Contents
Call to Pastoral Ministry ………………………………………………………………………. 1
Qualifications for Pastoral Ministry ………………………………………………………….. 3
Above Reproach …………………………………………………………………………. 3
The Husband of One Wife ………………………………………………………………. 3
Sober-Minded …………………………………………………………………………… 4
Self-Controlled …………………………………………………………………………... 4
Respectable ……………………………………………………………………………… 4
Hospitable ……………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Able to Teach ……………………………………………………………………………. 4
Not A Drunkard …………………………………………………………………………. 4
Not Violent But Gentle ………………………………………………………………….. 5
Not Quarrelsome ………………………………………………………………………… 5
Not A Lover of Money ………………………………………………………………….. 5
Managing His Household Well ………………………………………………………….. 5
Not A Recent Convert …………………………………………………………………… 5
Well Thought of By Outsiders …………………………………………………………... 5
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………………. 7
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1
Call to Pastoral Ministry
When I think back on my call to pastoral ministry I am also reminded of my story of
coming to faith as well. Right around my fifteenth birthday I was kicked out of my youth group,
and all for good reason. My middle school and early high school years were filled with turmoil,
abuse, anger, rebellion, and pride. As a freshman in high school, I was a danger to the other
students around me in my church’s high school youth group, and so my youth pastor made the
very difficult decision one night to sit me down and tell me that I could no longer attend the
group. With tears in his eyes, he explained to me how loved I was and how much potential I had,
but also how I was throwing that all away. As I sat and listened to him, I knew that what he was
saying was true. That night, I admitted that I was wrong in what I was believing and how I was
living, but I was not ready to be “right” yet either. About a month later, I attended a summer
camp where God met me in some powerful ways, and I fully surrendered my life to Jesus for the
first time. That following winter I was baptized, and a month after that I went on a winter retreat
with that same youth group that I had been kicked out of for all of one night the previous year.
During one of our sessions, my youth pastor got up, made brief eye contact with me, and then
with tears in his said, “This is my job.” I knew from that moment that I wanted to be used by
God to help others in the same way that God used my youth pastor to make a dramatic difference
in my life. However, this was only the beginning of my call to ministry. What followed was
growth in each of the four areas of calling laid out by John MacArthur in his book Pastoral
Ministry: How To Shepherd Biblically, confirmation, abilities, longing, and integrity.1
I believe that confirmation certainly came from God in the form of a deep inner-peace
about my desire to be in ministry, but I also believe that he confirmed this calling through people
1 John F. MacArthur Jr., Pastoral Ministry: How To Shepherd Biblically (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 2005), 81.
2
as well. As I began to explore the idea of vocational ministry, what kind of education and
experiences it would require, what kind of skills I would need to develop, and what difficulties I
would face, I began to have leaders and mentors in my life walk alongside me who could see
certain giftings and passions bubbling up inside of me that I could not even yet see. These godly
men and women called these things out in me and challenged me to continue to grow and learn
so that one day I could be the best leader that I was capable of being. This of course leads into
the idea of abilities when it comes to calling. Although I do believe that we all have unique
strengths and weaknesses that we bring to the table as people, I feel that I genuinely have some
natural abilities for full time ministry. Two of my greatest strengths, among my many
weaknesses, are the ability to teach and preach, and a passion for personal discipleship and
counseling. Already in my ministry, by God’s grace, these skillsets have allowed me to serve my
church community in an impactful capacity.
As far as growing and maintaining a longing to be in ministry, I can safely say I feel
incredibly confident here. All throughout high school and college, even when presented with
several very lucrative job offers in other fields, I knew that God was calling me into vocational
ministry and that there was nothing else that I wanted to do. Now, having been a pastor for
several years and in some difficult environments, I still cannot imagine doing anything else. This
brings me to MacArthur’s fourth area of calling, a life of integrity. Coming out of an extremely
dark place at a very young age as a non-believer, this has probably been the greatest area of
growth for me when it comes to my calling. Right away, upon surrendering my life to Christ, I
quit many of the dangerous and sinful behaviors that were hurting myself and others, but being
transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit is not something that happens all at once. While I
would say that my life now is generally one of high integrity, I am still in process, as we all are.
