So You Think You've Been Called to be a Pastor?

Pastoring 101 (Encouragement for New Pastors) Inspired words. A workbook. A journal.

Gwendolyn Wheeler

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN:
  9781641142427
• Print ISBN:
  9781641142410
• Topic: Theology & Religion

So You Think You've Been Called to Be a Pastor?: Pastoring 101 is a workbook primarily written for new pastors and ministers who think they have been called to be a pastor. Yet seasoned pastors can benefit from this book as well. Someone said that 50 percent of new pastors give up after their first year. In my humblest opinion, many who feel they are called to be a pastor have never been properly mentored. They are not prepared for the various seasons that will take place within their ministry. Someone needs to tell them about pastoral fluctuations: the bitters and the sweets, the unpredictability of membership and finances, betrayals, apathy, childishness, and the perpetual delays that come with growing a church. By writing this workbook, I have officially accepted the assignment to be that someone.In this age of mega churches with multi-million dollar programs, it is easy for pastors of small churches to feel like failures; we don't measure up. This workbook provides practical information to help pastors successfully navigate through various pastoral seasons. This workbook is divided into fourteen sections. A few sections are: "What to Expect as a New Pastor, " "The Danger of Being a Carbon Copy of Someone Else's Ministry, " "What Do You Do When the Pews Are Not Full, " and "Members Say and Do the Strangest Things." At the end of each section, there is a "Fireside Chat." Various questions will be asked, and I invite you to daily RELAX: R - Rest and renew, E - Eat healthy foods, L - Laugh a lot, A - Ask God (pray always), and X - Xercise your body and mind. There is also a space provided called "My Journal." Write whatever you want.This is a practical handbook that should be given to every new pastor.

Section 1

How Do You Know You Are Called to Be a Pastor?

My first question to the pastor-elect is how do you know that God has called you to pastor a church? Make sure you have a confirmation from God, not from well-meaning people. If you receive a prophetical word, it should serve to confirm what God has already spoken to you on the inside. There should be a quiet witness within your spirit and a growing passion with developing gifts.

My journey to becoming a pastor was a twenty-year-plus process. God began dealing with me during my early twenties about building a place of worship, where His presence could heavily abide. The vision would fade and then resurrect again.

In 1987, I was appointed assistant pastor of my brother’s church; I was thirty-three years old. During that same year, I received this prophecy: “I see you pastoring your own church and leading the church in worship.”

In 1995, during a revival service another prophecy came forth: “God is putting something in your hands. They would think it should be given to a man.” After the service, I spoke to the evangelist, and he said, “You have a pastor’s heart.” I was still my brother’s assistant pastor, and I was forty-one years old.

My brother and pastor, Thaddeus J. Wheeler, died in June 1997. Two brothers, Thaddeus and Sherwin, died in 1997, five months apart. The following year, I was fortunate to attend Holy Tabernacle Church in Boston in order to receive healing. It was a safe haven for me, and God allowed me to stay there for five years. Then there came the day that I had to move forward in my ministry. I was real comfortable sitting under another’s man’s ministry as his associate pastor.

One Sunday morning in August 2002, I was stirred out of my comfort zone. I received a “resurrection” prophecy from Prophet Christopher Douglas of Trinidad. I was hesitant when he called me up, but his words confirmed the things that God has spoken to me over the years. Two major calls were confirmed: First, I was called to be a pastor, and I should prepare for it. Secondly, I was called to be a prophetess like Deborah. He added a post note: I didn’t need Barak.

When I received this prophetical word from Prophet Douglas, this was not a surprise; it wasn’t the first prophecy. The above prophetical words confirm that statement. So I didn’t respond, Oh, really? Are you sure God was talking about me? Clearly, God had been dealing with me for years. In addition, I received a personal word from God before those first prophecies. After he prayed for me, I was renewed. The dreams and plans began to flow again.

Prophetess Linda Scott made and sent me a card which further encouraged me. The card displayed the following portrait of Prophetess Deborah.

Deborah

Strengths and Accomplishments

• Fourth and only female judge of Israel.
• She had special abilities as a mediator, advisor, and counselor.
• When called on to lead, she was able to plan, direct, and delegate.
• A writer of songs (books?).
• Was not power hungry.
• Wanted to please God.

Lessons from her life

• God chooses leaders by His standards, not ours.
• Wise leaders choose good helpers.

