Are You Called to Ministry? Before You Rush in, See First What The Bible Says About That!
What does it mean to be “called to serve God” as it relates to becoming a ministry leader with Capitol Ministries—wherein you will be teaching God’s Word to others in the political arena? How do we here at CapMin decide internally who will join our staff and who will not?
On the other side of this, how do you, as a Christian, discern whether that tug is a true “calling from God,” or just the deep desires of an all-too-human heart that wants what it wants and is a master of enabling—especially attracted, perhaps by the prestige and social standing of circulating with political leaders in your community, state, or nation?
As Capitol Ministries continues to rapidly build Bible-study discipleship ministries in the United States and around the world at all levels of civil governance, I’m sure you would agree, determining whether a ministry leader candidate has a legitimate “calling” from God is a very important consideration!
What Does the Bible Say about Spiritual Leadership?
While the emotional feeling that many Christians identify as a “call from God” is not to be discounted, a Christian’s primary source for answers is the Bible which, not surprisingly, has quite a bit to say about this subject.
In 1 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in essence defines and evidences someone who has been called into spiritual leadership. As you will see in this passage, there are many criteria that a person or an organization can apply to ascertain a true calling. Each of the following indicators from the Apostle Paul will be characteristic of someone who has been endowed by God with a genuine equipping and calling.
It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
Identifying Aspects of A Calling
For the sake of this short article, only the first three biblical criteria will be addressed, plus a fourth addition from two respected authors on this subject. Importantly however, notice all the other indicators that follow in the passage that are self-explanatory and of equal importance—characteristics that CapMin is looking for as well. These ensuing “litmus tests” in verses 2 through 7 listed above, are more easily identifiable aspects of a calling and can be outlined with four overarching identifiers: One is called and qualified by their moral character (vv. 2-3); home life (vv. 4-5): spiritual maturity (v. 6); and public reputation (v. 7). It follows that CapMin only accepts applicants who are aligned with and possess all these characteristics.
Paul doesn’t use the word “calling” in 1 Timothy 3:1, but, again, he asserts definitive criteria indicative of a legitimate, measurable appointment of someone who would be the primary leader of a particular work engaged in building the Kingdom of God.
If Any Man
The first identifier is, if any man. The Scriptures are repeatedly clear about the qualification that a pastor, the senior leader of any and all ministries is male. The Greek word here for man is tis, which is, in fact, an indefinite pronoun but it is used in parallel to and therefore matches the numerous masculine adjectives that follow later in the passage. These masculine adjectives, which translate accurately into the English language as he, are numerous and are appropriately supplied no less than 10 times in English translations! Further to this point, in verse 2, Paul said the overseer by definition must be the husband of one wife. In verse 4, Paul stipulated that, he must be one who manages his own household well. In those days, only men were the heads of their households.
In woke Evangelicalism today, this clear criterion of Scripture is often compromised (and the workarounds are quite amusing I might add). But at CapMin our conscience is bound by the clear teaching of God’s Word; our convictions on this are a matter of obedience to what God explicitly says here. It follows that CapMin only accepts men as ministry leaders because that is who God’s Word designates for this position; we desire to stay true to Scripture.
Aspiring to Serve
The second insightful and definitive aspect of a legitimate calling that is revealed in this passage is the word aspires. The Greek word here is orego and means, “to reach out after; to stretch to grasp something.” A man who is called of God to ministry is someone who is already moving in the direction of his perceived call in the sense that he is compelled toward ministry in the way that it is all he can really do with his life. Even if he dabbles in other pursuits, he keeps coming back to ministry; other vocational doors close to him. He externally aspires to nothing else; nothing else is fulfilling to the truly called of God to spiritual leadership person. This is something we look for in ascertaining if or not you are called to CapMin—are you already doing ministry?
Thirdly, Paul defines “calling” in this passage by the word desires. The underlying word here is epithumeo which means “to lust after,” or “to set the heart upon.” The word thumeo is used in both positive and negative ways in the NT depending on the surrounding context. The addition of epi, which Paul adds here, intensifies the meaning epi serves in the Greek language in a way similar to an English language exclamation mark. In this context, it means “a very strong desire or passion” and relates to internal unction. A legitimate calling is identified by that particular man possessing an all-consuming passion about the pursuit; he wants it bad. At CapMin we are looking for those who are passionate, versus someone who is just looking for something to do—so much so that he (point 1) has been doing ministry already (point 2).
