Introduction
How do you know if God has called you to preach? This question weighs heavily on many men’s hearts, often creating unnecessary anxiety about dramatic spiritual experiences or burning internal compulsions. In this honest conversation, two pastors share their very different yet remarkably similar journeys into ministry, revealing how the church’s external recognition often plays a more significant role than we might expect in confirming a genuine call to preach.
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Transcript
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Call to preach, gradual call, church service, public reading, youth group, Sunday school, Spanish Ministry, seminary support, ordination, internal call, external call, prison ministry, organic process, pastoral elders, congregational recognition.
SPEAKERS
Pastor Jim Butler, Dr Samuel Renihan
Dr. Sam Renihan’s Gradual Call Through Church Service
Dr Samuel Renihan 00:07
When did you know you were called to preach? In my personal experience, this was a gradual, progressive, outward call from the church where I continue to serve today. It was not something that was burning in my bosom. It was very much external, and it was very gradual.
So the first thing that I was actually asked to do is that many, many years ago, our church would ask a man from the congregation to come up for the public reading of Scripture. And so in a rotation of men, I was asked to read the scriptures in this in the worship service. And that was the first thing that I was asked to do. And for whatever reason, there was some positive response to that you read well, or thank you for reading that type of thing, which was encouraging.
And then I was asked to teach at a youth group event, give the message at a youth group event. And so the very first message that I prepared was evangelistic, a gospel appeal to the young people, and that was well received. And then from that point forward, I was asked to teach the high school Sunday school class, eventually an adult Sunday school class. At the same time, I was being involved in the Spanish Ministry to read the scriptures and then to do things like that in the Spanish Ministry, and then eventually to preach in our worship services.
So it was gradual. It was over a span of years, and it was the elders of the church asking me to do this and then to do that, and then to do this, and then to do that, which I was very happy to do. So it was external, but my internal call was responding to that more than certainly wasn’t driving it. And eventually the church supported me going to seminary, and after that, and a period of candidacy, I was ordained, and I continue to serve there to this day.
So if the question is, when did I know I was called? Well, when the church called me, there was nothing. There was no moment in my head of, this is what I’m going to do, or this is what I must do. And maybe that’s frustrating to some people, but, you know, because they say, if you can do anything else, do it, come on. That’s not helpful. I don’t think that’s a helpful mindset. You know, if the Church calls you to do it, do it. And that was my experience.
Pastor Jim Butler on Internal and External Calls Working Together
Pastor Jim Butler 02:41
So thank you. Yeah, very similar. I was in the church where pastor Barcelos was, and it was that same sort of pattern, you know, read scripture, preach. We also had a prison ministry at the time, and I would go and do that. But I think not, but I think, and I think that that Sam’s emphasis on the internal and external.
The external always has to be the check on the internal. In other words, the church has to recognize this. You know, Aunt Bessie said I was going to be a missionary, and that’s going to happen. Well, not if the Church of Jesus Christ doesn’t say you’re going to be a missionary. So those things have to work hand in hand. They have to work in tandem. It cannot be, you know, God called me and I’m going to do this well, you got to listen to the external elements in your life as well.
And the external elements can, you know, paradoxically, help with the internal some guys are struggling. I mean, I’m not sure if I want to pursue this. Sometimes there might be a tinge of pride. Am I proud? Because I want to be a pastor. Well, if 90% of the church is saying, brother, you can bring it. You’re a good preacher, a good good public speaker, good reader of Scripture, that can help.
And I agree it’s not, you know, most calls to the ministry. And I can say this with absolute confidence, are not acts nine, road to Damascus experiences. It’s not Isaiah, the prophet and Isaiah chapter six. It’s organic. There’s an organic and progressive and both things, the church involved in it, good pastors or elders involved in it, are very crucial. Yeah.
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