Guidance needed

Although I am pretty new here, I feel comfortable enough to ask for some ministrial advice (is "ministrial" a word?).

I acepted the call to ministry about seven years or so ago. I say ministry, because at the time I didn't really know in what direction God wanted me to go. Anyway, to my shame, I did not move forward. A couple of other guys accepted the call about the same time as I did. One was a pharmacist, with a B.S., so he started his Masters degree part-time at night. The other quit his job, took out student loans, and started full-time Bible school. I, however, did nothing.

I talked with my pastor at the time about my calling. He encouraged me to not get discouraged, and to try to get on day shift (he liked to use Wed. nights to let the young preachers "get their feet wet"). I did get day shift, but it came two weeks after our pastor resigned to take another church in a different state. Needless to say, I was devastated (I do not blame him...I believe he was following the will of God), and I was left without a mentor, and without direction. Our church went through three interims in just over three years, and only one of those was approachable (he was younger than the others). But, by the time I was familiar enough to try to approach him, he stepped down.

Eventually, my family and I sought out another church. God led us to our present church, a much smaller church. We feel that this is where God wants us to be, but I am in the same fix as before. We have been at our church for almost four years. Our pastor does let me preach occasionally (about once a quarter), but I feel like a cross between a discarded shoe and a caged animal.

I feel that I am called to be a pastor, not just an occasional preacher. I do not have a seminary education (although I am enrolled in corespondance Bible school). I have no outlet in which to find that which I feel I so desperately need, namely to preach and teach and get some exposure. I do not hold this against my pastor (he is a bit of a loner, in that he preaches against "yard sales, and bake sales, and car washes to uphold the churches finances", which is not that popular with many other pastors in our area).

Anyway, to get to my point and my dilemma- I do not know how I should go about getting into/starting a/my ministry. Should I sit still and wait on my pastor to recommend me to some one, should I be searching out an opportunity, and if so, how? I am totally lost on the subject, and do not know where to turn, or who to ask. I am posting this because we are Baptists, of like faith and beliefs, and I do not think I am going to be bombarded by some of the mumbo-jumbo I see and hear elsewhere.

Please, this is a serious request. I pray that some of you have been where I am, and can lend me your guidance.

 

I do thank you all for your replies thus far, both here and in private.

As to MY level of education, I am a high school grad with a little college under my belt. I am enrolled in, but have not started, corespondance school ( Andersonville Theological Seminary ). My level of Bible literacy is, IMNSHO, high (I have had the privilege to sit under some very kowledgable and gifted pastors, to have had access to great expository teaching by way of radio [Moody and Tennessee Temple], and am a voracious reader with rather good retention). My understanding of the doctrines of the Bible are solid (I may not use the technical term for most of them, but I can "put the cookies on the bottom shelf" for others). Although I am not a snot-slinging, Hell-and-brimstone, wild-eyed, shoutin' kind of preacher (I do tend to get passionate), I am able to get down into my message and bring across the centrality of the message.

As to the other that Dr. Bob asked about...I am 35 years old. I was saved at 22, accepted the call at 28 (in between 22 and 28 I tried to outrun, outmanuever, outsmart, and outbargain God...I lost). I have been married to my wife for 16 and a half years (since a few months after high school). I have a daughter, who is now 15, starting to drive, and is the princess of the world ( ). I work for a...no, THE major soft drink bottler in the world (who believes that man does not need any time off, must work 10+ hours a day, and still show up with a GREAT attitude...Honestly, I really do like my job ).

As far as ministry at every turn, I have found that many have all the help we need (Thank You Very Much!), are really esoteric (we minister to Siberian heat stroke victims), or follow beliefs that I cannot agree to or abide. That is not to say that there are not ministries out there that would love what I have to offer, but they have not broke the surface as of yet.

Please, do not take me as being pessimistic. I have, as they say, "been there and done that", and bear the scars to prove it. I am at an impasse as far as what I am trying to do, and how to best get there from here. I do thank you all (those who have posted, those who have written me personally, and those who have taken the time to read the lines that I have set forth). May God richly Bless and Keep you all!

In Christ,
Trotter