Page 12 - Pastoral Ministries -Student Textbook

Study Section 2: The Pastor’s Call to the Ministry

2.1 Connect

How does one know he should be a pastor? Am I fit for the ministry? If I become a pastor, how
much Biblical training is involved? Will I always be poor if I become a pastor? A man considering the
pastorate normally is plagued with multiple questions like these. The key to knowing that God wants
you to be a pastor is receiving from the Lord a distinct call to be a preacher. If God wants you in the
pastorate, He will make His will abundantly clear to you. Then, as you walk down the path toward
becoming a pastor, you will see God move in your life to prepare you for ministry. It just takes a lot
of faith and persistence.

Remember, God will not call you to do something for which He will not equip you to do. If you sense a call to
become a pastor, God will lead you down the path to obtain the Biblical knowledge and preaching skills you will
need as well as the people skills that will be required. You just have to trust Him and watch what God can do.

Today we want to learn how a person really knows that He is called to be a pastor as well as what it takes in his
personal life to be an effective pastor. Let’s get started…..

2.2 Objectives

1. The student, if a pastor, should be able to evaluate his calling to the pastorate to validate or
invalidate it.

2. The student, if a pastor, should evaluate his personal and study life to see if he is using his time
wisely.

3. The student should be able to list the important tools of a
pastor and how these tools are used in ministry.

2.3 The Pastor’s Call to the Ministry

The sixth chapter of Isaiah records a unique call
to the ministry in which the prospective
prophet is caught up in a vision and the Lord
commissions him for the work. It would be
very helpful if God planned a similar
experience for all who showed an interest in the ministry, but
the fact is that He does not.

God’s call upon one’s life may not always come in an audible
voice which one may be accustomed to hearing from God.

God’s call may be received through the distinct impression
that could mean that God was calling you to be a pastor.

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