WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BECOME A QUALIFIED MINISTER?
WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BECOME A QUALIFIED MINISTER?
TEXTS: Jeremiah 1:5-8, Galatians 1:15-16
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations…Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood”(NKJV)
This was a question a young man asked me last year. I would attempt answering it with two Bible quotations: Jeremiah 1:5-8 and Galatians 1:15-16. The reason behind my answer is that it has become a fashion for certain people to just rise up and start forming churches. Every ministry commences with a call from God. In the readings above, it is clear that both Jeremiah and Paul knew that God had called them into ministry. This means that you cannot just wake up one day and begin to call yourself a Pastor or Prophet!
The most important thing to remember about such a call is that it is a word of sovereign grace. However, since God has called every Christian in a special way, any Christian who identifies the will of God and strategically position himself in the path of God will be used; God does not ignore people who genuinely desire to do something to glorify Him. (Col 1:18,13; Eph 2:10; ). It therefore means that there is the general call as well as the specific call which ushers the called to leadership. What is meant here is that some of those who receive the general call are given the specific call to become leaders in ministry.
Very importantly, those who are called by God should be able to discern their calling. Any person called by God to some leadership capacity should have a special inward witness to this from the Holy Spirit. It needs to be something of which the person is sure that he can trust, and something he knows God had initiated and is good to uphold. Should this be absent, it would be very difficult for the one to stand by it in time of crisis. Additionally, there should be external evidence. There should be a form of confirmation outside the called one; usually through a man such as Pastor, friend, elder, church leadership, circumstance, etc. God usually show approval with confirmation and through divine equipping. After all these, there is the need for the one who has been called, to wait for God’s appointed time before stepping out. Many people have failed as a result of premature entry into ministry. Take note of the fact that there are spiritual, personal, moral, domestic and spiritual qualifications for ministry. These are spelt out in 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9 and Acts 6:1-6.
Other things that the one called need to take good note of include the following: firstly, he should know that no matter how anointed he is, he needs to be trained. Professional training is required by every person with God’s call. He has to enroll in a Bible school or seminary where he would be exposed to the theory and practical Theology. Courses in Homiletics, Hermeneutics, Christian Ethics, Systematic Theology, Pastoralia, Church Administration, etc, would give professional touch to your anointing for optimal performance in ministry. It must be noted that in addition to these, personal studies is encouraged. The one called into ministry must see himself as a “continuous student” because even after proper ministerial training, there is the need for more learning to keep yourself abreast with time and the changing society. Computer literacy is a must for every minister who seeks to attain greater heights in ministry. In addition to ministerial training, he equally needs a profound training in Management. This stems from the fact that as a leader he would be required to take managerial decisions, monitor and evaluate the performance of his team.
Secondly, the minister should be able to appreciate the value of good relations: to relate well with all manner of people. Good ministry involves relating well with subordinates as well as superiors. Since the minister lives and operate within a certain community which may be quite different from where he was raised, he must study and know his operational community very well in order to impact positively by embarking upon some social action programmes. Knowing the traditional norms and values is a big advantage. He must respect the culture of the people in order to properly contextualize his message. Fostering good relations with traditional and political leaders puts the minister in their good books so that he could quickly fall on them when the need arises. Political neutrality must be strictly upheld to ensure that the minister does not entangle himself and his ministry in chieftaincy and partisan politics.
Most importantly, it is expected of the one called into ministry to be a good team player. He should understand that the church is the body of Christ, with different people fulfilling different functions. (Rom 12:5). The Church as a team combines different giftings, personalities and ministries into a cohesive unit which is able to achieve tasks beyond the individual capabilities of its members. Making ministry successful takes more than just individual effort - it takes teamwork. In many churches, ministers and church leaders work in isolation, administrators try to accomplish tasks alone, and the responsibility of implementation new ideas fall to individual pastors or church leaders.
Working together in teams often is a more effective way to accomplish important tasks because teams have many advantages over individuals working in isolation. Teamwork focuses on meeting the spiritual and social needs of all members in the church. When many people come together with the view of finding solutions to problems, it becomes difficult for their focus to be diverted. Teams also enjoy enhanced motivation and greater job satisfaction. This stems from the fact that other team members help boost performance. Teams in addition, generate energy and interest in new projects. This is made possible because teams have higher level of commitment, and more people who can help implement an idea or plan. Greater involvement and empowerment of team members also bring about a higher level of productivity.
If you want to be very successful in mission, then there is the need for waiting, brooding over or incubation of your calling. Pray for God to give you a workable, sustainable vision. If all these are taken in to consideration, then the one called into ministry is sure to succeed. From the discussion so far, it is clear that becoming a qualified man of God who can rightly divide the word of truth is not a day’s job. More training, waiting and retraining is necessary to make the man of God fully equipped for every good work in God’s kingdom business.
