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Have any found themselves called by God but not a Church?

Discussion in 'Pastoral Ministries' started by Living4God21, Sep 10, 2010.

  1. Living4God21

    Living4God21 New Member

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    I am curious as to if any others have found themselves called to the ministry by the Lord but not offered pastoral experience by a church? The Lord has placed an undisputed call upon my life to serve as a pastor and teacher. I have been preparing for years now through of course Bible study, seminary education, fellowship, etc. However, when it came to me finding a church to serve at none seem to be willing to offer experience, and the reason for this is because I do not have any paid/unpaid pastoral ministry experience behind me. This is nothing more than circular reasoning to me. Everyone has to start somewhere, why would a church desire experience from an individual but then not be willing to offer it themselves? It has come to the point now where I am questioning whether I should go about and plant a new church myself (with the Lord's guidance) from the ground up, one willing to offer experience to those with a willing heart and spirit. On the other hand, I can wait around for a church that takes in rookies other than that of an internship. Any advice from fellow brothers in the faith would be helpful. Please let me know if any of you have faced the same circumstances.
    Thanks,
    In His Service,
    Vincent
     
  2. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    You need to volunteer somewhere. Just because a person is paid doesn't mean he/she is called.
     
  3. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    What are you doing right now? I agree with Saggy Woman. Serve God right now you are in the church you are a member of.

    Are you trying to start as the lead/senior pastor? What are you willing to do right now? I served as a Christian school teacher, youth pastor, Christian radio producer and church staff person all before I became a pastor, which I knew was God's will for me all along. Be willing to do anything in a church.
     
  4. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    Remember, Jesus spent 30 years training for a 3 year ministry.

    Things were different years ago. The colleges dispatched students to teach and preach in various churches, and often we ended up in student pastorates of small churches. The important point is that we started off small and worked our way up in ministry.

    The above have offered a good word. If called, get out in the field working. The Lord will open a door in His time.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
  5. Living4God21

    Living4God21 New Member

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    Thank you all for the great advice, I have done voluntary teaching in the past and I am hoping as you stated that Christ will open a door for me to do this full time in the future.
     
  6. Ruiz

    Ruiz New Member

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    One wise person once said (actually, it was a Puritan) that you are not called to be a Pastor until you are called by a church. While you may one day be called to Pastor a Church, God must first call you. Get under a Godly man and let him mentor you, go through intense discipleship, and wait on the Lord.

    Be patient and when you are called is when you are called.
     
  7. Trotter

    Trotter <img src =/6412.jpg>

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    That's the hard part right there. I know in my case either the pastor has moved on, retired, or just flat out did his own thing (to the detriment of the church). So many either won't make the effort to mentor or are afraid you might somehow take some of his control away.
     
  8. Pastor Larry

    Pastor Larry <b>Moderator</b>
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    I am not sure what you mean by "pastoral experience," but the NT knows nothing of a man called to the ministry by the Lord but not by His church.

    What do you mean by undisputed? And who is making this evaluation that it is "undisputed"? I would say that if it is undisputed, that God will have His church recognize that call? God has established his church to train and recognize men for pastoral ministry in order to perpetuate the faith. If your pastor is not recognizing this call, find out why. Ask for some hard words from him about your gifts. If he is not willing to offer them, then find someone who will.

    Come here. I will give you plenty of experience. It will be unpaid, but it will be experience.
     
  9. Ruiz

    Ruiz New Member

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    Trotter, I do not know of any Pastor who is afraid of mentoring because you will take control away from them--even pastors who I may doubt some of their motives.

    Some Pastors are not good mentors, but other pastors would love to mentor. I echo what Pastor Larry said, if you want to be mentored, I could find you a place where you can be mentored. It may not pay anything but you will be developed.
     
  10. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    What about your own home church? Are YOU involved in a church, being under Godly men's teaching and mentoring? If you are looking to begin a relationship out of the blue, you may have a hard time.

    I know my husband felt called to the ministry and he met with our pastor about it. He knew the basic call but didn't know details but was thinking maybe of something outside the church??? He certainly wasn't looking to be invited to be a pastor at our church but maybe in another organization or maybe even starting a new ministry at our church as a lay person. He had an excellent job but it just really had no 'eternal value', as he put it. Our pastor said that he felt it wasn't time yet but for him to continue to pray, seek God and to prepare himself by learning. He did that for a year. After that time, our pastor called him out to lunch along with the senior associate pastor. Pastor told my husband "It's time." and wanted him to come on staff as a pastoral intern, working part time at the church and bringing his business to part time as well. He called me and was afraid to ask what I thought about him doing this and all I said was "So THAT is how it's going to happen!!" He asked what I meant and I told him that the whole time I knew him, I knew he'd one day be a pastor but never knew how it was going to happen. He was floored - what confirmation!! So he was a pastoral intern for 3 years and then went on staff full time after that. He was ordained a year later and has been in the ministry ever since. Tomorrow we will begin a new church campus of our church with my husband being the campus pastor. Wow - God really had a plan!!

    So keep focused on God. If He is calling you, He will have a place for you to go as well.
     
  11. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    Talk to your pastor, he may know of opportunities. He may know of a small church that needs a pastor. Let it be known that you desire to pastor. Speak to your seminary, many have lists of churchs needing pastors.

