I was recently asked for advice on discerning the call to ministry. Here are a few thoughts I’ve found helpful through the years:
A professor once explained the call to ministry in four ways:
1. The internal call
2. The external call
3. The subjective call
4. The objective call
First, the internal call: This is the internal desire to be a pastor.
1 Timothy 3:1 says, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”
The desire to be a pastor is the first sign that a man is being called to pastor. This internal desire is so important that if someone lacks this desire, they should not be a pastor. In fact, the argument is stronger yet - 1 Peter 5:2 says “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly”
The grudging, reluctant pastor, who despises the work, and despises his flock should either get his heart right, or resign. It’s called an internal call for a reason. If your grandmother wants you to be a pastor, that’s fine, but it’s not the same as an internal call.
Second, the external call: This is where other people come into it. If you’re called to be a pastor, other people will recognize it too. There will be others who affirm this call. It might start small and gradually, but it will eventually surface. There’s no set number of people, and it doesn’t mean everyone will agree. But those who know you best, and understand the Biblical call to ministry, and qualifications for ministry will see signs of a calling.
A friend told of a story of a conversation he once had with Voddie Baucham about this question and it went like this. “Voddie, how do I know when I’m being called?” “Son, you know you’re being called when your phone starts ringing” Another simple way to think about this, is anyone following you? If God has called you, then he will certainly also reveal this to others, and that will in time, lead to opportunities.
If you’re in a place that’s overly saturated with men desiring to go into ministry, such as a seminary, or seminary church, don’t be surprised if you are overlooked for preaching and teaching opportunities. An aspiring pastor needs to think very shrewdly and wisely about what church he should belong to during this stage and season of life. Sitting in the far corner under the second deck of a mega church will not lead to realistic ministry opportunities, but serving with your church's prison ministry might lead to preaching slots. Or joining a small church may have even more opportunities to serve in vital ways. Joining a church planting team can also provide many priceless experiences that are even more varied than joining an established ministry.
Third, is the subjective call: This is not so much of the internal “desire” but the subjective sense that God has called you into the ministry. This is the sort of “God called me to preach” story that so many preachers had in my father and grandfather’s eras, and beyond. It often came about from listening to sermons on God’s call to prophets in the Old Testament. Interestingly enough, nearly all of this style of preaching takes place in dispensational churches, where there tends to be a great variation between avoidance of the OT, and spiritualization of the OT that would make an Amill-baby-baptizing presbyeterian proud.
It’s hard not to feel something when you hear a stirring message about God’s call of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Samuel, or even the call of Barnabas and Saul at Antioch in Acts 13. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. While I agree with Steve Lawson’s sentiment that we need less men in ministry not more - judging by my experience in Bible college, and seminary - tons of them drop out by the last year. I believe we need more men in ministry who genuinely believe they were personally tapped on the shoulder by the Holy Spirit of God, and told to get up out of their seat and to go tell the preacher. I think it would be better to bring this conversation back to the local church and out of the seminary admissions office. Commuter student housing was a loud witness to the fact that many guys go to seminary because they are looking for an easy career path with a stable salary after they failed in other career endeavors.
Fourth, is the objective call: Scripture provides lists of qualifications for ministry, and while there is some sense of subjectivity to them, for the most part, the lists are fairly objective.
1 Timothy 3:2-7 “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.”
At this point, I’d recommend listening to a sermon series on this passage. A good exegetical, expository sermon series will open up this paragraph like you’ve never heard before. For example, understanding that “above reproach” is sort of a header for the characteristics described here helps to avoid the temptation to think in perfectionistic language. Also, understanding that the term doesn’t mean no one will have complaints about you, but rather, that when accusations are raised, they don’t have sticking power. It’s also helpful to understand that a “husband of one wife” literally means “a one woman man” and should not be over-exaggerated to mean that an elder MUST be married or that an elder absolutely cannot be remarried. Rather, the point is that you look at this man and you see a faithful man who loves his wife genuinely, in a way that is an example to the flock. It doesn’t necessarily rule out a man who has previously been married and made a mess of his life, then got saved, and is now a godly, faithful husband. The specifics of this issue can only be helpfully discussed and applied at the local church level with elders who know you and watch over your life.
In conclusion: If you’re in a bad church and you desire to go into the ministry, then find a good church to join and a pastor you respect to sit under. A word of warning, all men have feet of clay. Your celebrity pastor hero isn’t as good as you think he is. You probably shouldn’t move across the country to join the famous guy’s church. But there’s a good chance you should drive an extra twenty minutes to join the faithful expository church in your area, if yours isn’t. Come with an attitude of receptivity, not as a sermon judge. Come with a spirit of humility, not as the church cop, here to call out all imperfections in the corporate worship. Have some humility and remember that you would fail that same level of close scrutiny. There was only one perfect Shepherd, so relax and settle for a faithful one. He will help you discern your call to ministry.