markkoller
Puritan Board Freshman
So what are the open pulpits in the RPCNA right now? Its been a while since Ive seen an update.
How long before you received your first call?
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So what are the open pulpits in the RPCNA right now? Its been a while since Ive seen an update.
N. Eshelman
Puritan Board Senior
Mark, I will give another update in September (towards the end). I am on the home mission board and we put that list together at each meeting. Here is the list from April: presbyterian thoughts: 20/20 Vision and Open Pulpits
I am not sure how much it has changed since then other than Bloomington, IN is now open, and Terre Haute, IN has been filled.
Guido's Brother
Puritan Board Junior
I completed my seminary studies in May of 2000 (though graduation wasn't until September). I went to a classis and was examined and declared eligible for call in the Canadian Reformed Churches. Right after the exam, I had a letter of call from a church to serve as a missionary in British Columbia. But there had been some goings-on behind the scenes. I had done an internship on that mission field the summer before and we had talked about me becoming their missionary. So, it wasn't a surprise.
Scottish Lass
Puritan Board Doctor
On the other hand, a man who is new to the pastorate but who has several years in the secular work force may be equipped to handle that as well as (or better than) a man who has been a minister for two decades. Management styles have changed over the years, and not all of the old-timers have the same skill sets.
Zenas
Snow Miser
Zenas
Snow Miser
No. If you simply sit through seminary, don't develop contacts, and don't try to attain some sort of practical experience you are less likely, if history is an indicator, to receive a call. If I were you, I would try to fill in as a pulpit supply preacher for churches in your area at the very least. I would also try to get involved with some of the ministries of the denomination you wish to preach in to develop contacts within that denomination.
Hunting for a job as a pastor isn't wrong. It's responsible. You're doing what you can to prepare yourself, as well as to make your gifts and talents known and available to the church that needs them.
Hunting for a job as a pastor isn't wrong. It's responsible. You're doing what you can to prepare yourself, as well as to make your gifts and talents known and available to the church that needs them.
I waited four years. It is worth however long the wait. Trust the Lord, He's in charge.
SolaScriptura
Puritanboard Brimstone
Glad the 4-year wait proved worthwhile for you. But at what point do we decide/realize that the judgment of man has proved errant, and that God has simply not called one to an ordained ministry?
jjraby
Puritan Board Freshman
that's a good question...
---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:47 PM ----------
What did you do while you waited?
What is the internal call? Is it legitimate? It is, but it should not stand alone.
What is licensure? It is an exam, followed by a trial period. It is not open-ended, although it may be renewed.
In other words, one does not divorce himself from the judgment of the church, even as he seeks the place (wherever it may be) to which the Lord is calling.
The church ought to have deemed a man's quest worthwhile from the beginning, by encouraging him and taking him "under care." Or if not, then by discouraging him from the effort and expense of training. Then, it had the obligation to continue along with him as his gifts were honed, and presumably his calling made more apparent in the interim (while he studied). A man should see the support of others in his home church and Presbytery, while he seeks a call. It's awfully lonely otherwise.
I was disappointed many times by apparent fruitlessness in my search. But, by grace I kept my confidence that I was called. God was using those delays in my life for sanctification, and to make me a better pastor, husband, and father. Given how far I need still to go, I shudder to think what might have happened to my first charge, if I was not put through further trials of patience. Meanwhile, the church around me was not indifferent, and was an encouragement to me--although sometimes I wished they had been more so.
What is licensure? It is an exam, followed by a trial period. It is not open-ended, although it may be renewed.
In other words, one does not divorce himself from the judgment of the church, even as he seeks the place (wherever it may be) to which the Lord is calling.
The church ought to have deemed a man's quest worthwhile from the beginning, by encouraging him and taking him "under care." Or if not, then by discouraging him from the effort and expense of training. Then, it had the obligation to continue along with him as his gifts were honed, and presumably his calling made more apparent in the interim (while he studied). A man should see the support of others in his home church and Presbytery, while he seeks a call. It's awfully lonely otherwise.
