People Spots
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Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Where Do Pastors Come From?
by James W. Moss, Sr.As an Associate Conference Minister, I am visiting in a local church that is currently without a pastor. A leading lay person corners me with a question: “When is the conference going to send us a pastor?” That is a good question. But, that question must be preceded by another one. Where do pastors come from?
It is obvious that a local conference doesn’t have a pocket full of them prepared for assignment when a local church becomes vacant. Conferences or local judicatories don’t produce pastors. It is true that these organizations provide training and affirmation through credentials, but pastors are not the product of a conference. If that is the case, then where do pastors come from?
First there is a call to ministry
Pastors are the product of the ministries of a local church. Potential pastors are called by God to ministry. That call is experienced within the context of the ministry of a local church. It is easier for a person to experience the call of God in a local church where vibrant ministry is occurring. It is not that God doesn’t extend his call in ministry to people in static or declining churches. I just think it may be more difficult for persons to hear that call under those circumstances.
I have been in the church all my life. I remember as a teen that much emphasis was placed on hearing and responding to the call of God for full-time ministry in the church as either a pastor or missionary. It appears that we are not that bold in the challenges given to be positive in our responses to God’s call today. I urge pastors and leaders in local churches to change the best and the brightest for the possibility that God might be calling them for ministry. By the way, if you are a lay person, is God calling you to full-time ministry?
God has, does, and will call people to be pastors in his church today. The local church is the vehicle through which God has chosen to give that call. But then the question arises: Is the call from God? Or is the person just looking for a job? I believe the church will affirm the call of God. In the Eastern Region of the Churches of God, our Commission on Church Vocations carefully interviews potential candidates for ministry. They are looking for evidence of a God-given call and for whether that candidate is a good fit for us.
There is an old story. A farmer was plowing corn. He stopped in the middle of the afternoon and laid under a tree to take a nap. As he looked up into the heavens, he saw the clouds form the letters P and C. He interpreted that to mean that God was calling him to “preach Christ.” An observer commented maybe it really meant he should “plow corn.” Not everyone who says they have been called have truly heard the voice of God.
Our conference also does some psychological testing. Unfortunately the ministry is sometimes attractive to dysfunctional people.
Where do pastors come from? They are called by God through the ministry of the local church. The church then affirms that call. Training follows. Then credentials are issued and the second aspect of call comes into play.
Then a call to a specific ministry
Let me begin by suggesting that you have to ask, “What kind of ministry is God calling me to do?” What are your gifts? Are you being called to start a new church? Are you being called to go into an old church and introduce renewal? Are you being called to cross cultural lines? With your gift mix, what kind of community would you fit in best? Are you most comfortable in rural, developing rural, small town, suburban, or inner city?”
I believe God will call you to serve where you are most gifted to serve. God is like that you know. Will that be in a small, a mid-size, or a large church?
You would be amazed how many folks ask me, “Jim, why is it that God always calls pastors to larger churches with larger salaries? Do you think he ever calls people to smaller churches with less salary?”
Paying the debt
A local church has a debt to the larger church. Really? Yes. A local church needs to produce pastors who have served somewhere in the church for every year they have received pastoral service. Mountain View Church is 100 years of age, it owes the larger church 100 years of ministerial service. That means that church must have produced pastors who have gone elsewhere to serve at least 100 years. If Mountain View hasn’t, they are in debt. Take a look at your church. How long has your church existed? How many pastors have been produced by the ministry of your church? How many years have those pastors served in the church? Has your church been an asset or a liability to the kingdom in this specific area?
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December 3, 2003. Volume 6, Issue 15. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.