inexperienced pastor seeking a chance

Well Matthew that is quite a first post.

Step one is to serve God where you are. You need to be active in the ministry of a local Baptist church and serving under the guidance of an experienced pastor. Education is great and you should start taking some classes, but the Biblical model is discipleship. You need to be working under another pastor who can prepare you for ministry.

Divorce is going to hurt you in Baptist circles, regardless of the reasons. Most Baptists will disqualify you for the job of pastor. I am sure you understand their biblical reasons for this. But that does not mean God is through with you or has discarded you. There are still lots of other ministry opportunities including preaching.

Prove yourself where you are Matthew. Support your pastor. Teach Sunday School. Drive a bus. Go soul winning. Lead others to Christ and bring them to church.

I am big on planning. I love to know where I will be and what I will be doing 10 years from now. My entire life I have been very goal oriented. I saw where I wanted to be and I made plans to get there. God does not work that way. He wants us to trust him each day. He reveals his plan for our lives a day at a time. We don’t get a 10 year extended vision plan. At least I don’t.

I am very frustrated with my own ministry right now Matthew. I had some education goals and have met them. I don’t know what God has next for me and it is frustrating. I don’t know what God wants me to do 5 years from now. But I do know what he wants me to do this weekend.

Just take one step at a time brother.

 

NC tentmakers reply was good.

I would echo what he said regarding divorce. To me personally I believe this would disqualify your from the role of a pastor, but certainly not from other areas of Christian service.

I will add that it is imperatively important to get a good education before embarking into ministry. God says that a man who desires to be a bishop (pastor/ elder) must not be a novice- that is inexperienced. You need to know the Bible well and have a good handle on theology, how to exegete a text, and craft it into a message.

I don´t say this to discourage you but to encourage you to pursue a solid, biblical education. Talk with you pastor. See what he recommends.

 

I have just started as an Associate Pastor so I lack experience, but I would like to offer a suggestion. When you speak with your pastor, be willing to do whatever he has for you, encluding mowing the grass or cleaning the restrooms. You may want to ask about a youth ministry, prison ministry, nursing home ministry, etc. If someone in the church is already doing these, ask if you can help. It is a great ministry opportunity and good experience.

 

Serve, serve, serve wherever and whenever. Even for those of us without the divorce issue and a seminary degree, opportunities didn't just fall in our lap. I answered God's call to preach in 1988. It was 1995 before I was called to my first church. In that seven years I preached when asked, taught S.S., lead committees, worked with youth and children, sang in the choir, made lots of visits, served as a deacon, led special Bible studies, etc.

 

I always pastored a church from the day I decided to enter ministry. I am not sure what it would be like to-day with everyone so degree oriented. I only had Bible College at first and was ordained upon graduation in the British Baptist Union. I then came to Canada and within a few weeks I had a small pastorate in Ontario. The Korean War broke out and I became a military chaplain. I then owed the military 8 years, but it paid for my seminary and university studies.

Early on a professor said to me, "Jim, whatever you become in life, be available." That to me is the key to service....Be available. Allow the Lord to have His way. It is always best. The only time I ran into trouble was when I decided I wanted a particular church to pastor. It lasted 8 months and it was hell on earth. We parted company with mutual blessings.

Be patient, trust God and be available.

Cheers, and bless,

Jim

 

Being well trained for the ministry is a good thing. While some churches may place too much emphasis on the credentials I think a great deal more hold a high regard for the kind of training that God used to prepare the pastor they had 20 years ago who walked them through grandma's death, the pastor 10 years ago who was there for them when their wife found out she had an incurable disease, or the pastor who could just help make sense of the Bible to them.

They respect the credentials because of the kind of men who have impacted their lives who held them.

 

Matthew,

Keep keeping your eyes on God as he leads you. In his timing, if it is his will for you, it will happen.

God bless, my brother in Christ.

 

I'm not a preacher or pastor, so forgive the intrusion into this thread. I just wanted to cite Jesus' training of his disciples for three years as a good example of preparation.

 

Yes, to GOD give the glory. I think you are probably a called minister of the Gospel.I will ask a questuin? Was Apostle Paul ever married? I can't find any evidence in the Bible, however I may have overlooked something.

 

Yes, theological training is indispensable, whether at a Bible College/seminary or at the feet of a seasoned, godly pastor.

 

Training is essential, but most churches want it documented on a diploma. I studied the Bible for nearly 30 years before I pastored a church, but earned a seminary degree (MAR) to document it. I "tested out" of all of the (fully accredited) seminary's theolgy courses, but the parchment gave me validation and documentation of my education.

However, I believe that the best way to train young men for the ministry is mentorship:

(2 Tim 2:1-2) "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

As has been said repeatedly, pastoring is probably not in the future for you.

 

Welcome fellow survivor of the Storm of 2009. Generators for sale at:

overpriced_generators_for_sale_to_all_who_don't_know_how_to_hook_them_up_without_killing_themselves_or_someone_else.com

Our power came back on at 1915 CST, after going out last Tuesday night. Many of our fellow Kentuckians will be without power for weeks to come.

 

Matthew,

Regardless of what an individual's interpretation might be, the fact of the matter is that most baptist churches would not allow someone in your situation to be a pastor, fair or not.

Now, if you are in other circles than those most common on this board, such as CBF or ABCUSA, then you may find opportunities for pastoring.

 

Divorce does not keep one from serving God. One can still preach the gospel and spread the Word of God like all are commanded to do. Being a pastor is not the only way to serve God. Most Baptist churches will not call a pastor who has been divorced and remarried to a different woman. All Baptist churches that follow the NT qualifications for pastors will not call a divorced pastor who is remarried to a different woman.
My prayers are with you.

 

Have you ever thought of being a Missionary or even a Church Planter, both could use your call to Preach but would not require you to be a Pastor, which in my view you are disqualified for because of the divorce. God can still use you just not as a Pastor and he can use you to preach. :godisgood:

 

Am I missing something or can God do anything He wants for His glory. Although he is divorced, if God called him to pastor a church, God will have him pastor a church. If his ex-wife was not saved and wanted to leave him, that's her fault. She wanted it! He didn't. How dare a man say that God can not use someone to do what God calls him to do? Are we using man's standards and man's interpetations and just taking the parts of the bible we want? I see that God gives a provision for this! And Matthew has made it clear. Get your head out of the traditionalism of "what I was taught" and read the Bible for yourselves.

 

The only thing that can prevent you from being a pastor, is God and man, man being the huge barrier.

I married an Anglican woman, and pastored Baptist Churches all my life. One church even insisted that she partake of the Lord's Supper in that church!

Cheers,

Jim