It’s that time of year, again. School is back in session, and we are trusting 18-year old college students to make some of the most important and farthest reaching decisions of their lives. Of particular interest to me are those who are deciding to pursue pastoral ministry.

I often consider the decisions that have led me to my current place in life. I thank God for the place he has brought me; I love pastoring and am in a wonderful church that allows me to use my gifts for God’s glory and abundantly provides for my family’s needs. I’m married to an outstanding wife and have three great kids. God has truly worked out my steps in a wonderful way, but I do look back on some of my decisions with a bit of regret. I wouldn’t change these decisions, because God has done great things through them, but I would love to hear of other young men taking different steps that will better prepare them for ministry. With that in mind, I want to provide a few pieces of advice from someone who has been where you are in the recent past but is where you think you might want to be in the near future.

I have 6 pieces of advice for anyone who thinks they may want to be in ministry. To get us started, let me give you all 6. I will expand on each in the next few weeks.

Examine Yourself Leave Your Options Open Pursue Ministry Now Seek Diverse Training Build Relationships Be Humble

Examine Yourself

I remember deciding to go into the ministry when I was 8. I was at camp and there were missionaries; I knew that I wanted to do something along those lines when I got big. Over time, that desire moved from missions, to youth ministry, to itinerant evangelism, and finally to pastoral ministry. That path to ministry isn’t normal. Basing the decision to go into pastoral ministry on some vague idea of “call” experienced at a young age is dangerous and nonsensical.

It is easy to develop tunnel vision and ignore evidence that a young man may not be competent for ministry when this vague “calling” becomes the motivation behind pursuing vocational ministry. This tunnel vision is justified because “God told me to do it; I just need faith!” If God tells us to do something, we do need faith to believe that He is able to accomplish that call, but we should also be willing to recognize that maybe God has not told us to do it!

This past winter I was sitting in a pastoral session at a conference. One man’s question for the speaker perfectly illustrates this problem. He said something along these lines, “I am called to be a missionary, but my pastor and elders insist that I am not gifted for vocational ministry. How can I convince them that I am?” My heart broke for this man who believed he was being prevented from doing what God told him to do, but I also saw in him an example of the devastation caused by this poor model of ministry call.

So how can an individual determine if pastoral ministry is a good path? If you believe you may be Called to Ministry™, pursue verification through three means:

1) Desire

Investigate ministry honestly. Look for the downsides (there are plenty) and the upsides (there are plenty). You may think that pastoral ministry sounds great because you have a false concept of what pastoral ministry is. Do your best to get an honest picture. Ask your pastor to complain to you. He may not feel complete freedom, but I can guarantee he will be able to tell you some things that are hard about ministry. Don’t hide from the truth, embrace it. If, after you have heard the hard truth, you still desire ministry, continue pursuing it.

2) Giftedness

Often, preachers make much of God’s ability to use willing people to do things far beyond their abilities. He certainly does do that, but He also uses competent people to do amazing things. Moses was trained in statecraft by the greatest nation in the world, David was actually quite skilled with a sling, and Paul was a brilliant theologian before he had good theology. These are three examples of men who were naturally gifted in ways that God could use to accomplish supernatural things.

Look for opportunities to minister in pastoral ways. Are you able to learn to competently exegete and proclaim the Word? You don’t need to be perfect, but you ought to have some ability. Can you minister to people? Again, you don’t need to be perfect, but if you hate people, you might want to consider a different career.

These things will develop over time. 5 years ago, a close friend told me, “Jeremy, you don’t like people. Maybe you shouldn’t be a pastor.” Last week, the same friend told me that he could see how God had prepared me to be a great match for the church I now pastor. God needed to change me to get to that point, though. If your competencies in ministerial responsibilities are not growing, you are not being a quitter if you decide to pursue other options! Giftedness is one way that God works to direct us.

3) Affirmation

Seek the counsel of wise men and women regarding your ability in ministry. If wise Christians are hesitant about your future in vocational ministry, you should be too. This counsel can come from your church, your professors, your family, and your friends.

Early in my time as pastor, I felt like I was way out of my league. My preaching was mediocre at best, my people skills were lacking, and I had no idea how to administer well. In those difficult days, the endorsement of the church family I had served with through seminary kept me afloat. I knew that even though I didn’t feel qualified or competent, there were several godly people who believed I was and were faithfully praying for me.

At the same time, beware of empty flattery. There will be someone who says that they think you are the next Spurgeon. You’re not. Don’t chase after compliments; look for someone who will tell you the truth. It is much more meaningful to hear that you have done a good job from someone who will tell you that you’ve done a bad job as well.

In the New Testament the church itself was responsible for raising up leaders. If your church is not willing to affirm your competence in ministry, accept that. Don’t look for another church that will!