Pastoral Ministry Requires Qualifications, Not Calling
My retired colleague, Dr. Ron Marrs, who spent two decades teaching pastoral ministry at Western Seminary, is known for encouraging students to stop using the word “calling” when it comes to vocational ministry. It’s not because the concept is unbiblical, but because it can be paralyzing. When students say, “I’m not sure if I’m called to ministry,” they are often waiting for something that won’t come. Dr. Marrs preferred to use language about God’s assignment—God’s shaping of our unique design, gifts, and context. It transforms vocational ministry preparation from solving a mystery to intentional formation.
Shifting the language makes a difference. Students who think in terms of understanding their assignment start building towards a goal. Those left waiting often stay paralyzed, trying to analyze their emotions for some kind of certainty that might never come.
But here’s what I’ve observed from conversations with seminary students: it’s not just about the Marrs language problem. There’s an even deeper issue. Many students expect their own Damascus Road moment—a dramatic divine summons that distinguishes those “called” to vocational ministry. But Scripture focuses less on dramatic moments and more on observable character. The apostle Paul’s letters don’t ask a prospective leader, “What’s your dramatic calling story?” Instead, they ask, “Are you building a life marked by the qualifications that the Bible specifies?”
The Problem With “Called”
When we talk about being “called,” we picture Samuel hearing an audible voice or Ananias getting a divine vision. Yes, these were instances of God interrupting everyday life. But they are exceptions, not the norm. Most people who are aspiring to ministry won’t experience something similar.
When you wait for a burning bush that never comes, you might second-guess yourself. You start wondering if your interest in ministry is just selfish ambition. You look at your emotions—and measure whether God really wants you in ministry.
“When students say, ‘I’m not sure if I’m called to ministry,’ they are often waiting for something that won’t come.”
But there’s a more crucial problem. “Calling” language carries an air of immutability. Once you claim that God has called you, people are reluctant to question you. You’ve announced something sacred, something between you and God. This idea of “calling” hinders self-examination. It prevents the believers around you from asking you hard questions about whether you are building the character the Scriptures require.
By contrast, character is more transparent. People can see whether you’re hospitable, self-controlled, able to teach, and manage your household well. Based on what they observe, others can either affirm that you’re building character or not.
This clarity is much more trustworthy than any internal sense of calling.
The Qualifications for You to Build
1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 list qualifications for church leadership. Most are about character—observable traits that develop over time through spiritual discipline. Here are the major consistent qualifications across both passages:
Above Reproach. Your behavior should give opponents no opportunity to accuse you. It’s not perfection, it’s integrity. There’s no discrepancy between your public self and private self.
Temperate and Self-controlled. You control your desires rather than being controlled by them. You’re not enslaved to alcohol, money, lust, power, or your emotions.
Hospitable and loving what is good. You welcome people into your home and your life. You gravitate towards what is noble and praiseworthy, not gossip, degrading entertainment, or compromising relationships.
Able to teach. It’s not about being a genius, but handling God’s word faithfully and explaining it clearly. Seminary trains you in exegesis and communication, but your saturation in God’s Word is what shapes you.
Not a new convert. Your faith has a track record. You’ve been tested over time—you faced difficulties, remained faithful, and have shown that your ministry aspiration isn’t driven by ambition for status.
Managing your household well. If you’re married or have children, your family members see how you live out the gospel at home. If you’re single, your integrity and relationship patterns demonstrate that you can steward responsibility.
Unlike a sense of “calling,” these aren’t dreams or feelings. They are clear goals. You can measure yourself against them. Your church community can evaluate them. These traits develop through purposeful practice, not waiting for a dramatic divine message.
How to Build these Qualifications
Doing this requires intentionality and work. That’s why it’s clarifying.
Start now. Are you not hospitable? Open up your home. Haven’t studied Scripture seriously? Start a reading plan and commit time to it. Do you struggle with a critical spirit or gossip? Share this with a mentor.
Your local church should be a context where you are known and tested. Tell your pastors about your vocational ministry aspirations. Let them evaluate whether your gifts and character are developing. Take opportunities to be a servant: Facilitate a small group, teach Sunday School, or get involved in youth ministry. Leadership is forged by doing the work of serving others.
Read widely. Study theology seriously. Develop into a person who is familiar with God’s Word and submits to its authority. Think carefully about sound doctrine. Seminary will sharpen you, but start with your own endeavors and your local church.
Submit to the church’s assessment of you. Don’t consult your own judgment. If brothers and sisters see flaws, listen to them. If pastors point out blind spots, pay attention. If they notice your progress, let that be affirming to you. The church’s job is not to validate your feelings; it’s to test your fitness.
Why This Blesses Everyone
Stop looking for a “call” and start building qualifications. You’ll have clear goals: integrity, hospitality, self-control, doctrinal competence, and household leadership. They aren’t vague or mystical—they’re observable. The saints around you see if you’re growing in gentleness, handling Scripture, and leading sacrificially. There is no hiding behind private, subjective claims of God whispering to you. Your life is the evidence.
“Stop looking for a ‘call’ and start building qualifications.”
This approach protects everybody. It protects you from premature responsibility that you’re not ready for. And it protects the church from unqualified leadership. The qualification standards aren’t just about you; they’re about the people you’ll serve.
Even if a pastoral ministry opportunity doesn’t come, the effort is not wasted. You’ve still developed into a person God can use anywhere. You’ve fostered qualifications that serve any vocation, any context. That’s a life well-built.
So here’s my direction on this: Don’t wait for certainty that you can’t create. Build the life that Scripture requires. Then let the assignment find you.
Recommended Reading
Here are two books I recommend. My friend Bobby Jamieson, in The Path to Being a Pastor (Crossway, 2021), sets aside the fog of “calling” and gives clear instructions for those aspiring and being qualified for ministry. It’s direct, practical, and grounded in the Pastoral Epistles. Thabiti Anyabwile’s Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons (Crossway, 2012) helps church leaders identify and develop qualified leaders—helpful reading whether you are aspiring or assessing. These two books cover both sides: what to pursue and how the church evaluates it. Both books are accessible and biblically grounded.
