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“It's a Hard Job”
The unemployment figures in our wounded economy are a source of high anxiety by all of us these days. It has occurred to me to wonder if there has been an increase lately of persons interested in becoming ministers. It would not be surprising if that were so. Hard times tend to be times when spirituality deepens in society at large. People tend to clarify their values and become more inclined to listen to God. Most Christians use the term “call to ministry” to describe the process by which God prompts persons to choose the ministry as vocation. God calls people into service. Then it is up to churches to train and ordain those persons for specific service in the church. Even then, it isn't easy to receive an invitation to a place of service.
It isn't easy to do the work of ministry and there are some barriers that people must hurdle to even get a chance. Various denominations have their own methods for selecting their pastors from among those whom God has called. Take a look at the following people from the Bible. How would your church respond if any of these folk applied for an opening to come and be your minister?
- Adam. He was a good man but he had problems with his wife. Also he and Eve enjoyed walking around “nekked” in the garden.
- Noah. His former pastorate of 120 years produced no converts. He was known to favor big boats.
- Abraham. He offered to share his wife with a prominent man. Spent years wandering around without knowing where he was going.
- Moses. He couldn't speak well because of a stuttering problem. He once killed a man.
- Solomon. He was a wise man but had too many wives for the typical parsonage.
- David. He had a great voice and was a popular song writer. But he had an affair with his neighbor's wife and he had her husband killed.
- John, the Baptist. This guy dressed weirdly and ate bugs.
- Peter. He was very talented but he was too much of a hothead. He was prone to lying and occasional violence.
- Paul. He was smart but he was hard on some folk. He was long-winded and preached all night. His preaching put one fellow to sleep and caused him to fall out a second-story window.
- The Virgin Mary. She was pure, but she's…well…a she.
- Jesus. He's available, but his price may be too high for us.
Well, there you have it. Finding a perfect pastor is hard. It's no bowl of cherries for a pastor who is looking for a perfect church either. Billy Graham responded to a man who complained that he was not a church member because he found hypocrites in every church he ever considered joining. Reverend Graham said, “You continue your search for the perfect church. When you find it, join it. And it won't be!”
So we take what God has to offer us and we make the best of each other. And although it's hard, that's not bad, not bad at all. It teaches us to pray!
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