|
|
Pages: Cover,
Content,
1, 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21,
22,
23,
24,
25,
26,
27,
28, 29,
30,
31,
32
|
page 5 of 33
|
|
|
From Call to Settlement |
|
by Lloyd M. Hall, Jr.
|
|
II. THE PERSONAL CALL
|
|
God Speaks
|
|
|
|
If the call to become a minister of Christ issues from anywhere
other than the mind of God, it is a false call and ought to be
rejected.
It is not enough to be swept up into the romance of ministry,
appreciating the art, the music, the literature, and the liturgy.
Ministers will all be, to some extent, "romantics." There is beauty
in the worship and music of the Church, there is mystery in
preaching, and there is pleasure in doing good.
Seven years of higher education and an internship is a high price to
pay for professional standing. Recognizing the "green ceiling" of
ministerial remuneration might make us wonder if the time and
money are worth it.
Real experience in the Church teaches us quickly that the
challenges outstrip our capacities, the personal spiritual emptiness
can be frightening, the "status" conferred by the community is a
mixed blessing, and there is often more energy needed than there is
strength within us to do.
There are - to be sure - many positive things about life as a
minister. It is a joyous servitude.
But there is no rational excuse for entering ministry unless we are
absolutely certain that this is the path to which God has called us.
If that is the case, no urging of reason, rationality, or reality will be
sufficient to deter us.
We Listen
Whatever our stage of life, not yet launched on a career or well
into one, God is always speaking to us of our vocation. What we
do in life is most fulfilling when it is serving God's purposes -
specifically. For some few, that vocation is full-time Christian
ministry.
Any number of things may seem to argue against yielding up to
God in this matter. There are the practical concerns, especially if
we already have a family. There are the economic realities that
ministry may pay a living wage but will not compete with
corporate America. There are long hours, high demands, and
expectations that are hard to meet. But if ministry is where God
wants us to be, we can never be content or fulfilled unless that is
where we are. As with all of God's demands, we have the freedom
to say "no." And as with God's others demands, when we decide
to say "no" we pay a price.
Ultimately the decision to enter the ordained ministry is not so
much something that we have decided to do with our lives as it is
the trusting "yes" to what God keeps calling us to do
|
| |
|
National Association of Congregational Christian
Churches
PO Box 288, Oak Creek, WI 53154 |
|
Pages: Cover,
Content,
1, 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21,
22,
23,
24,
25,
26,
27,
28, 29,
30,
31,
32
|
| Page 5 of 33 |
|
|
