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Home > Articles > Answering the Call
Answering the Call
Before taking a call as a pastor, ponder these three considerations.
Doyle Tunnell

Topics:Calling, Church staff, Discernment, Human limitations, Leadership, Pastors
Filters:Church board, Deacon, Discipleship, Pastor, Pastoral care, Shepherd
Purpose:Ministry
References:1 Samuel 3:4-10, 1 Timothy 3:6, Hebrews 11:8
Date Added:July 11, 2007

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To any perspective pastor I would strongly advise to clearly assess the spiritual health of your potential church. Ask enough questions to get a feel for the commitment level of the members. Find out what they value. Ask about interpersonal conflicts. Find out where they would like to accomplish in the coming year.

Asking lots of honest, forthright questions now will save you a lot of unpleasant surprises later.

Don't Be Fooled by a False Hope

There are miraculous stories how God turned dead churches into dynamic ministries. Jim Cymbala's remarkable story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle stands as an encouragement to us all. He tells in his book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire how God turned a small congregation with ushers who stole the offering into a ministry that reached from the inner city out to world. However all too often these stories are not the norm.

There are hindrances in some churches that even good leadership cannot overcome. In some churches tradition will always trump innovation. In other churches reaching out to the community will never take precedence over caring for their own. In my particular situation each member of the churches governing board said that they wanted to grow followed by the statement that they all loved being part of a small church. They didn't want to grow they just wanted the security of a little better attendance and a little more money in the offering. My thinking was skewed by idealistic dreams rather than realistically assessing the situation.

How did my story end? Well it hasn't yet. I'm still at the same church. God has done some wonderful things and the church has made some progress. I believe the Lord allowed it all for a reason, yet I still think that he could have used me more effectively if I had only been aware of these things sooner. It may not have changed my mind but it may have prepared me for the reality of pastoral ministry.

Doyle Tunnell is the pastor of Heartland Free Methodist Church in Greenville, Tennessee.