3
Qualifications for Pastoral Ministry
1 Timothy 3:1-7 states, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of
overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of
one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard,
not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own
household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know
how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent
convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a
snare of the devil.” (English Standard Version). In the following sections, I will address each of
these qualifications as they pertain to my own life.
Above Reproach
To consider not only this qualification, but many on this list, one must recognize that no
imperfect and broken human is ever totally qualified to be an overseer of God’s people. While
one might generally demonstrate some or all of these qualities, they will do so with gaps and
brokenness mixed in. That said, I believe that, as a whole, my life reflects one that is “above
reproach” in that I have no significant part of my life that is generally unsubmitted to the Lord.
While I certainly believe that I can continue to grow in this area, I am thankful for how I have
grown so far in conquering sin in my life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Husband of One Wife
This one is nailed down, and I actively seek to protect my marriage.
Sober-Minded
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I consider this qualification to be more than just not getting drunk, but not allowing other
things to control your mind. I would say this is an area of constant growth for me as I seek to
give more and more control of my thoughts to the Lord, but as a whole I feel I am moving
forward here.
Self-Controlled
This is an area of particular struggle for me as I tend to wrestle with discipline. While I
would say I am very self-controlled in many of the more serious ways, I can lack in this area
when it comes to things that I consider less important like my diet.
Respectable
While there was a time where I would have been known to lack dramatically in this area,
I believe that I have grown here in my character and perception, and now find this to be an area
of some strength.
Hospitable
This might be one of the easiest “yes’s” on this list, apart from husband of one wife. Both
my wife and I love to host people and build community, and I believe that it is becoming
something that we are known for.
Able to Teach
On a practical level, this might be my area of greatest strength in ministry. There is no
“task” that I find more joy in and have been more affirmed about.
Not A Drunkard
This is a qualification that I take very seriously as someone who does enjoy alcoholic
beverages in moderation. I even have rules for myself about how and when I will partake.
Not Violent But Gentle
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I am not a violent person by any means, unless I have to be. Violence is reserved for
when I or someone else is under threat.
Not Quarrelsome
While I am not afraid of disagreement, and even confrontation when necessary, I
absolutely hate quarrelling and pointless arguing. Humility is one of the cornerstones of
Christlike character, and one that I am seeking to embody more and more.
Not A Lover of Money
Although I do not consider myself a “lover” of money, there are times where I can
become a bit concerned with making sure that my family is taken care of and provided for. This
is something that I am continually working to give to the Lord and grow in my trust of him. He
has always been faithful, and I know he will continue to be.
Managing His Household Well
My wife and I do not have children yet, but we are working hard to prepare ourselves to
be godly parents who lead our family well, and will make this a significant priority in our lives.
Not A Recent Convert
As of this year, I have been a believer for eleven years, so I would not consider myself a
recent convert.
Well Thought of By Outsiders
For all intents and purposes, I do believe that I am well thought of by outsiders. There
will always be those who hate you because of what you believe as a Christian, but even with
many non-believers I know I have a decent rapport. I see this as a significant part of representing
Jesus well to those that do not yet know him.
Conclusion
6
I am thankful to report that writing this assignment gave me an even deeper peace about
my calling to vocational ministry. In no way do I consider myself a perfect pastor, or even a
great one yet if I am honest, but I do see clear evidence of God’s calling on my life, as well as
growth along the way. By surrounding myself with other Godly men, pastors and elders who can
take this journey with me, I hope to continue to develop not only my competencies and capacity
as a spiritual leader, but my character as well. I trust that God can truly do anything with me and
my ministry that he wants to, but I believe that he will only put me in positions that my character
is ready for. Sure, I could try to weasel my way into “bigger” positions of leadership before I am
actually ready, but as we are seeing in much of the Christian world right now, that only ever
leads to disaster. It is my hope to be the kind of pastor that lets his character shape his career path
more that how well he can charm a room. I know that God will honor this as I continue to trust in
him.
