Discerning Your Call to Ministry
Jason Allen wroteDiscerning Your Call to Ministryto facilitate a
discussion on how to process your perceived call to ministry. Allen’s book
worked through ten questions to allow one not only to affirm their calling
to ministry, but to discern whether they should pursue their calling to
ministry. Allen’s viewpoint is not an attempt to force people away from
ministry but to encourage a person to internally reflect and confirm their
call, seek affirmation and counsel, and to pursue their calling with great
fervor and glory to the Lord. As Allen summarized, he believed his book
would help “call out the called.”[1]
Allen’s main argument is that all Christians are called to be
ministers, however not all Christians are called to the ministry of the
Word. His goal is to defer those that are not truly called and encourage
and embolden those that are.[2] Allen supported his argument through a
series of questions to sort the wheat from the chaff within the pastoral
calling. Allen illuminates his argument in one particular area that stuck
out to me. In chapter two, Allen discusses 1 Timothy 3:1-7, which is
arguably the quintessential list of qualifications of a pastor (elder, or
overseer). He referred again to the necessity of wisdom of discernment.
[3] I firmly believe that Allen’s underlying message of the book is that
anyone that believes they have been called to pastoral ministry must
approach cautiously, with wisdom and discernment.
After reading through Allen’s book, I felt that his argument was
stern, pointed, but biblically sound. Allen wrote in a way that whoever
read the book would understand the difference between being a spirit-
filled Christian and being called to be a shepherd of the Lord’s flock. As
you walk through his ten questions, there is no doubt that he vetted his
material meticulously and with reverence for the Scriptures. His chapter
on defending the faith is a glaring proof of this. In chapter 9, “Are You
Ready to Defend the Faith?”, after providing an extremely valid lead into
his topical discussion, he laid verse after verse supporting his position on
defending the faith.[4] Allen presented his material in a way to appeared
to be a biblical reflection on one’s true calling, and a call to use the
Scripture’s to discern one’s true place in ministry.
My call came later in life than many. I first felt God’s call when I
was 32 but did not know what to do with it until I was almost 34. Many of
my friends received their calling as teens, or in their early years of
college. I have one friend who firmly believes they were called to be a
pastor at the age of ten. Much like Allen, I desired ministry but was
unsure of my worthiness nor my ability to serve the Lord.[5] It was a
strong nudge from my pastor at the time that encouraged me to follow my
calling. They saw what God had called me to do and what gifts God had
given me to faithfully honor and serve Him. Through prayer, their
encouragement, and a burning passion, I committed to the call that was
set on my heart and chose to answer His call.
The two pastors that were involved in my life at the time I
started my journey walked with me through the Scriptures to determine if
I was indeed hearing the right message and was properly gifted. I
remember sitting with them walking verse by verse through 1 Timothy 3
and Titus 1 and being grilled about every little part of my life. There were
several deep discussions into some of the dark areas of my past and sins
that I committed. Ultimately, they believed what I felt in my heart, which
was that I was called to be a pastor.
Some areas of a calling are black or white. Those would be
subjective areas. You either meet the criteria or you do not. The
qualifications for ministry in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 would be the
high bar that one would need to meet, God’s standards.[6] Being a
married man and mature Christian checked off several boxes. The
pastoral office must be held by a man.[7]
Some of the qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus are objective.
What does “above reproach” truly mean? During the discussions I had
when discerning my calling, the question was not “am I perfect” but “do
others see Christ in me?” Allen goes into details in his description of
“above reproach” to include self-discipline, prudent and respectable.[8] In
my opinion, the review that my mentors did at that time with their view
and Allen’s view result in the same conclusions.
Ultimately, my call to ministry has proven to be the call I was
confident God had placed upon me. Throughout my seven years of
undergrad and graduate studies in theology and ministry, I have gained
further confidence that I am fulfilling God’s will. Over those years, there
were times where I sat back and questioned whether I was truly following
the right path. I went through seasons where I questioned my path and
whether this was what God wanted for me and my family. I believe it is
good to question your call to ministry. When you question your call, you
must take the time pray and meditate on His guidance and spend time in
His Word to gain clarity. Only God knows your complete path. I know
many pastors who reached a point in their lives where they questioned
their call and they found that they no longer were called to be pastors.
Some could argue they were never truly called. In a few cases, I believe
that. The others retired after serving faithfully for most of their lives and
felt God called them out of the pulpit and into a role of mentors and role
models for the next generation of pastors.
Bibliography
Allen, Jason K.Discerning Your Call to Ministry. Chicago, IL: Moody
Publishers, 2016.
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[1]Jason K. Allen,Discerning Your Call to Ministry(Chicago, IL: Moody
Publishers, 2016)., 12.
[2]Ibid., 23.
[3]Ibid., 38.
[4]Ibid., 118-119.
[5]Ibid., 14.
[6]Ibid., 35.
[7]Ibid., 36-37.
[8]Ibid., 39-40.
