Discerning Your Call to Ministry: How to Know For Sure and What to Do About It

by Jason K. Allen, R. Albert Mohler Jr. (Foreword by)

Overview

“The church has needed this book for a long time.” — Russell Moore

If you are considering the ministry, there are two mistakes to avoid. The first is taking up a calling that isn’t yours. The second is neglecting one that is.

Discerning Your Call to Ministry will help you know the difference. A tool for seminary students, pastors-in-training, and even current pastors, it serves to confirm or prompt deep thought about the calling to ministry through 10 probing questions, including:

• Do you desire the ministry?
• Does your church affirm your calling?
• Do you love the people of God?
• Are you willing to surrender?

Pastoral dropout rates are high, and seminary admission rates are declining—signs that many of us don’t quite know what we’re signing ourselves up for. Author Jason Allen, a former pastor and the president of North America’s fastest growing seminary, gives readers a better picture of the calling. Presenting a series of diagnostic questions informed by Scripture, church history, and his own experience, he helps those seeking ordination or ministry positions make confident decisions about their service to God, one way or the other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802414663
Publisher:	Moody Publishers
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

DR. JASON ALLEN is the fifth and youngest president of Midwestern Baptist Seminary. He has served as pastor and interim pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Alabama and Kentucky over the past fifteen years. He currently serves the church more broadly through writing and preaching ministries, including his own website www.jasonkallen.com, where he writes on various topics including higher education, theology, preaching, and cultural and local church issues. He and his wife, Karen, have five children: Anne-Marie, Caroline, William, Alden, and Elizabeth.

Table of Contents

Foreword 11

Preface: Sharing My Journey and Understanding Yours 13

Introduction: What Does It Mean to Be Called to Ministry? 17

1 Do You Desire the Ministry? 25

2 Does Your Character Meet God's Expectations? 33

3 Is Your Household in Order? 49

4 Has God Gifted You to Preach and Teach His Word? 61

5 Does Your Church Affirm Your Calling? 73

6 Do You Love the People of God? 83

7 Are You Passionate about the Gospel and the Great Commission? 93

8 Are You Engaged in Fruitful Ministry? 103

9 Are You Ready to Defend the Faith? 113

10 Are You Willing to Surrender? 123

Conclusion: So Are You Called? 131

Appendix: Advice for Seminary 141

Notes 149

Acknowledgments 153