Am I Called?

1. The Call Begins with God's Initiative, Not Yours.

If the Caller’s initiative is everything, then we must preoccupy ourselves with the Ultimate Caller.

God is the source. The call to pastoral ministry doesn't start with your desires, abilities, or resume; it starts with God. Just as our call to salvation originates entirely with His grace and initiative, so too does any subsequent call to serve Him in leadership. Understanding this keeps God, not ourselves, at the center.

Called to salvation first. Before any specific ministry call, every Christian is called to salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. This "effective call" brings us into fellowship with God and is the foundation for all other callings. It's only because our primary call to Christ is secured by the cross that we can even explore a ministry call.

Gospel provides identity. The gospel ensures our identity is rooted in Christ, not in what we do or might do in ministry. It reminds us that we are inadequate, but God uses human inability to display His glory. This perspective sets our priorities, ensuring our relationship with God remains primary and that we value the gospel above all else.

2. The Call to Ministry is Fundamentally a Call to the Local Church.

The local church is the essential context for pastoral ministry.

Ministry happens here. Biblical pastoral ministry is intrinsically linked to the local church. Passages like 1 Peter 5:2 and Acts 20:28 call pastors to shepherd the flock among them. This means if you feel called to be a pastor, you are called to serve within a specific, biblically defined local church.

Training ground is the church. While formal education like seminary is valuable, the local church is the primary place where men should be identified, evaluated, and trained for ministry. Character, gifting, and practical skills are best cultivated and assessed within the community of believers you aspire to serve. Separating training from the church risks creating "professionals" detached from the people.

Love the church. A man called to pastoral ministry must possess a deep, abiding love for the local church, being willing "to spend and be spent" for its sake, as Richard Baxter put it. This isn't a career path for personal advancement, but a commitment to give your life away for God's people. Your present involvement and commitment to a local church are key indicators of this love.

3. Godly Character is the Primary Qualification for Pastoral Ministry.

God’s work in a man demonstrates God’s call of a man.

More than skills. While ability to teach is the only specific skill listed, the overwhelming majority of qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 relate to character. These aren't standards for super-Christians, but qualities commanded of all believers, evident in a pastor to a high degree.

Grace produces godliness. These character traits are not goals to be achieved after entering ministry, but evidence of God's prior grace already at work in a man's life. Identifying a called man involves discovering this deposit of empowering grace that produces a godly life. Appointing immature men hoping they'll grow into the standards is dangerous.

Above reproach. The overarching qualification is being "above reproach," meaning a pattern of life that commends the gospel. This protects the integrity of the preaching office and the church. Character qualifications also protect the pastor from temptations like pride and selfish ambition, ensuring he can absorb the costs of ministry and remain humble.

4. Your Home Life is the Proving Ground for Church Leadership.

For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church？

Home reveals the man. Scripture explicitly links a man's ability to lead the church to his ability to manage his own household well (1 Tim 3:4-5, Titus 1:6). The home is the hardest place to live the Christian life and offers the most unfiltered view of a man's true character and leadership capacity.

Leadership starts here. The home serves as a laboratory where a man's skill in applying the gospel to others' lives is tested. If he cannot effectively minister the gospel to his wife and children, he is not equipped to care for God's church. His family's well-being and respect for him are vital signs.

Exemplary marriage and family. Qualifications like being the "husband of one wife" (a "one-woman man") and having submissive children who are not rebellious indicate that a pastor's home should exemplify Christian life. While not perfect, his marriage should picture Christ and the church, and his parenting should cultivate respect and obedience, testifying to his diligence and ability to apply the gospel.

5. The Ability to Preach and Teach God's Word is Essential.

Gentlemen,” said Charles Spurgeon, “if you cannot preach, God did not call you to preach.”

The non-negotiable skill. While character is paramount, the ability to teach is the only specific skill listed among elder qualifications (1 Tim 3:2, Titus 1:9). Paul's final charge to Timothy is emphatic: "preach the word" (2 Tim 4:1-2). This public proclamation is central to feeding God's sheep.

Preaching protects the flock. Effective preaching of sound doctrine is God's primary means to save, sanctify, and strengthen the church. Pastors protect people from false teaching and gospel drift by clearly proclaiming and preserving the truth, ensuring the gospel remains central and is applied to all of life.

Preachers are made. Becoming an effective preacher requires diligent study ("rightly handling the word of truth" - 2 Tim 2:15), readiness to suffer (as God uses trials to shape a more comforting voice), and constant vigilance over one's life and teaching (1 Tim 4:16). It's a process of God fashioning the man into a herald of His Word.

6. Shepherding God's Flock Requires Both Care and Leadership.

The fundamental responsibility of church leaders,” says Tim Witmer, “is to shepherd God’s flock.”

