Thoughts on the Possibility of Pastoring, Part 3

“He must see a measure of conversion-work going on under his efforts…As a man to be set apart to the ministry, his commission is without seals until souls are won by his instrumentality to the knowledge of Jesus.”

While difficult to gauge accurately in terms of scope, the depth of difference in others whom God has impacted through my life and ministry seems real enough, both to me and to them. More important is that those of whom I am thinking were not influenced only from a distance by my writing or music, but rather from a personal closeness more congruent with a pastoral-type ministry. In most roles I’ve occupied (and in most relationships I’ve enjoyed), people have seen me as a “pastor” – mostly figuratively, but for some (despite my protests), literally.

“It is needful as a proof of your vocation that your preaching should be acceptable to the people of God….”

This, I suppose, is the last piece of the pastoral puzzle to fall into place; that is, after twelve years of ministry training with The Navigators and four years of seminary training at Covenant, would God lead some congregation somewhere to issue their stamp of approval on my preaching and pastoring potential by calling me to be and become their pastor? The answer is as of yet to be seen, but soon will be – one way or the other – come May of 2009.

Toward the end of his lecture called “The Call to the Ministry,” Spurgeon wrote:

“A really valuable minister would have excelled at anything. There is scarcely anything impossible to a man who can keep a congregation together for years, and be the means of edifying them for hundreds of consecutive Sabbaths; he must be possessed of some abilities, and be by no means a fool or ne’er-do-well. Jesus Christ deserves the best men to preach His Cross, and not the empty-headed and the shiftless.”

If Spurgeon is correct, I can and want to trust God for a good outcome in his service; by God’s grace, I want to avoid living as “a fool or ne’er-do-well”…“empty-headed,” “shiftless.”

Make me one of your best, Lord Jesus – not for my sake, but for yours and your Kingdom’s. And keep me from screwing it all up too badly if indeed this is your call for me.