The Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Langford – late Dean of the Duke Divinity School – wrote an essay on God’s calling to humanity.
To greatly paraphrase his words he simply said, God is calling all humans into a relationship with God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Those who accept this invitation become Christians. God calls all Christians into ministry (1 Peter 2:9). Then, some of these persons, God calls into ordained ministry.
We often use the phrase, “Called to Preach.” Yet, ordained ministry is more than just preaching. The Rev. