A call to ministry?

saibe · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 2:00 pm Post subject: A call to ministry?

Anyone willing to share their experience related to being called to ministry, and if seminary education was involved?
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For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7

pastor2022 · Moderator Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 730

I don't mind sharing my own experience with you. I first felt led to the ministry when I was 18 years old. I knew at that time God was leading me to be a pastor and it both excited me and scared me some. I had a Godly pastor at that time who encouraged me and mentored me. I went to the university in my hometown (put my way through) and got my B.S. in Psychology in May of 1970. I married the love of my life in June of that year with every intention of going to seminary the following August. I had already applied and been accepted to SWBTS in Ft. Worth and had a part-time job lined up and my wife had a teaching job lined up. But when the time came, I did a "Jonah"number for a lot of different reasons. I got into sales and made a LOT of money and my wife became a teacher. In 1975 we had our first child, our daughter. I then took a sales job in Baton Rouge, LA in 1976 which afforded me the chance to make even MORE money. Then in 1977 we had our son. I never abandoned church or stopped reading my Bible or praying but I never was really happy because I wasn't doing what God wanted me to do and I knew it. Then, one night in Oxford, MS in a Holiday Inn room, God and I got alone and He WON! I finally told Him I would go into the ministry that He had called me to do. I only asked Him to do one thing, let my wife be willing to give up everything we had materially to go into the ministry and go to seminary. I left the next morning and drove back to Baton Rouge. When I got home and walked into the house, I told her that I had something to talk to her about. We sat down at the breakfast table and she looked at me and said "We're going into the ministry aren't we?" WOW! She told me that she had been praying about that for years because she knew that God had been calling me to do that all along.

To make a long story short,(sorry about the length of this) we went to NOBTS in New Orleans, LA. I got a part-time job with another sales company doing the same thing I was doing and became pastor of a small church outside of New Orleans. Since then, I've been so blessed by God for doing what He's called me to do. There's been a lot of rough times, but He's been faithful through it all and I can't do anything else. Besides, the good times have far outweighed the bad. Touching peoples' lives with the Gospel and love of God is the most amazing thing in the world to me.

Again, I apologize for the length of this. Very Happy

saibe · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 11:59 am Post subject:

Thank you so much pastor22 I greatly appreciate it. Very Happy

_________________
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7