Jason Allen gives a thorough attempt at helping others understand what
the calling of God to ministry in one’s life looks like and what it does not.
Allen looks at various angles of discerning the calling, and his main
argument could be interpreted as God calls, affirms, creates, and sustains
a pastor. God gives those He calls the gift of teaching; as Allen writes,
“there is one gift, and only one gift, a pastor must possess. He must be
able to teach.”[1]&One can then imply that the calling begins with a gift of
God to teach. However, not everyone who can teach should teach.
&&&&&&&&&&& One will need the church to affirm one’s calling. Allen writes, “the
church appoints its own leaders. Leaders do not appoint themselves.”[2]&It
is not enough for the individual to have an internal calling that is not
represented by external reality. Allen describes the ultimate affirmation of
the calling when he writes, “the local church is the arbiter…the final
human evaluator of your call.”[3]&Therefore, one requires an external and
internal affirmation.
&&&&&&&&&&& Once affirmed, God utilizes the tools given by the Holy Spirit to
create a vessel through which His Word reaches the nations. To
accomplish this, one must love the Word, and to love the Word, one must
love people, as that is what the Word commands (1 John 4:7). Allen writes,
“Men who hold the office of the ministry should have the heart of a
mother toward the church.”[4]&Loving people, loving the Word, trusting
the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and practice all combine to create the
foundations of a man worthy of the pulpit.
&&&&&&&&&&& To sustain a presence in the pulpit reflective of the God Christian’s
serve, one will need sustaining by God’s grace. While there are certainly
positives to life in the ministry, it will not come without persecutions (Mark
10:29-30). One will need the Holy Spirit to enable them to endure the
trials, struggles, and burdens that come with serving God in a fallen world.
One will need to cultivate the ability to defend the faith from those who
would attempt to undermine or destroy it.[5]&One must also call on the
graces of God to follow Him wherever the calling leads. As Allen writes,
“surrendering to the ministry includes a determination to follow God’s
call&wherever&it may lead.”[6]&This leading may be geographical or to the
more challenging aspects of Scripture in communities or to people that do
not consider God’s Word the authority. One needs to look no farther than
Jonah to understand the consequences of an unsurrendered attitude and
the eventual outcome.[7]&Surrendering to God will provide the joyful
blessings necessary to sustain one on the journey to finish the race He
has set before those He calls to ministry.
&&&&&&&&&&& Allen makes a quality assessment of what the Call of God to the
ministry should entail. His assessment takes on the wide variety of
questions those entering the ministry may have through external and
internal affirmations, the affirmation of the church, and others towards
one’s calling. Allen accurately embraces Scripture such as 1 Peter 5:1-4 to
ground his logic in the Bible and takes head-on some of the challenging
aspects of perhaps having to say no to the call of ministry.[8]&Allen’s
overall assessment of the method by which one confirms one’s calling
appears sound.
&
[1]&Jason K. Allen,&Discerning Your Call to Ministry&(Chicago: Moody
Publishers, 2016).
[2]&Ibid., 75.
[3]&Ibid., 80.
[4]&Ibid., 88.
[5]&Ibid., 118.
[6]&Ibid., 125.
[7]&Ibid.
[8]&Ibid., 86.
Bibliography
Allen, Jason K.Discerning Your Call to Ministry. Chicago: Moody Publishers,
2016.
