A Call to the Next Generation of Pastors
This is the most amazing honour and privilege. As Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “I count it the highest honour that God can confer on any man to call him to be a herald of the gospel.”
This is the work which Paul calls “a noble task” (1 Tim 3:1), and which largely occupies three whole letters of the New Testament. That is honour enough, but note that when Peter describes the Lord as “the Chief Shepherd”, he is telling us that Jesus is Himself a Pastor!
For 29 years now, I’ve been working full-time as a local church pastor: first in Exeter, then in Bournemouth, and, for the past 14 years, in the middle of Cambridge.
This is the most amazing honour and privilege. As Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “I count it the highest honour that God can confer on any man to call him to be a herald of the gospel.” This is the work which Paul calls “a noble task” (1 Tim 3:1), and which largely occupies three whole letters of the New Testament. That is honour enough,but note that when Peter describes the Lord as “the Chief Shepherd”, he is telling us that Jesus is Himself a Pastor!
For years now I’ve been praying and longing for more younger men to be sent out by God into His harvest fields as pastors. There is a great and growing need for suitably gifted men to take on this role; the health of our churches depends on it.
But how can they know this is for them? I’ve been unable to find a book- at least one relevant to our scene in the UK - to give them, to help them think this through. So I’ve had a go at writing one myself.
It’s called A Noble Task, reflecting what the Apostle says about this line of work. It’s very short - only 93 pages or so - but I hope that in it I cover all the relevant issues.
- What is the New Testament assessment of the value of this work?
- What does the job actually involve?
- What are the necessary qualifications, both of character and gifting?
- What is meant by a “call”? There is much confusion in this area, and I seek to map out a Biblical path, both for you and for the local church.
- What training and preparation is required, and how?
- What about other things - will you be broke? What about theologically mixed denominations? What is the impact on family life? Will you burn out? Etc.
I hope this is a real help,but wrote conscious that it’s also helpful to hear real-life testimonies of what the job of pastor is like in practice. So, I asked five pastors - all with over twenty years’ experience - to share very personally how God called them, and what it’s actually been like, with all the ups and downs.
Not everyone will be right for this role, but all of us should be thinking about it - our Lord Jesus teaches us, in the parable of the talents, that He wants each of us to invest the unique set of experiences and gifts He’s given us for His kingdom.
I really hope this little book will put pastoring on the map of serious thought for many,and help clarify whether this could be the Lord’s call for their lives.
