EP 03: How To Know If You Are Called Into Church Ministry

When someone says they were "called" into ministry, exactly what does that mean? Should we assume that God spoke to them audibly? How can a person really tell if God is calling them to church ministry as a vocation? We look at the right and wrong reasons people choose church ministry as a profession. Here is the free download, Ten Tips To Discover Whether God Has Called You To Church Ministry Be sure to give us a review on ITunes! This helps us get the word out! Transcript of Today's Show “Calling” is a difficult concept because it is primarily subjective. I mean, I don’t know anyone who relates their story entering church ministry because they were awakened one night and God said, [Deep voice] “Get on your feet. You’re going to seminary.” But seriously, how does someone discern whether God has called them into church ministry? First, God is Sovereign. What does that have to do with calling? Actually, just about everything. God calls individuals to serve in His Church. It is His Church, so he gets to select those who will carry out his plans and purposes. Sovereignty means that God doesn’t consult with humans first before calling someone to serve as a minister in his church. Sovereignty also means that education, talent or personality is not relevant to God.  He does not depend on strength or abilities to accomplish the tasks He wants done. That reality is both freeing and humbling at the same time. Jesus bypassed the educated and eloquent scribes and Pharisees, choosing men who, for the most part ignored church. Peter and the other disciples knew more curse words than scripture verses. In fact, Matthew loved wealth and cheating people on their taxes far more than kneeling in prayer. Please understand: I am not criticizing seminary or even natural talent per se, but I do want to introduce an important perspective: The apostles were totally unqualified to be ministers by today’s standards, yet they turned the world upside down. Is there anyone who honestly feels that Peter would graduate any of our theological institutions today? Yet Peter used the keys Christ gave him to initiate the church age and later to open the church to non-Jews which was unprecedented. Intelligence and natural abilities can be useful tools, but that is all. If God hasn’t called you, no amount of seminary education or speaking skill will suffice. Academic achievement is only useful as an instrument to advance God’s purposes. Nothing more. Sovereignty means that God chooses whom he wants, when he wants for what he wants. A calling is really more about God than us. Before we look into some principles for calling, let me take a few moments to discuss some sure signs a person either is not called or perhaps not ready for pastoral ministry. Motivation plays a major role in ministry calling. Individuals desire to become pastors or church leaders for a variety of reasons and not all of them are inspirational. First, sometimes individuals pursue ministry to gain affirmation or recognition. One perks of serving as a pastor or ministry leader is the thrill of publically sharing the Word of God. It is a privilege to potentially impact lives in a meaningful way. Honestly, there is nothing quite like preaching under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Sensing God’s Presence with you while you speak is pretty cool. On occasion, folks will come up after I preach to compliment me about something I said in my sermon. That is always nice. However, if you crave that or need that affirmation, something is broken. Second, some are drawn to the ministry because they want to be recogniz