Chapter 1
Set Apart by God
The Minister and His Calling
The call to pastor is the highest calling known to man. This high view of gospel ministry prompted Charles Spurgeon to famously reflect, âIf God has called you to be his servant, never stoop to be a King of men.â If you are reading this book, you have probably sensed that call. In fact, you most likely resonate with Spurgeonâs lofty assessment of pastoral ministry.
The work of pastoral ministry is indeed grandâthus, you should undertake it with a profound sense of spiritual opportunity and stewardship. No doubt, that is one reason why you are reading this book: you want to be better equipped for a faithful, fruitful ministry.
In this chapter, and as we open this book, I want to briefly frame for you the call to pastoral ministry and, in particular, your personal call to ministry.1 What are the major indicators of Godâs call, and how do these intersect with your personal life and ministry? This is important not only as you enter ministry but will also serve as ongoing accountability and guidance throughout your ministry. As an entry point, let us first clear up common misconceptions about the call to ministry.
Calling: A Misunderstood Concept
Among evangelical churches, the call to ministry is often misunderstood. Some view the call to ministry as an altogether personal, individual decision. If one believes themselves to be called to ministry, that settles it. What gives the church, or any other deliberative body, the right to question what God called me to do? If a person self-identifies as called to ministry, that is evidence enough, so the argument goes.
Others view Godâs call as an entirely mystical, subjective experience. They believe that to evaluate oneâs call to ministry in objective terms is altogether unspiritual. They shrug off biblical expectations for ministry, such as 1 Timothy 3:1â7 and Titus 1:6â9. They view God as too big, too dynamic to confine Himself to His written Word. If someone thinks the Spirit is leading them into ministry, one need not be held up by biblical or congregational expectations.
What is more, others view the call to ministry in human, professional terms. They view a seminary degree, or some other ministerial credential, as sufficient qualification for ministry service. Just like attorneys, physicians, and other professionals are marked out by their formal training, so are ministers to be. Earn a degree or gain a license for ministry and then pursue religious work accordingly. It is as simple as that.
Still others view the call to ministry as a one-time experience, and the biblical qualifications for ministry a one-time threshold to cross. They believe calling to be a past-tense reality. Perhaps on the front-end of ministry one needed a churchâs affirmation and to meet biblical qualifications found in places like 1 Timothy 3:1â7, but now it is a settled matter. Additionally, so goes the argument, God leads you into ministry as a life calling but is indifferent to where and how you serve throughout your life. In other words, you are free to move and maneuver the ministerial ranks as you desire, not as God leads.
Lastly, many evangelicals view the call to ministry as something one does not pursue but reluctantly surrenders to undertake. In fact, the common phrase âsurrender to ministryâ suggests as much. Yes, God initiates the call to ministry, not man. Moreover, in a sense, the spiritual office is to seek the man and not vice versa. But the apostle Paul makes clear that âIf any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to doâ (1 Tim. 3:1, emphasis added). Note the words, aspire and desire. It is not only appropriate, but necessary, for one entering ministry to desire the work of ministry!
Clarity Out of Confusion
As a college student wrestling with the call to ministry, I was confused. It all seemed imperceptibly mystical and mysterious to me. I thought I sensed Godâs call to ministry but was unsure of precisely what I was to be looking for. I desired to serve in ministry but thought that desire inappropriate, perhaps a sign of pride or unhealthy ambition.
In Godâs kind providence a friend pointed me to 1 Timothy 3:1â7 and Charles Spurgeonâs Lectures to My Students. Reading Spurgeonâs book, especially his section on the call to ministry, and meditating on 1 Timothy 3:1â7 were of enormous help, giving me a breakthrough of clarity and certainty.
Paulâs words to Timothy (and similarly to Titus, in Titus 1:6â9) framed my call to ministry thenâand still do. Read and reflect carefully on this passage.
It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1 Tim. 3:1â7)
Additionally, Spurgeonâs Lectures to My Students is a timeless work on ministry service. In fact, I deliberately played off of Spurgeonâs classic in the title of this book series, Letters to My Students, as my own tribute to Spurgeon, who is widely acclaimed as the prince of preachers. Spurgeon helpfully unpacks signs of the call to ministry, most especially the first sign as âan intense, all absorbing desire for the work.â2 For me, this point was clarifying and even liberating and compelling for my life and my call to ministry. I learned God had placed that desire in my heart. That assurance propelled me forward, launching me to the next stage of reflection and deliberation.
The Gravity of the Call to Ministry
As I continued to pursue ministry service, I increasingly sensed the gravity of that calling. Doing so did not dissuade me, but it did awaken me to the majesty of ministry service. I found myself resonating with Charles Bridges, who wrote on the gravity of ministry some 200 years ago. Consider his words with me:
Who, whether man or angel, âis sufficientâ to open âthe wisdom of God in a mysteryââto speak what in its full extent is âunspeakableââto make known that which âpasseth knowledgeââto bear the fearful weight of the care of souls? Who hath skill and strength proportionate? Who has a mind and temper to direct and sustain so vast a work? If our Great Master had not himself answered these appalling questions by his promiseââMy grace is sufficient for thee;â and if the experience of faith did not demonstrably prove, that âour sufficiency is of God;â who, with an enlightened apprehension, could enter upon such an awful service; or, if entered, continue in it?3
In order to find our balance here, we should review the apostle Paulâs words to the Ephesian believers. He writes in Ephesians 4:11â15,
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.
In the context, Paul unpacks for us how God is building His church, and how essential pastors and teachers are to His plan. Furthermore, Paul shows how Christ equips His church and how the church is central to Godâs eternal purpose and redemptive plan.
Notice what Paul says in verse 11. He begins by unpacking specific offices Christ has established for the church. The first two, apostles and prophets, have long been understood to be first-century offices given for a season until the church was established and the canon of Scripture was closed.
But in verse 11, we see that Christ has given His church leaders today and for all times in the form of evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These leaders have been given their proper role and function by none other than Christ Himself.
If this calling by Christ is not weighty enough in and of itself, Paul goes on to state the reason Christ has given His church these leaders is âfor the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christâ (v. 12). This results in a church that is spiritually healthy, theologically sturdy, and missionally united. What a task. What a calling. What a stewardship we have!
Calling: A Checklist to Consider
All of this reminds us we must be sure about Godâs qualifications for ministry and certain He has set us apart for such service. Along these lines, review with me seven questions, indicators that God has called you into the ministry:
- Does your character match Godâs expectations? First Timothy 3:1â7 and Titus 1:6â9 are paramount here. You should carefully review and reflect on these passages. Moreover, you should invite others to assess your life along these lines and remember that these qualifications are not a one-time threshold to cross, but are an ongoing expectation for the minister.
- Do you desire the work of ministry? As we have seen, longing for the work of ministry is not only appropriate; it is essential. That inner longing for ministry will serve as a magnet, pulling you forward throughout various seasons and trials of ministry. If ministry is one of many opportunities before you, each seeming similarly attractive, that is a sign that you may not be called to the ministry. As the apostle Paul makes clear, you should desire the work of ministry.
- Are you gifted to teach the Word? As you review 1 Timothy 3, you will note the only real difference between the offic...