“Looking For Work”

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

      I’m looking to become a pastor/minister/preacher, but how do I know for sure that this is what God is calling me to do?  And how do I know where God is calling me to go?

Sincerely,
Seeking Direction

Dear Seeking Direction,

A pastor is not the same thing as a minister/preacher.  A pastor is an elder who shepherds a local congregation (1 Pet 5:1-2).  You will know you are called to be a pastor when the congregation assesses you as a qualified man to serve in the eldership – after all, elders are always in groups.  There is no example of a pastor leading a congregation by themselves.  A congregation knows a man is qualified to serve as an elder when he meets the qualifications found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  There is a lot of confusion in the religious world over this role, and the fact is that pastors aren’t the same thing as preachers!

If you want to know whether or not you are qualified to preach, read through 1^st and 2^nd Timothy which are letters Paul wrote to the young preacher, Timothy, and see if you are doing what a preacher should do.  Preaching begins with studying to know what the Bible says and then actively doing it.  If you are in a faithful congregation, you can ask them about how to get practice preaching and experience in the pulpit – that is what we do with our young men in our congregation.  If you need a faithful congregation, (after all, lots of them aren’t following the Bible pattern) we would be happy to help you find one.  Simply e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

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