Have any found themselves called by God but not a Church?

You need to volunteer somewhere. Just because a person is paid doesn't mean he/she is called.

 

What are you doing right now? I agree with Saggy Woman. Serve God right now you are in the church you are a member of.

Are you trying to start as the lead/senior pastor? What are you willing to do right now? I served as a Christian school teacher, youth pastor, Christian radio producer and church staff person all before I became a pastor, which I knew was God's will for me all along. Be willing to do anything in a church.

 

Remember, Jesus spent 30 years training for a 3 year ministry.

Things were different years ago. The colleges dispatched students to teach and preach in various churches, and often we ended up in student pastorates of small churches. The important point is that we started off small and worked our way up in ministry.

The above have offered a good word. If called, get out in the field working. The Lord will open a door in His time.

Cheers,

Jim

 

One wise person once said (actually, it was a Puritan) that you are not called to be a Pastor until you are called by a church. While you may one day be called to Pastor a Church, God must first call you. Get under a Godly man and let him mentor you, go through intense discipleship, and wait on the Lord.

Be patient and when you are called is when you are called.

 

That's the hard part right there. I know in my case either the pastor has moved on, retired, or just flat out did his own thing (to the detriment of the church). So many either won't make the effort to mentor or are afraid you might somehow take some of his control away.

 

I am not sure what you mean by "pastoral experience," but the NT knows nothing of a man called to the ministry by the Lord but not by His church.

What do you mean by undisputed? And who is making this evaluation that it is "undisputed"? I would say that if it is undisputed, that God will have His church recognize that call? God has established his church to train and recognize men for pastoral ministry in order to perpetuate the faith. If your pastor is not recognizing this call, find out why. Ask for some hard words from him about your gifts. If he is not willing to offer them, then find someone who will.

Come here. I will give you plenty of experience. It will be unpaid, but it will be experience.

 

Trotter, I do not know of any Pastor who is afraid of mentoring because you will take control away from them--even pastors who I may doubt some of their motives.

Some Pastors are not good mentors, but other pastors would love to mentor. I echo what Pastor Larry said, if you want to be mentored, I could find you a place where you can be mentored. It may not pay anything but you will be developed.

 

Talk to your pastor, he may know of opportunities. He may know of a small church that needs a pastor. Let it be known that you desire to pastor. Speak to your seminary, many have lists of churchs needing pastors.

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" I do not know of any Pastor who is afraid of mentoring because you will take control away from them"

You are fortunate, but they are around. Knew one years ago that ran off every teacher that started having a ministry with people in his church. As a result the church was small. He ran four individuals off in the three years I was in the area.

 

Perhaps, I missed something, but I was assuming that Living was not seminary educated. I would also disagree with his readiness to Pastor a small church; if he doesn't have much experience, he does not need to be the pastor of any church yet.

 

Vincent,
I love it when any person wants to serve the Lord. We need fellow laborers. Still, the preparation process for most of us is very long indeed. I started out volunteering for a couple of years in VBS, Children's department and Youth Dept. After my church saw my faithfulness and devotion to God's Word, they offered me a position co-teaching the youth Sunday School class...eventually, I became the lead teacher of the class- again, this was over a year.
My faithfulness to shepherding this class, proven in the trenches, led the elders to ask me if I would consider volunteering for a year as Interim Youth Minister. I immediately agreed and poured my heart into that job (while continuing my previous jobs); after one year, the elder asked me to accept the position of paid Youth Pastor.
I did this for a while and the Lord continued to open doors. While I was interested in full-time youth work, this was not the Lord's plan for me. He began to open doors to preach in area churches, opportunities that I literally never sought. Since I was already preaching regularly in my home church, they licensed me. Doors eventually opened to co-interim pastor a church and then to eventually begin as pastor.
My point is that all of this happened over many years of hard work, loving and serving the Lord. If you want to pastor a church, realize you will not likely start anywhere near that position. Start volunteering in a department and impress the people there with your faithfulness- all the while explaining to people your call. Over time, if you are called, God will open the door.
I am not saying that this is you, but I have seen young men who want to preach, but are not willing to serve the Lord in "lesser positions". If you are the Lord's minister, you will love His church and find a way to serve Him in it, whatever it takes. Most of the pastors that I know will tel you of days spent cleaning bathrooms in the church. Why? Because they simply needed to be cleaner. Get serving the Lord...if you are not being allowed to volunteer anywhere, then there is more to the story than you are telling us.
I am praying for you to find a place of training that you might serve God faithfully.

 

From his original post - the one you quoted later: " I have been preparing for years now through of course Bible study, seminary education, fellowship, etc."

 

Just curious here. How do you define separation? There are many IFB churches who use the KJV and teach separation. Do you consider the use of prescription drugs as an issue of separation? Is this part of the reason why you cannot find what you are looking for in a church?

 

I see. From your other posts, I gathered that you felt modern medicine was a separation issue for you.

As for your experience with IFB's being one extreme or another, that has been my experience as well. Our church is more "middle of the road" so we don't seem to fit in with either crowd. Sometimes I think I'd make a fine Southern Baptist instead, because I'm not into the legalism or the more liberal mindset.

 

God has called every believer to: Himself and to make disciples. If you are not already leading other then you are not a leader. If one is not leading now with at least one person then why be given a church to lead?

 

Apparently, that speed reading course did absolutely nothing to help my reading comprehension. I'm going back to the second grade...in the meantime, please accept my apology.