Pastors, et. al. : Have you ever accepted a ministry position without a definite, clear sense of God's leading?
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Looking for some practical ministry advice here. A church has extended a call to my husband come on as their pastor and we are in the middle of discerning the Lord’s will. There is nothing apparently difficult about the situation but haven’t yet felt a “spark” or anything to propel us forward other than he is currently underemployed working a secular job and is not currently using his gifting in the church. We’ve been praying that God would direct him to a pastorate in a certain geographic area and this opportunity has opened up. Still we’re uncertain.
So my question is this (benefiting from your combined years of experience): when, how, why, what should be the compelling reasons to accept a call to a church? what would keep you from accepting?
So my question is this (benefiting from your combined years of experience): when, how, why, what should be the compelling reasons to accept a call to a church? what would keep you from accepting?
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Whilewe never moved into a ministry position without the settled certainty that God was directing us to it, at the same time my husband would say that he takes very seriously God’s directing through his church. We faced one situation when a church extended a unanimous invitation to my husband to serve as their pastor. As you describe above, there was no compelling reason not to go or any situations we observed about which we were concerned. However, we were uneasy in our spirits. I’m not trying to say that we should rely on subjective emotions to determine God’s leading. However, we also knew that ministry becomes very difficult. If we were uncertain going in about whether or not God was calling us there, we knew we would not have the stamina down the road when difficult things came to be able to rely on the settled conviction that we needed to stand firm because God brought us there. At the same time, the church had unanimously asked him to serve; that was extremely serious to my husband, and he didn’t want to disregard the significance of how God may have been leading through them.
In the end, as my husband fasted and prayed and expressed his uncertainty to the church (asking them to pray along with him), he felt obligated to tell the church that he wouldn’t accept the call to serve. Obviously, that was difficult for us and for them, but a few months later another church called my husband to serve, and we instantly knew that God was leading us there.
While subjective “intuitions” shouldn’t be the primary reason to go somewhere or not go, I do believe God confirms in our hearts the direction His Spirit is giving us.
Beyond that, we sought counsel from others, interviewed several people in the church (not just the pulpit committee), looked for whether signs of health in the church were present, and prayed for God to give us clear direction and certainty.
Don’t know if that helps or not. It’s just our experience. :)
In the end, as my husband fasted and prayed and expressed his uncertainty to the church (asking them to pray along with him), he felt obligated to tell the church that he wouldn’t accept the call to serve. Obviously, that was difficult for us and for them, but a few months later another church called my husband to serve, and we instantly knew that God was leading us there.
While subjective “intuitions” shouldn’t be the primary reason to go somewhere or not go, I do believe God confirms in our hearts the direction His Spirit is giving us.
Beyond that, we sought counsel from others, interviewed several people in the church (not just the pulpit committee), looked for whether signs of health in the church were present, and prayed for God to give us clear direction and certainty.
Don’t know if that helps or not. It’s just our experience. :)
But of course, I don’t believe there is any such thing as a specific call to a specific ministry for most people or most situations. If God makes such a specific call, you won’t be left wondering (burning bush, for example). You might still be unwilling (Jonah, for example), but you won’t be wondering.
I think the notion that one must have a ‘call’ to stick out the tough times is simply not true. What keeps one in the ministry is spiritual maturity. There will ALWAYS be tough times. If you are spiritually mature, you won’t give up. Like Jeremiah in ch. 20, the Word will keep you going (not the call).
Not knowing the circumstances of the opening post, I would say that if there are no discernible reasons for rejecting the call of the church, then go ahead. What does it matter where you serve? Just go and serve. The church that called needs a pastor just as much as any other church does. If you aren’t currently serving in a pastoral ministry and that is where your training, talents, and desire leads you, then get busy until the door there closes.
That’s my 2c.
I think the notion that one must have a ‘call’ to stick out the tough times is simply not true. What keeps one in the ministry is spiritual maturity. There will ALWAYS be tough times. If you are spiritually mature, you won’t give up. Like Jeremiah in ch. 20, the Word will keep you going (not the call).