More than just preaching. While preaching is vital, the pastor's role is comprehensively described as shepherding (1 Pet 5:1-4). This involves vigilant care, feeding the flock with God's Word, protecting them from dangers, and actively overseeing their welfare with willingness and eagerness, not compulsion or greed.

Leadership is shepherding. Shepherding inherently involves leadership ("exercising oversight"). This is a gift given by God (Rom 12:6-8) that enables a man to guide, organize, and mobilize God's people. Effective shepherd-leaders can set direction through preaching, inspire others to follow, solve problems, cast vision, bring order, and empower others for ministry.

Team ministry is biblical. New Testament churches ideally had a plurality of elders (1 Pet 5:1, Acts 13:2). Shepherding is best done as a team, providing mutual support, diverse gifts, collective wisdom, protection against domination, and shared burden. Ministry isolation is dangerous and often leads to burnout or failure; God intends leaders to serve in community.

7. A Genuine Call Includes a Heart for the Lost.

I would rather be the means of saving a soul from death than be the greatest orator on earth.”

Do the work. Paul's charge to Timothy includes "do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim 4:5). A call to pastoral ministry is not just a call to minister to the saved, but also to labor among the lost. This requires action, not just affirmation or strategizing.

Evangelism is a priority. Doing the work of evangelism means making it a priority in your life and ministry. It pushes pastors out of the comfortable confines of the church and into circulation in the world, cultivating relationships with unbelievers and seeing needs through gospel lenses.

Herald the gospel. The "work of an evangelist" is specifically about being a "bringer of good tidings," a herald of the gospel message. This involves preaching evangelistically (making the gospel clear and compelling to unbelievers in the congregation) and living as if you are always one conversation away from a life-changing encounter, overcoming fear to share the good news.

8. Your Call Must Be Confirmed by Others, Especially Church Leaders.

The external call is a commission received from and recognized by the Church, according to the sacred and primitive order; not indeed qualifying the Minister, but accrediting him, whom God had internally and suitably qualified.

A threefold cord. A genuine call to ministry is typically confirmed by three entwined cords: the internal sense of calling, the process of preparation, and external confirmation by others. The subjective internal call must be objectively validated by the community.

Confirmation by leaders. The primary source of external confirmation comes from qualified church leaders (elders/pastors). Like the leaders in Antioch setting apart Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2), those in authority are responsible for testing and affirming a man's suitability based on biblical qualifications. This is not self-appointment but a holy setting apart.

Confirmation by the church. The wider church community also plays a role in confirmation. Qualities like being "above reproach," "respectable," "gentle," and "hospitable" are observable by the congregation and outsiders. Their perspective helps validate whether a man's life commends the gospel and positions him to be seen as their pastor. This process protects both the man and the church from unqualified leaders.

9. Preparation is a Necessary and God-Ordained Part of the Calling Process.

The greatest and hardest preparation,” says Bridges, “is within.”

More than waiting. A strong desire for ministry without an immediate open door is not a sign of God withholding, but a mandate to prepare. Preparation is not just killing time; it's God's work in shaping your soul, life, and mind for the rigors of ministry. The most crucial preparation happens internally.

Start now. Don't wait for a formal position to begin preparing. Be honest about your desires with your pastor, pray consistently about your calling, and start serving wherever needed, even in obscurity. Pursue counsel, study diligently, mature in character, get your finances in order, and ensure your wife is onboard if married.

Qualify yourself. While waiting for an opening, focus on qualifying yourself for larger spheres of service. Develop employable skills outside of ministry to avoid financial dependence. Patiently persevere, trusting that God is using this season to work in you before working through you, even if the path feels slow or unclear.

10. Waiting in Faith is Crucial for God to Shape and Position You.

God uses the passing of months and years to test a man and to sanctify him.

Time is God's tool. Biblical examples show that God often includes significant periods of waiting between a man's call and its full realization (Abraham, Moses, David, Paul). This time is not wasted; God uses it to test, sanctify, and work the necessary qualifications into a man's life.

Trials in waiting. The waiting itself is a trial, often accompanied by other life difficulties. For a called man, these trials serve a dual purpose: sanctifying him as a believer and preparing him as a pastor by teaching him dependence on God's providence and equipping him to sympathize with others' suffering.

Obscurity fertilizes humility. Seasons of waiting often involve serving in obscurity, doing ministry without acclaim. This anonymity is vital for cultivating humility, ensuring that when opportunities for leadership arise, the man's focus remains on God's glory and the welfare of His people, not personal recognition. Trust that God is perfectly fitting you for His purpose, whether in pastoral ministry or another vital role in His church.

Last updated: May 15, 2025