In many corners of evangelicalism, there seems to be a certain level of “holiness” ascribed to men who run from the call to pastor. In an effort to assuage against those who would enter into the pastorate for personal gain or out of some other sinful desire, those who desire to pastor are often looked down upon. But why? Paul is very clear, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1).
The office of overseer or pastor is a noble task, and he would aspire to it is commended by Paul. The word aspirehas as its original meaning, “to stretch one’s self out in order to grasp something, to reach after or desire something.” Aspireis not a commonly used word by most people today and as a result the word can carry a sort of sanctified tone. Even when we take God at his word, we can sort of distort the meaning so as to make Paul’s words a bit more palatable to our modern ears. However, Paul says that a man who is reaching out to the office of pastor is doing a noble—that is a good and beautiful—thing.
Do you feel called? If you are serving as a pastor, do you want to be where you are? Now I don’t mean necessarily in the church you are in, but do you want to pastor? Do you desire to serve God’s people as a shepherd.
Unfortunately, I meet many men who don’t seem to have any longing to oversee God’s people. Some of these men entered into the pastorate because they had some gifts of preaching or teaching that were recognized by others and as a result they assumed that they were supposed to be pastors. Some of these men are pastors because their dads were pastors. Some men are serving as pastors because they are looking for a sense of fulfillment. They are broken people who have bought the lie that they can somehow be fixed by trying to fix others.
I know I sound harsh here, but the reality is that if you have no desire to be a pastor, then don’t be a pastor. Certainly, some of you will read this and will cite the Jeremiah or perhaps Hosea. They regularly lamented their role, but it was Jeremiah who declared, “If I say ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a fire burning shut up in my bones, and I am weary with hold it in, and I cannot.” Jeremiah knew the struggles and trials of ministry. He is not called the weeping prophet for nothing.
If you think your ministry is hard, consider his mission from God: declare my judgment. People hated Jeremiah and his only confidence was in God’s promise that he would not be harmed. He laments his call, “O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived. You are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.” Serving as God’s prophet was a duty for Jeremiah, but not always a delight.
As a pastor, the same holds true. You have a calling, a duty, a responsibility from God. It is not always easy. It is not always fun, but you are called to obey and you are called to do so with some degree of joy and delight. You should desire your task. Even Jeremiah, as he curses the very day he was born, proclaims, “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.”
God’s weeping prophet didn’t desire to be mistreated and abused. Isaiah didn’t enjoy walking around naked or and Ezekiel certainly wasn’t fond of food cooked over cow dung. However, there was still joy and satisfaction in the service of the Lord. Jeremiah could sing praises to the Lord in the midst of his depression because he desired to serve the Lord as his mouthpiece.
He who aspires to the office of overseer desires a noble task. It should be the case that God’s pastors desire that office. Is it true that everyday will filled with joy? No. There will be days, weeks, and perhaps even months when crawling into your study or climbing into the pulpit is a form of drudgery. Pastors should desire the office. But, desire must be checked.
Seventeen hundred years ago, Augustine warned us about the double-edged sword of desire. There is a desire that is healthy and appropriate and there is a desire that is wrong and sinful. Men should desire the office of pastor for God’s glory and for the privilege of serving God’s people. Men should desire the office of pastor because they long to discharge the duties of a pastor. If a man desires the office of pastor, but desires it only because he views it as job security or an easy way to earn a living, he is not qualified. With that in mind, the advice has often been given to those wrestling with God’s call, “If you can do anything else and be satisfied, then do it.”
Wrestling with God’s call is not easy. In my own life, I was the last person to recognize God’s call on my life. Throughout my high school years, the Christian adults in my life saw God’s call (once even warning a girlfriend to break up with me if she didn’t want to be married to a pastor). I was blind. I wasn’t opposed to vocational ministry, but I did have other plans. God made his call very clear to me following the death of a dear friend. In my anger, pain, and grief, I said no. Not only did I not desire to serve God as a pastor, I refused to serve him that way.
In time, my anger turned to fear. No longer did I refuse, instead I ran. I was afraid that I could never live up to the high calling of the pastorate. Resting in my own strength and abilities, I knew full well that I would fail. I would fail God, I would fail others, and I would certainly fail myself. In my mind, surrendering to God’s call meant certain disappointment.
In a twisted sense, my desire to please the Lord and please others was rooted in my ability to do so in my own strength. What I didn’t realize was that surrendering to the call to ministry was not committing to live a perfect life. It wasn’t until a friend walked me through God’s promises in Isaiah 43 that I was willing to surrender to the call to ministry.
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
God turned me around. When I stopped running, when I stopped being afraid, I could hear his voice more clearly. When I began to lean upon his grace and his provision, my heart began to change. No longer did I see all of the reasons why I shouldn’t pastor, instead I began to desire the pastorate. I longed to preach and teach and guide. I craved opportunities to participate in the church in new ways. When I surrendered my will, God changed my desire.
He who aspires to the office of overseers desires a noble task. Men, if you don’t desire to pastor, the find something else to do. You have not failed the Lord if you have not been called to the office of pastor. But, if you do desire that role, work diligently to fulfill you responsibilities with the same degree of nobilitythat is seen in the desire.
If you are reading this as a member of a search committee, keep Paul’s words in mind. The fact that a man desires to pastor your church doesn’t mean that he is somehow less godly than the man who is content to stay right where he is. Desires can be good and godly. An unsolicited resume is not necessarily the sign of immaturity or sinful desires, it may very well be the holy aspirations of a godly man. After all, would you rather have a pastor who wants to be with you or one who worked diligently to stay away?
The man who would lead a church to revitalization must be a man who desires that role. Revitalization is hard work. A church doesn’t become healthy overnight and it will not be healthy without significant, systematic change.
If you are wrestling with a call to pastor, several ingredients will keep you engaged in the ministry of church revitalization: (1) The knowledge that God has called you and (2) A desire to serve as a pastor. On the backside of hard deacons meetings, you need to be able to retreat to your office and remember, that God has called you (That’s why its always a good idea to frame your ordination certificate and hang it in your office. It can serve as a regular, visible reminder of God’s call and of your sending church’s affirmation). Then, even when ministry is hard a remember the desire, the joy and satisfaction that you have and have had serving God and his people through the pastoral ministry. Even in the hard days, remember that desire you had to preach in the early days.
Love your candor.