What is a Call?

Pastors and Teachers
by Derek Prime
(Highland Books, 1989, ISBN 0946616523)

This book is required reading for some course work. The author was the pastor of Charlotte Baptist Church in Edinburgh for 18 years. I have found it very helpful so far. (I have read 35% of it.) Out of the depth of his experience he describes the necessary disciplines for the ministry. He also gives helpful practical tips that at least help the reader think how he would deal with the same situation.

The initial chapter on the ‘call’ to ministry was interesting, not least because I don’t think I have a fully worked out view of what a ‘call’ is! I have met a range of people with almost the as broad a range of opinions.

Prime marks out four elements of a genuine call:

• A desire to teach and nurture the flock for their eternal well-being
  
• A desire for preparation and training
  
• Circumstances which occur to allow the practice of gifts e.g. preaching, pastoring
  
• The recognition by the local church of which the man is a member that there is a call
  

It is important that the burden for discernment is shared between the man and his church. One can lead oneself to believe that the first two items are satisfied through subjective reflection. One can be deceived. The third and fourth are necessary objective (from the point of view of the subject of the possible call) tests as checks and balances on the first two.