PASTOR WILLIAM BOACHIE-ANSAH
THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST
P.O. BOX 10
NSAWKAW-B/A, GHANA
+233 244137880
boachieansah@gmail.com
copnsawkaw@yahoo.com
TEXTS: Jeremiah 1:5-8, Galatians 1:15-16
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations…Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood”(NKJV)
This was a question a young man asked me last year. I would attempt answering it with two Bible quotations: Jeremiah 1:5-8 and Galatians 1:15-16. The reason behind my answer is that it has become a fashion for certain people to just rise up and start forming churches. Every ministry commences with a call from God. In the readings above, it is clear that both Jeremiah and Paul knew that God had called them into ministry. This means that you cannot just wake up one day and begin to call yourself a Pastor or Prophet!
The most important thing to remember about such a call is that it is a word of sovereign grace. However, since God has called every Christian in a special way, any Christian who identifies the will of God and strategically position himself in the path of God will be used; God does not ignore people who genuinely desire to do something to glorify Him. (Col 1:18,13; Eph 2:10; ). It therefore means that there is the general call as well as the specific call which ushers the called to leadership. What is meant here is that some of those who receive the general call are given the specific call to become leaders in ministry.
Very importantly, those who are called by God should be able to discern their calling. Any person called by God to some leadership capacity should have a special inward witness to this from the Holy Spirit. It needs to be something of which the person is sure that he can trust, and something he knows God had initiated and is good to uphold. Should this be absent, it would be very difficult for the one to stand by it in time of crisis. Additionally, there should be external evidence. There should be a form of confirmation outside the called one; usually through a man such as Pastor, friend, elder, church leadership, circumstance, etc. God usually show approval with confirmation and through divine equipping. After all these, there is the need for the one who has been called, to wait for God’s appointed time before stepping out. Many people have failed as a result of premature entry into ministry. Take note of the fact that there are spiritual, personal, moral, domestic and spiritual qualifications for ministry. These are spelt out in 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9 and Acts 6:1-6.
Other things that the one called need to take good note of include the following: firstly, he should know that no matter how anointed he is, he needs to be trained. Professional training is required by every person with God’s call. He has to enroll in a Bible school or seminary where he would be exposed to the theory and practical Theology. Courses in Homiletics, Hermeneutics, Christian Ethics, Systematic Theology, Pastoralia, Church Administration, etc, would give professional touch to your anointing for optimal performance in ministry. It must be noted that in addition to these, personal studies is encouraged. The one called into ministry must see himself as a “continuous student” because even after proper ministerial training, there is the need for more learning to keep yourself abreast with time and the changing society. Computer literacy is a must for every minister who seeks to attain greater heights in ministry. In addition to ministerial training, he equally needs a profound training in Management. This stems from the fact that as a leader he would be required to take managerial decisions, monitor and evaluate the performance of his team.
Secondly, the minister should be able to appreciate the value of good relations: to relate well with all manner of people. Good ministry involves relating well with subordinates as well as superiors. Since the minister lives and operate within a certain community which may be quite different from where he was raised, he must study and know his operational community very well in order to impact positively by embarking upon some social action programmes. Knowing the traditional norms and values is a big advantage. He must respect the culture of the people in order to properly contextualize his message. Fostering good relations with traditional and political leaders puts the minister in their good books so that he could quickly fall on them when the need arises. Political neutrality must be strictly upheld to ensure that the minister does not entangle himself and his ministry in chieftaincy and partisan politics.
Most importantly, it is expected of the one called into ministry to be a good team player. He should understand that the church is the body of Christ, with different people fulfilling different functions. (Rom 12:5). The Church as a team combines different giftings, personalities and ministries into a cohesive unit which is able to achieve tasks beyond the individual capabilities of its members. Making ministry successful takes more than just individual effort - it takes teamwork. In many churches, ministers and church leaders work in isolation, administrators try to accomplish tasks alone, and the responsibility of implementation new ideas fall to individual pastors or church leaders.
Working together in teams often is a more effective way to accomplish important tasks because teams have many advantages over individuals working in isolation. Teamwork focuses on meeting the spiritual and social needs of all members in the church. When many people come together with the view of finding solutions to problems, it becomes difficult for their focus to be diverted. Teams also enjoy enhanced motivation and greater job satisfaction. This stems from the fact that other team members help boost performance. Teams in addition, generate energy and interest in new projects. This is made possible because teams have higher level of commitment, and more people who can help implement an idea or plan. Greater involvement and empowerment of team members also bring about a higher level of productivity.
If you want to be very successful in mission, then there is the need for waiting, brooding over or incubation of your calling. Pray for God to give you a workable, sustainable vision. If all these are taken in to consideration, then the one called into ministry is sure to succeed. From the discussion so far, it is clear that becoming a qualified man of God who can rightly divide the word of truth is not a day’s job. More training, waiting and retraining is necessary to make the man of God fully equipped for every good work in God’s kingdom business.
PASTOR WILLIAM BOACHIE-ANSAH
THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST
P.O. BOX 10
NSAWKAW-B/A, GHANA
+233 244137880
boachieansah@gmail.com
copnsawkaw@yahoo.com
WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BECOME A QUALIFIED MINISTER?
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