Pastor?

So over the past year I've been thinking a lot about pastoral ministry. I'm beginning to feel more certain that God is calling me to serve in this capacity. It's funny how God works. After being certain that I would be in youth ministry, he called me to college ministry.

When Cary and I moved to Fort Worth for seminary I was sure that college ministry would be my life long vocation. Actually, I used to get frustrated when people would ask me what I was going to do after college ministry. I guess their initial thoughts were that you could only be in college ministry as long as you could pull of a faux-hawk, soul-patch, and skinny jeans. (I've never warn skinny jeans.) I didn't know that I couldn't be a college minister forever so I hadn't ever thought about it. After all, Louie Giglio is 50+ and he's still involved in college ministry!

So through the past year I've been talking to folks who are currently in pastoral ministry. I've had the opportunity to serve with some great guys through the years. Recently, I met with my pastor to discuss this call and to pick his brain a little. It was a great, affirming lunch meeting. This is the second time that we've met to talk about ministry and there are two things that he said that I want to pass along to whoever reads this...

1. We need to know the difference between trepidation and the influence of the Holy Spirit. Never allow trepidation to prevent you from making a decision. We've got to learn to trust the Holy Spirit's call whether he's opening or closing a door.

2. If we believe in the sovereignty of God like we say we do then we have to believe that there isn't anyone in your life that God hasn't placed there for a reason. Like I've already mentioned above God has placed some really solid men in my life that have helped me and are still helping me along the way.

Finally, I want to let you in on a very good blog I just discovered courtesy of Nine Marks. The blog, Practical Shepherding, looks like a great resource for young pastors and those considering the call to pastoral ministry. Here is an entry that I found beneficial:

How do I know if I am called into pastoral ministry?

April 22, 2010 by Brian Croft

I met with a friend of mine this week who is trying to evaluate whether he is called into pastoral ministry. What I shared with him is what I would share with any brother seeking to evaluate this question. The first question he must answer is, “Do you have a strong desire for the work of a pastor?” The Apostle Paul instructs his young protégé in the faith and writes, “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer (pastor); it is a fine work he desires to do (1 Tim. 3:1). The great nineteenth century Baptist, Charles Spurgeon lectured young men preparing for the ministry in this way, “The first sign of the heavenly calling is an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work.” There must be a strong, unquenchable desire to do the work of a pastor—a desire to preach God’s word, shepherd God’s people, evangelize the lost, disciple the spiritually immature, and serve the local church.

Paul writes that the man who desires to do this divine work is pursuing a fine work. Nevertheless, an unquenchable longing for this work is required, for it is a work fraught with struggles, challenges, discouragements, pressures, and spiritual battles that can cripple the strongest of men whose desire for this divine labor is ordinary. It must be a desire that cannot be stolen when your brother betrays you; a desire that cannot be weakened when your job is threatened; a desire that cannot be quenched when physical, mental, and emotional fatigue firmly take root. This desire must so define the individual that the reality of an internal calling is unmistakable.

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