Discerning Your Call To Ministry

“The church has needed this book for a long time.” — Russell Moore If you are considering the ministry, there are two mistakes to avoid. The first is taking up a calling that isn’t yours. The second is neglecting one that is. Discerning Your Call to Ministry will help you know the difference. A tool for seminary students, pastors-in-training, and even current pastors, it serves to confirm or prompt deep thought about the calling to ministry through 10 probing questions, including: Do you desire the ministry? Does your church affirm your calling? Do you love the people of God? Are you willing to surrender? Pastoral dropout rates are high, and seminary admission rates are declining—signs that many of us don’t quite know what we’re signing ourselves up for. Author Jason Allen, a former pastor and the president of North America’s fastest growing seminary, gives readers a better picture of the calling. Presenting a series of diagnostic questions informed by Scripture, church history, and his own experience, he helps those seeking ordination or ministry positions make confident decisions about their service to God, one way or the other.

This is a different sort of book. Or workbook. Or journal. Whatever it is, this resource from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is meant to help you discern whether or not God has called you to ministry. And it's meant for you to use and devour. You'll notice pages with blank space; those pages are for you to respond to questions, react to the quotations and reflect on the Scripture references you'll find throughout. So, open your Bible, get out your pen and discover whether God has called you to this most noble and weighty task.

Many men have the skills to lead a church, but only some are called. Dave Harvey helps men considering pastoral ministry to see God’s active role in the process of discerning their calling. God’s Word offers a clear framework for evaluating one’s call, especially within the context of community. Harvey offers six diagnostic questions to help prospective pastors process their calling, and what they should be doing now if they aren’t sure. Illustrated with personal and historical stories, Harvey explores biblical and practical principles for determining the pastoral call. Over the past twenty-four years of ministry, Harvey has enjoyed assisting many men in discerning whether they are called into ministry. This book will guide you through that all-important process with wisdom and confidence in God’s faithfulness in your life.

What is Christ's calling to you? You may be seeking an answer; you may be avoiding the question, but when the Lord calls, he will be answered. God's call came suddenly to Elisha; he was plowing a field when Elijah cast the prophet's mantle on him. Levi was in a toll booth, and Peter held a fishing net when Jesus called them. But how does the Lord call today? You have not been blinded by a heavenly light on the road to Damascus, but you are ready to say with Saul of Tarsus, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" How does the Lord answer that question? - Introduction.

As a woman in the church, it's difficult to know what it means to say "I'm called to ministry." Whether you have been wrestling with that calling for years or are just starting to ask what it means, Now That I'm Called will provide you with guidance and direction on your journey. Perhaps you are feeling the Holy Spirit leading you toward vocational ministry but are unsure of what that means or if you are hearing the voice of the Lord correctly. This book will help you answer these questions and serve as a guide as you walk down this new and unfamiliar path. Author Kristen Padilla answers questions like: What does the Bible say about ministerial calling? Can I, as a woman, be called to gospel ministry? What is the difference between spiritual gifts and ministerial roles within the church? Is there value in obtaining a theological education? Should I go to a Bible college, seminary, or divinity school, and what is the difference between these three? What is the value in having a ministerial mentor and doing internships? What if I feel called to ministry but do not know what type of ministry? Each chapter ends with further questions, exercises, assignments, and stories of real women doing vocational ministry. This is a book that will prepare you for a lifetime of vocational service to God. You will walk away with a biblical understanding of ministerial calling and a robust view of women in gospel ministry, as well as practical tools to help you pursue God's call for your life. X

A book designed for use by all persons interested in examining their call to ministry whether as a future pastor, associate in ministry, deaconess, deaconal minister, or for ministry in daily life. For college age and adults.

In every generation, the church stands in dire need of God-called people to preach the Word with precision and power. Preachers who will not replace sound theology with culturally palatable soundbites. Preachers who will clearly and faithfully share the gospel and inspire those in their churches to live godly lives. Through in-depth biblical analysis and inspiring examples from church history, Steven J. Lawson paints a picture of God's glory magnified through faithful preaching, reclaiming the high ground of biblical preaching for the next generation. With helpful advice and practical guidance gleaned from 50 years in ministry, Lawson helps aspiring preachers know if they are called to preach; understand the qualifications for ministry; and develop, improve, and deliver strong expository sermons that illuminate the Word of God in a dark world.

Kingdom Calling offers a compelling theological grounding for the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God. Building creatively on previous studies, it challenges all of us to change so that the whole church can serve the whole mission of God in the whole of life. Kingdom Calling provides a thorough diagnosis of the theological factors that have prevented such a vision being realised over previous decades. These factors are embedded in the social realities of our everyday life and in the sometimes hidden assumptions that shape our thinking in the church. By setting out a sustained proposal for the renewal of our theological imagination, the report points the way to address some deep running fault lines in our common life. Written in an accessible style, Kingdom Calling looks in turn at the vocation, ministry and discipleship of all God’s people, asking what kind of theological thinking and imagining might most help us to flourish together. It affirms and celebrates the vital lay and ordained ministry roles that support the church in God’s mission, and it identifies changes in practice that can better foster the vocation, ministry and discipleship of the whole people of God.