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610 Views 1 Replies Last post: Feb 17, 2010 2:27 PM by Swede RSS
qwd Community Member 1 posts since
Nov 24, 2009
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 30, 2010 11:02 PM

To pastor again or not to pastor again?

I have been out of the minsitry for four years.  Our church was going through a multi-million dollar law suit, and with pastoring a growing church and the law suit, I shut down mentally.  I feel like God is calling me back into the ministry, but everytime I talk with a church I really don't care if I pastor it our not.  I did pastor a church bi-vocational for about a year and a half and the church grew from 23 to 63 with a number of baptism's, but during the whole time I was there I didn't care if I was pastoring our not.  I am leading worship in a church now, and I enjoy it, but I am not very committed to the church.
Swede Community Member 9 posts since
Jul 14, 2006
Currently Being Moderated
1. Feb 17, 2010 4:07 PM in response to: qwd
Re: To pastor again or not to pastor again?

Your post raises many questions in my mind. Why do you feel you want to pastor a church again? What is keeping you from committing to your present congregation? Moreover, What are you committed to and how might your present church or other opportunities fit into that committment?

 

Many of the pastors who advised me prior to my entry into pastoral ministry told me that if there was anything else I could do beside pastor a church, I should do it. I was told the same thing about marriage. I was told to never marry a woman I thought I could live with; Only marry the woman I knew I couldn't live without. Ministry can be brutal. It takes a great commitment to persevere.

 

 

Another thought to consider: In my Pastoral Theology class in seminary we discussed the difference between the Internal Call and the External Call. The Internal Call (The feeling you are called to ministry) is the call to prepare. The Internal Call may later be confirmed by an external call, the letter from a specific congregation inviting you to pastor them.  The Internal Call should lead to gaining appropriate education and building relationships with those in your denomination responsible for credentialing and recomending men for open pulpits. In order to investigate the veracity of your sense of call and to clarify what it means, I suggest you talk to someone responsible for pastoral supervision in your denomination. Explain the mixed feelings you are sensing and ask his advice. There may be a need outside of parish ministry that requires someone with your skills and experience. Or he may say that further time is necessary for you to heal.

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