She further wrote: “God bless the anointing and prophecy over your life in this new season. As you so often say, ‘You have not reached the end of the story.’ May your life be a demonstration of what one can do when God is in control of the circumstances. Continue to do what you can. Do not worry about what you cannot do as God brings you into your destiny.”

Powerful! I am amazed at how God sends the right words in season. In a day when some are still confused about the calling upon a woman’s life, I am grateful I am not confused. I have only One Somebody whose approval I seek, God. He is more than enough to handle the questions others may ask. I choose to follow Him.

At the end of 2002, I received a word from God that this event was to take place in 2003. He didn’t give me a specific date. I thought starting this church would hinge on whether I found a building. But like Abraham, sometimes God will speak to you to go and you don’t even know where you will wind up.

In March of 2003, God confirmed that it didn’t matter if I had a church building. His words were clear: “Begin your church on May 4.” When a couple of attempts to find a building seemingly failed, I walked into my living room one day and began to try and figure out how many people I could fit in it. If I had to start in my small living room, I was determined to obey God.

While I was in the process of counting chairs, my younger sister, Patricia, interrupted me and asked, “Gwen, have you thought about calling the church up the street to see if you could rent space from them?” God’s provisional hand was at work in all of this. In fact, I made the phone call, and the following week, I received a call back from the pastor. Within the next few weeks, we met with the pastor, toured the facilities, met the other trustees, negotiated, and signed a Usage Agreement for six months. The price was more than we could afford. I had four members, and only one of them was working. Yet I believed that God would provide, and He has done exactly that. God paid that bill every month.

On May 4, 2003, Jehovah-Shammah Ministries Inc. was birthed into reality. I stepped into the first phase of my pastoral destiny and discovered that there are different seasons in destiny. You must know that, or else, you will find yourself becoming frustrated as you look at where you are, compared to where God promised He would take you. Four people started the ministry with me. Those four people were my mother; my younger sister, Pat; two friends, Lisa Fortes and Deb Gary. All four are in the ministry. Years later, we changed our name to Cathedral of Faith International Ministries Inc. because we were being confused with another religious organization.

I was formally installed as pastor of Jehovah-Shammah Ministries Inc. on August 3, 2003. What a glorious occasion it was. We marched into the tunes of “Bless Me” and “Seasons.”

Although I was excited on that day about becoming a pastor and the vision God had given me, that was not my initial reaction to becoming a pastor. The one detail that was left out in my prophecy in 1987 was my response. For when the prophet told me about being a pastor, my response was “Oh, Lord!” The reason I responded that way because I was my brother’s assistant pastor and my father was a pastor. Living in a pastor’s house gave me firsthand information about ministry. I knew this wasn’t a cake walk. This was not glitz and glamour, but a lot of hard work.

How many of us in the ministry have sung the old song: “I’ll go, I’ll go. If the Lord needs somebody, here am I, send me. I’ll go. On the mountain, I’ll go. In the valley, I’ll go. If the Lord needs somebody, here am I, send me, I’ll go.” That is such a wonderful, melodious, humble song to sing until you have been given an assignment that you didn’t want.

I could have been more comfortable being the first lady or the assistant pastor in the number 2 seat, cheering my husband on (if I had one.) Being the president over the Women’s Ministry would have suited me ju...

Table of contents

• Dedication
• Introduction
• Section 1
• How Do You Know You Are Called to Be a Pastor?
• Section 2
• Do You Have a Vision?
• Section 3
• What to Expect as a New Pastor
• Section 4
• The Danger of Being a Carbon Copy of Someone Else’s Ministry
• Section 5
• What Do You Do When the Pews Are Not Full?
• Section 6
• A Church Dream Deferred
• Section 7
• The Adventures of Sharing a Building with Other Churches
• Section 8
• Members Say and Do the Strangest Things
• Section 9
• Unexpected Events
• Section 10
• Matters of the Heart: You Have to Take Care of Yourself!
• Section 11
• Reflections from My Fourteenth Year of Pastoring: 2017
• Section 12
• Letters from My Children
• Section 13
• Business Matters
• Pastoral Pearl Addendums
• Pearl Addendum #1
• Ministers Hurt Too
• Pearl Addendum #2
• A Fourteenth Pastoral Luncheon
• Section 14
• The Conclusion