when have been divinely answered. The question of where is
awaiting God’s response.
Bibliography
Allen, Jason K. Discerning Your Call to Ministry: How to Know for Sure and What to
Do About It. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016.
Wallace, Daniel B. “Challenges in New Testament Textual Criticism for the Twenty-
First Century.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 52, no. 1 (March 2009):
79-100. https://search.ebscohost.com/.
[1] Jason Allen, Discerning Your Call to Ministry (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016),
19.
[2] Ibid., 22.
[3] Jason Allen, Discerning Your Call to Ministry (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016),
14.
[4] Daniel B. Wallace, “Challenges in New Testament Textual Criticism for the
Twenty-First Century,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 52, no. 1
(March 2009): 95, https://search.ebscohost.com/.
[5] Jason Allen, Discerning Your Call to Ministry (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016),
124.
[6] Ibid., 128.
