Called

What does it mean to be “called” into the ministry? Does your phone ring one day with God on the line?

Preachers tend to make this into something unique and only for the very few. How can I have a special “calling”, if it’s for the many?

How many churches have had résumés sent to them with some aspiring preacher declaring he has been “called” to their church? Quite perplexing for the pulpit committee to work through, especially when there are 12 different résumés declaring the same “call”. The larger the church, the more the "calls".

It's even way cooler for a preacher when he recieves the "call" from a larger church declaring that they know God has "called" him to their church. Usually not a difficutly except when after accepting the "call", he is "called" three months later by an even larger church. No problem if its a smaller church "calling".

I’m always impressed when the sons of preachers are “called” to carry on in their father’s pulpit. Mind you the “call” usually only happens in large churches, with large salaries. This has been a tried and true practice in other settings. They were “called” kings. It certainly saves the pulpit committee a lot of trouble in finding the next guy.

What if you are “called” but there aren’t any vacancies? God really needs to take better inventory of His stock.

I have a deep feeling (call) in my gut, that many are “called” but our system of doing church doesn’t know what to do with them.