{"id":3213,"date":"2010-07-06T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2010-07-06T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=3213"},"modified":"2026-07-23T14:41:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:41:05","slug":"pastoral-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/pastoral-calling.htm","title":{"rendered":"So, You Think God is Calling You into Pastoral Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IsI received an e-mail from a young man who sensed God’s call to become a pastor.\u00a0 He felt like he was at an impasse, not having much money and needing guidance on where, when and how to answer this call.\u00a0 I thought perhaps my response could be helpful to others.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Points to Keep in Mind If You Sense God Has Laid It on Your Heart to Be a Pastor<\/h3>\n

If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you to be a pastor, it will be a matter of timing <\/strong><\/span><\/em>for it to come to fruition.\u00a0 God does not always bring about what He calls us to do immediately. Look at examples in Scripture … Moses, the 12 disciples (spent 3 years with Jesus), Paul.<\/p>\n

If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you accordingly, He will provide for what is His will<\/strong><\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 Do not let a lack of money deter pursuit of God’s will in your life.\u00a0 Learn early on that pastoral ministry is not a means of \u201cgreat gain\u201d (1 Tim. 6:3-10)<\/span>.\u00a0 It is waiting on Him and trusting Him to bring about His desires.\u00a0 If you don’t learn to do that now, you\u00a0could find pastoral ministry very difficult.\u00a0 You must patiently wait on the Lord<\/a> so that ministry is about Him and done according to Him.\u00a0 It is not about you and your ideas.\u00a0 It is His church.\u00a0 He is the Head.<\/p>\n

If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you accordingly, He will prepare you to serve in this w<\/span>ay<\/span><\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 While this will undoubtedly include formal training, His preparation will involve so much more.<\/p>\n

The “where, when, and how” will fall into place and be more obvious when He has more fully prepared you and it is His timing.\u00a0 Let me caution you against trying to make it happen or thinking others can tell you all this.\u00a0 God will make it clear when the time is right.\u00a0 Look at examples in Scripture.\u00a0 God did not reveal all ahead of time.\u00a0 (Ex. – Abraham – Gen. 12:1<\/span> – “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.'”\u00a0 God merely told him to go.\u00a0 He didn’t provide all the details.)\u00a0 We step out in obedience one step at a time as God directs us.\u00a0 We must be faithful in what He has given us now and trust Him for what is to come.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What to Do to Help Discern if God is Calling You into Pastoral Ministry and Prepare for It<\/h2>\n

Following are some suggestions to begin doing now.\u00a0 If God is calling you into pastoral ministry, these things will serve to intensify that prompting in your heart.\u00a0 If that doesn’t happen, you should question if it really is God’s leading or simply an emotional reaction or self-imposed expectations.<\/p>\n

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  1. Spend time in God’s Word and in prayer consistently.\u00a0 You need to be in tune with the Lord, to know His heart and ways, which will be a guiding factor now and in future ministry.\u00a0 If you do not learn to constantly rely on God now, it will cut into ministry effectiveness. (See Jn. 15:1-7, especially verse 5 where Jesus said “Apart from me you can do nothing.”)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Ask God to continually search your heart (Ps. 139:23-24) and mold you to be the person with qualities in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.\u00a0 Character is very important in pastoral ministry.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Ask God to continue to prepare in your heart a love for Him and His people. According to Matthew 22:37-40, love is the greatest in God’s book. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 states that without love, you have and gain nothing.\u00a0 According to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, love is what should compel us. Jesus told Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep” (Jn. 21:15-17).\u00a0 Pastoral ministry needs to grow out of a love for God which spills over into a love for people.\u00a0 If you are having a hard time loving anyone, work that out now through His power and grace.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Take time to specifically study God’s design<\/a> and purpose for the church<\/a>.\u00a0 A pastor needs a philosophy of ministry based on the Word of God.<\/li>\n
  5. Involve yourself in a variety of ministry opportunities to get hands-on experience of the various facets of church ministry.\u00a0 A pastor has a servant’s heart.\u00a0 You are not going to be a servant if you do not serve.\u00a0 (Mk. 10:42-45; Lk. 9:23-26; Jn. 13:1-17; Phil. 2:5-8)<\/span>\u00a0 Being an example<\/a>, which is part of this calling, should begin now. (1 Pet. 5:1-4; 1 Tim. 4:11-16)<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Seek out a respected pastor who would be willing to take you under his wings, to mentor\/disciple you.\u00a0 This will help to give you a realistic view of pastoral ministry and it will also give opportunity for someone else to observe you and identify evidence of God’s calling.\u00a0 If God is the One calling you to pastoral ministry, certainly others will recognize God’s hand in your life this way.\u00a0 We have the example of Paul and Timothy and others Paul took under his wings.\u00a0 Also see Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 20:18.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Begin now to offer pastoral care to others and to communicate God’s Word to others.\u00a0 You do not need a title or position to begin using gifts He has given you.\u00a0 The more you do, the more this passion should develop within you if God is calling you to pastoral ministry.\u00a0 (Gal. 6:1-5; 2 Tim. 2:24-26)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    As you do these things, God will be preparing you for any specific ministry He has in mind for you when the time is right\u00a0 — character \/ heart preparation, philosophical preparation, and skill preparation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you to be a pastor, it will be a matter of . . . Continue reading So, You Think God is Calling You into Pastoral Ministry<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","category-misc-ministries"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t