As a new Christian I was a bit lost. When evaluating the pastors around me I was like a kid who grew up without a dad, I did not know what to look for in this guy. At the same time I was frustrated because I was seeing steady apathy, compromise and doctrinal indifference from pastors.
“How did these guys get to be pastors?” I would ask.
In God’s good providence, at about the same time I visited The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. Dr. Danny Akin, who was at Southern at this time, articulately said what I needed to hear: “Many pastors should not be pastors.” He went on to exhort all of the men who were in attendance with a quote from Spurgeon where the Prince of Preachers said: “Do not enter the ministry if you can help it.” Akin rightly continued exhorting those in attendance, “If you can do anything else than do it!”
You can imagine how I was in something of a mental and theological full-nelson. On the one hand pastoral ministry is a noble, self-sacrificing, even admirable profession. People who serve in this way should be encouraged. On the other hand, this is serious, serious business that you don’t want to trifle with…avoid it at all costs!
So, how do you decide to get into ministry? Is it like volunteering to be a Big-Brother or work at the BoysClub? Does God even ask for volunteers for gospel ministry? David Hegg in his helpful book Appointed to Preach, says “no”–instead, Hegg argues that God drafts men into service.
“When it comes to putting men into pastoral ministry, the evidence shows that God drafts those He intends to use in leadership. Far from calling for volunteers, God descended upon Moses, upon the prophets, the disciples, Paul, and a host of other men down through history. The idea that God is waiting for men to come to him and sign on as leaders in his kingdom may appeal to our modern sense of nobility, but it just won’t stand up to the evidence of Scripture.” (p. 17)
Hegg’s word picture and conclusion have been helpful for me to think through this tension between what I was seeing in churches from what I was reading in Scripture. It is always good to have my leash yanked by the Word of God. Since then it has been good to be instructed of and see faithful shepherding modeled in the local church context.
Along these lines, here is just a brief job description for the one who is drafted into the ministry of the word:
desire the post (1 Tim. 3.1)
be above reproach, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach (1 Tim. 3.2)
not pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money (1 Tim. 3.3)
be a leader in your home (1 Tim. 3.4)
be disciplined (1 Tim. 4.7)
be a good example of a believer for a believer (1 Tim. 4.12)
be committed to public exhortation and teaching (1 Tim. 4.13)
be absorbed in ministry and clearly making progress (1 Tim. 4.15)
be paying close attention to his life and his doctrine (1 Tim. 4.16)
be persevering (1 Tim. 4.16)
be impartial (1 Tim. 5.21)
be continually pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness (1 Tim. 6.11)
be fanatical about personal sanctification (1 Tim. 6.14)
be unashamed of Jesus’ gospel (2 Tim. 1.8)
be willing to suffer (2 Tim. 1.8)
be strong in grace (2 Tim. 2.1)
be committed to discipleship (2 Tim. 2.2)
be captivated by the risen Savior (2 Tim. 2.8)
be committed to his flock (2 Tim. 2.14)
be diligent & conscientious in the study (2 Tim. 2.15)
be fleeing from youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2.22)
be pursuing righteousness, love and peace (2 Tim. 2.22)
not be prone to arguing (2 Tim. 2.24)
be kind to all (2 Tim. 2.24)
be able to teach (2 Tim. 2.24)
be patient when wronged (and you will be!) (2 Tim. 2.24)
be committed to gentle correction (2 Tim. 2.25)
be scared to death of offending Jesus (2 Tim. 4.1)
be committed to preaching the word of God (2 Tim. 4.2)
always be ready (2 Tim. 4.2)
be correcting, admonishing, encouraging> all patiently and doctrinally! (2 Tim. 4.2)
be sober (2 Tim. 4.5)
be doing the work of an evangelist (2 Tim. 4.5)
be loving the flock of Christ (Acts 20.28)
and the fuel of it all: be loving Jesus Christ preeminently! (John 21.15-17; Jam. 1.12)
Any volunteers?
For the sake of the glory of God, the good of the church, and the preservation of your own sanity, if you are not being fitted by God to carry out such a ministry then please do something else!
On the other hand, if you are being shaped by God for such a work, know that God has always and is now drafting, sustaining and fueling men and thanks be to God!
It is so good this way, for it is in such a system the man of God will not rely upon himself to lead the church but upon the church’s very head, the ultimate Senior Pastor, Jesus Christ himself who will forever outrank everyone.
O’ may pastors fear and love Jesus until we see him!