Not knowing the circumstances of the opening post, I would say that if there are no discernible reasons for rejecting the call of the church, then go ahead. What does it matter where you serve? Just go and serve. The church that called needs a pastor just as much as any other church does. If you aren’t currently serving in a pastoral ministry and that is where your training, talents, and desire leads you, then get busy until the door there closes.
That’s my 2c.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
From what I’ve seen and experienced, It would appear that Christians have allowed superstition to invade the church. If someone moves, changes jobs, or makes any major changes in their life, and it doesn’t seem to ‘work out’, then it wasn’t ‘in the will of God’. I’ve even heard it preached that a Christian can put out a ‘fleece’ in order to discern God’s will. If Paul were to have gauged his ministry by what went ‘right’ and what went ‘wrong’, then he was an abysmal failure and made many poor choices. We simply can’t measure success or failure by circumstances or results.
I believe that we must follow our conscience, Biblical principles- and also consider what is best for our families. We are not obligated to allow our family to be homeless and starving in order to be in the ministry. I don’t see any Scriptural support for the idea that husbands should sacrifice their marriage or parents their children in order to serve the Lord. As a matter of fact, a man that doesn’t have his house in order is not fit for the ministry, and a woman that doesn’t meet certain character qualifications shouldn’t teach. Obeying those mandates alone would probably close half the churches in America… but I digress.
Intuition is not really all that mysterious- we process quite a bit of information on the subconscious level, and that is often where our ‘gut feelings’ come from. Because we can’t pin down a reason for our feelings, we get the oogly-googlies, but God has given us some amazing abilities that have a very logical and physiological explanation. For instance, we might know someone is lying because we subconsciously process their body language and perceive verbal cues, even when we have no ‘evidence’ of their dishonesty, and perhaps we aren’t able to clearly explain why we believe they are lying. It doesn’t make it any less ‘spiritual’, because it is a function of God’s programming of the human brain that hasn’t been seared and defiled.
So whether we have misgivings or peace about something, it is IMO a function of our God-designed intuition, heightened and honed by spiritual maturity and an understanding of Scripture.
I believe that we must follow our conscience, Biblical principles- and also consider what is best for our families. We are not obligated to allow our family to be homeless and starving in order to be in the ministry. I don’t see any Scriptural support for the idea that husbands should sacrifice their marriage or parents their children in order to serve the Lord. As a matter of fact, a man that doesn’t have his house in order is not fit for the ministry, and a woman that doesn’t meet certain character qualifications shouldn’t teach. Obeying those mandates alone would probably close half the churches in America… but I digress.
Intuition is not really all that mysterious- we process quite a bit of information on the subconscious level, and that is often where our ‘gut feelings’ come from. Because we can’t pin down a reason for our feelings, we get the oogly-googlies, but God has given us some amazing abilities that have a very logical and physiological explanation. For instance, we might know someone is lying because we subconsciously process their body language and perceive verbal cues, even when we have no ‘evidence’ of their dishonesty, and perhaps we aren’t able to clearly explain why we believe they are lying. It doesn’t make it any less ‘spiritual’, because it is a function of God’s programming of the human brain that hasn’t been seared and defiled.
So whether we have misgivings or peace about something, it is IMO a function of our God-designed intuition, heightened and honed by spiritual maturity and an understanding of Scripture.
[Don Johnson] But of course, I don’t believe there is any such thing as a specific call to a specific ministry for most people or most situations. If God makes such a specific call, you won’t be left wondering (burning bush, for example). You might still be unwilling (Jonah, for example), but you won’t be wondering.That’s my 2c too!
I think the notion that one must have a ‘call’ to stick out the tough times is simply not true. What keeps one in the ministry is spiritual maturity. There will ALWAYS be tough times. If you are spiritually mature, you won’t give up. Like Jeremiah in ch. 20, the Word will keep you going (not the call).
Not knowing the circumstances of the opening post, I would say that if there are no discernible reasons for rejecting the call of the church, then go ahead. What does it matter where you serve? Just go and serve. The church that called needs a pastor just as much as any other church does. If you aren’t currently serving in a pastoral ministry and that is where your training, talents, and desire leads you, then get busy until the door there closes.
That’s my 2c.
Why is it that my voice always seems to be loudest when I am saying the dumbest things?
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