OK, I hear you!

My hearing is just fine. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding people who mumble, but that is no reflection on my ability to hear them mumbling.

A while back I heard God’s voice leading me into pastoral ministry. From the very moment I understand what God wanted for my life I headed off in that direction and have never looked back. However, I have allowed this calling to manifest itself in different forms. Let me explain. I know I am supposed to be a pastor. I believe my purpose for being a pastor is to, “make the gospel of Jesus Christ as simple to understand as possible.” With this kind of thinking there are a lot of different things I could do vocationally that would both be pastoral and fulfilling.

As I have sought out various kinds of positions, I have been denied at every turn. Here is a list of the pastoral and possibility fulfilling positions that I have looked into I the past while:

Chaplain for the YMCA
Dean of Student Life at a Bible College
Area Director for Young Life
Chaplain for a downtown rescue mission
Church Planter (on the left and right coast)
Campus Pastor
Teacher at a Christian School
Professor at a Christian College
Church Relationship Director for international Relief agency
Director of an urban youth ministry program
Military Chaplain (this one actually came looking for me.)

A long time ago, I made the decision not to get a PhD. for two reasons 1) the language requirements were overwhelming. I have a hard enough time with English, not to mention Hebrew, Greek and a Classical language too. 2) I believe God has led me to serve in the local church. Don’t get me know, having a PhD. does not exclude one from working in the church. It is just not the direction God wanted me to go.

So the problem with all of the above jobs, with the exception of one, is that they are not in local churches. To be more specific, my role in a local church will be one where my particular gift set (Teaching/Leadership/Administration) will be exercised regularly. This will satisfy both the calling and purpose.

The whole process of search, applying, sometimes interviewing for and always being denied the list of jobs above, serves only to reconfirm God's original direction in my life. “Pastor,” God said, and I heard him clearly.