These three words from Scripture make “calling” a more objective, measurable aspect that can be evaluated by both the candidate and the ministry considering the candidate so as to determine suitability.
Desiring to Serve
Not to be minimized and further elaborating on the idea of desire equating to a legitimate calling is the physical and emotional sensation resulting from the guiding of the Holy Spirit Who Himself draws the Christian into ministry leadership. Jeremiah speaks about this passion of a true calling in Jeremiah 20:9:
But if I say, “I will not remember Him
Or speak anymore in His name,”
Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am weary of holding it in,
And I cannot endure it.
It’s rational to recognize that a true calling exists when all these components—including the ensuing, easier to measure, biblical qualifications (the remainder of 1 Timothy 3:1-7) all come together in the applicant’s life.
Who is a Missionary?
Further clarification and insights on the biblical basis of the missionary’s calling is provided by author E.D. Burns in his book, The Missionary–Theologian: Sent into the World, Sanctified by the Word. At CapMin we think along the same lines of this excellent book.
In addressing what a missionary is, Burns dispels the widely-accepted idea that every believer is a missionary. Instead he qualifies it. While all believers are called to have a shepherding spirit, to share the good news, and to be a good witness, not all are called to be missionaries. That calling is in addition to becoming a believer; likened to the special calling of pastor/teacher, becoming a missionary is a distinct and additional calling in the body of Christ. In that Scripture specifically says that He gave some as…pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints… (Ephesians 4:11-12) not all Christians are given by God to be pastor/teachers. In that same sense, the Scriptures attest that God gifts some in His body to be missionaries, and that not all Christians are given by God to be missionaries. CapMin is looking for those whom God has called to be missionaries.
Delving into Scriptures, Burns, in similar fashion to my three earlier points, goes into even greater detail on how to ascertain the legitimacy of this special charge—if one is called or not to the office of a missionary.
Visions, Dreams, and Voices?
Burns develops two main ways individuals come to the conclusion that they are called by God for missions. He quotes Herbert J. Kane from Life and Work on The Mission Field, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
The first group Kane identifies has an understanding of calling in the sense of Paul’s Macedonian calling in Acts 16:9-10. This is a narratival book, not a doctrinal book. The people in this example believe that visions, dreams, and voices are a necessary component to a true calling and “without the existential experience it is impossible to receive a missionary call” (p. 57).
The second belief Kane offers is that all Christians are missionaries and so no further sense of calling is necessary (as previously established).
CapMin leadership believes that relying primarily on either of these bases for ascertaining a missionary calling will result in an unsuccessful experience and a “missionary” who returns home from his civil government outpost disillusioned after a lot of time and money has been spent with little if any results.
Burns identifies these two methods as theologically-aberrant ways of detecting a true missionary calling. CapMin agrees.
The Initiative of Others
Burns then offers an exegetically driven, an exegetically based means which one needs to use to ascertain and properly determine a true missionary calling. He examines the common aspects of the missionary callings of Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy and concludes: “In all three examples the Bible neither emphasizes the individual initiative nor the subjective sense of a call. Rather it always shows the initiative of others, (emphasis mine) either of a congregation or of other Christians already active in such work.”
What a remarkably powerful and insightful observation! CapMin is in agreement with this.
Burns concludes: “So how in the world do we know if what we are discerning is a true call? Is it only an invitation by a second party, or is it the individual’s initiative? The missionary call seems to be both an individual/subjective conviction and a corporate/objective confirmation.”
Sending and Awaiting
Developing the idea further, Burns states that there needs to be an objectified confirmation of a sending body of believers and a “receiving team of missionaries on the field awaiting more workers” (p. 60). He concludes that this simple two-part formula should be the determining factor for objectively evaluating a legitimate calling by God.
Given these measurable criteria, Capitol Ministries only accepts and credentials males (point 1) who are presently doing ministry (point 2), who possess an internal aspiration (point 3), and who have others standing with them (Burn’s last argument, point 4).
Join With Us
These are the four objectified criteria that CapMin is looking for in a ministry leader candidate; this is what we take into consideration when we recruit, vet, and credential new applicants throughout the world for leadership positions at all levels of governance.
It is our hope after studying this and doing a self-evaluation, that you are a person who has been called by God to be a missionary! If so, please continue in this self-vetting process. If not, we thank you for your interest and wish you all the best.
In Him,
Ralph Drollinger
President and Founder
Capitol Ministries