I was disappointed many times by apparent fruitlessness in my search. But, by grace I kept my confidence that I was called. God was using those delays in my life for sanctification, and to make me a better pastor, husband, and father. Given how far I need still to go, I shudder to think what might have happened to my first charge, if I was not put through further trials of patience. Meanwhile, the church around me was not indifferent, and was an encouragement to me--although sometimes I wished they had been more so.
After Seminary, I did an internship/pulpit supply for about a year. And then I worked as a security guard to support my family, I preached when I could, and I took opportunities to candidate. A long wait for a proud heart.
If Christ wants to make a minister of you, He is invincible. And yet, your heart is part of the process. Are you listening to Him? is always a question to ask yourself. Pray that your destiny is not to be a blight on the church, an example of a "mistake-not-to-be-repeated," or a rod of chastisement (being worthless for anything else) for a rebellious flock. Some men are not seeking for the right reasons. Some men have an inflated opinion of themsleves.
But a humble minister is a powerful weapon in the Lord's hands.
SolaScriptura
Puritanboard Brimstone
Bruce - Thanks for sharing, and I am grateful that in your case you did in fact persevere with your sense of calling. I did not intend to imply that you should have thrown in the towel at some point during your 4-year search. I was not questioning the legitimacy of your own calling or wait, and thus I do not want you to feel like your answer needs to be a defense of your perseverance. I'd like some pastoral counsel for anyone who may experience a long wait -
Is there a point at which we should begin questioning whether our internal sense of calling is misled, or if the presbytery is incorrect in their assessment? Or should we keep the dream alive as long as we "want" to do ministry and as long as the church is giving us the thumbs up? (But on that note, based on the number of times I've either seen or heard about presbyteries approving candidates with seemingly a wink and a nod, I'd bet a presbytery might be a bit slower to bring under care a candidate if they had to agree to subsidize his living expenses while he searched for a position...)
Any guidance?
---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:05 PM ----------
So was Nebuchadnezzar.
Ben,
I do think that a man ought to be in an ongoing process of evaluation. And he should be listening to people around him, perhaps his wife above all.
Seriously, if a man is seeking a call, and he's teaching Sunday School in his home church, and preaching in that pulpit when duty calls or an opportunity present itself, should we expect the church to be honest with him--positively and negatively?
There are a lot of men who should have listened to their conscience long ago--some of them even got into the ministry, and are cumbering the ground, and are blocking opportunities for men with more of a true call than they have. Well, thank God Christ is still on his throne.
So, yes, there does come a time when a reasonable thought would be to "shelve" this hope for a call, this "dream" for serving in the ministry. Many men get in the ministry, and if they were honest would confess to wishing they had not. The realities of this job would keep many an aspiring seminarian from ever rushing in, if they only knew or considered them.
The church has a HUGE role in serving both the church, and its ministers, and its aspirants. When it fails its task in any department, people suffer.
I do think that a man ought to be in an ongoing process of evaluation. And he should be listening to people around him, perhaps his wife above all.
Seriously, if a man is seeking a call, and he's teaching Sunday School in his home church, and preaching in that pulpit when duty calls or an opportunity present itself, should we expect the church to be honest with him--positively and negatively?
There are a lot of men who should have listened to their conscience long ago--some of them even got into the ministry, and are cumbering the ground, and are blocking opportunities for men with more of a true call than they have. Well, thank God Christ is still on his throne.
So, yes, there does come a time when a reasonable thought would be to "shelve" this hope for a call, this "dream" for serving in the ministry. Many men get in the ministry, and if they were honest would confess to wishing they had not. The realities of this job would keep many an aspiring seminarian from ever rushing in, if they only knew or considered them.
The church has a HUGE role in serving both the church, and its ministers, and its aspirants. When it fails its task in any department, people suffer.
sdesocio
Puritan Board Freshman
I was tentatively offered a position before graduation which turned into a call upon completed of my examines at the next presbytery meeting. While I see some weaknesses in the system our presbytery is a strong proponent of local ministry, so I went to seminary in Pittsburgh, did my internship in Pittsburgh and received my first, and second call form the same presbytery.
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