    ===

    " I do not know of any Pastor who is afraid of mentoring because you will take control away from them"

    You are fortunate, but they are around. Knew one years ago that ran off every teacher that started having a ministry with people in his church. As a result the church was small. He ran four individuals off in the three years I was in the area.
     
  12. Crucified in Christ

    Crucified in Christ New Member

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    Perhaps, I missed something, but I was assuming that Living was not seminary educated. I would also disagree with his readiness to Pastor a small church; if he doesn't have much experience, he does not need to be the pastor of any church yet.
     
  13. Crucified in Christ

    Crucified in Christ New Member

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    Vincent,
    I love it when any person wants to serve the Lord. We need fellow laborers. Still, the preparation process for most of us is very long indeed. I started out volunteering for a couple of years in VBS, Children's department and Youth Dept. After my church saw my faithfulness and devotion to God's Word, they offered me a position co-teaching the youth Sunday School class...eventually, I became the lead teacher of the class- again, this was over a year.
    My faithfulness to shepherding this class, proven in the trenches, led the elders to ask me if I would consider volunteering for a year as Interim Youth Minister. I immediately agreed and poured my heart into that job (while continuing my previous jobs); after one year, the elder asked me to accept the position of paid Youth Pastor.
    I did this for a while and the Lord continued to open doors. While I was interested in full-time youth work, this was not the Lord's plan for me. He began to open doors to preach in area churches, opportunities that I literally never sought. Since I was already preaching regularly in my home church, they licensed me. Doors eventually opened to co-interim pastor a church and then to eventually begin as pastor.
    My point is that all of this happened over many years of hard work, loving and serving the Lord. If you want to pastor a church, realize you will not likely start anywhere near that position. Start volunteering in a department and impress the people there with your faithfulness- all the while explaining to people your call. Over time, if you are called, God will open the door.
    I am not saying that this is you, but I have seen young men who want to preach, but are not willing to serve the Lord in "lesser positions". If you are the Lord's minister, you will love His church and find a way to serve Him in it, whatever it takes. Most of the pastors that I know will tel you of days spent cleaning bathrooms in the church. Why? Because they simply needed to be cleaner. Get serving the Lord...if you are not being allowed to volunteer anywhere, then there is more to the story than you are telling us.
    I am praying for you to find a place of training that you might serve God faithfully.
     
  14. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    From his original post - the one you quoted later: " I have been preparing for years now through of course Bible study, seminary education, fellowship, etc."
     
  15. Living4God21

    Living4God21 New Member

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    Crucified in Christ,

    Thanks for the advice, Yes, I am seminary educated, I hold a M.Min. and will be graduating this Fall with my M.Div. I have been volunteering in youth ministry for about three years and I have taught Bible courses at the college level in the Caribbean. My wife and I have had to travel a great deal over the last 5 years for school and family and I have attended several Baptist churches along the way. Sadly, we just relocated again and I am once again trying to find a conservative Baptist church to get involved with. We are trying to find one that does not compromise our families convictions and this has been somewhat difficult and discouraging. I am not a go with the flow kind of guy, I stand up for what I believe in, and I cannot compromise on my beliefs regarding Biblical separation... and I hold to being taught by and teaching from the KJV. Call me crazy if you desire, but through years of study and prayer this is what I am convicted of. As of this point my wife and I have been faced with two primary categories of churches, either liberal or legalistic. Though you may disagree and I respect that, i am not willing to settle for either of the two. I had rather be divided by Truth than united in error. The churches that I have applied to work with either do not hold the same doctrinal views regarding Bible translations and Biblical separation or are seeking a youth pastor with 5 plus years of paid experience. At this point I will either once again find a place to settle and volunteer or if the Lord wills and allows start my own ministry.
     
  16. abcgrad94

    abcgrad94 Active Member

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    Just curious here. How do you define separation? There are many IFB churches who use the KJV and teach separation. Do you consider the use of prescription drugs as an issue of separation? Is this part of the reason why you cannot find what you are looking for in a church?
     
  17. Living4God21

    Living4God21 New Member

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    No, the medicine issue has not come up in a church setting, I teach this on the side for those who are willing to listen. This has nothing to do with medicine period. Rather it is the liberal mindset of many churches (women holding pastoral office, immodest clothing, alcohol consumption, etc.) and the legalistic mindset (which I have seen to some very dangerous extremes such as divorced people or members being treated as second class citizens) divorce in many churches has come to be looked at as the unforgivable sin. Why is God's grace not enough for these people?
     
  18. abcgrad94

    abcgrad94 Active Member

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    I see. From your other posts, I gathered that you felt modern medicine was a separation issue for you.

    As for your experience with IFB's being one extreme or another, that has been my experience as well. Our church is more "middle of the road" so we don't seem to fit in with either crowd. Sometimes I think I'd make a fine Southern Baptist instead, because I'm not into the legalism or the more liberal mindset.
     
  19. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    God has called every believer to: Himself and to make disciples. If you are not already leading other then you are not a leader. If one is not leading now with at least one person then why be given a church to lead?
     
  20. Crucified in Christ

    Crucified in Christ New Member

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    Apparently, that speed reading course did absolutely nothing to help my reading comprehension. I'm going back to the second grade...in the meantime, please accept my apology.
     
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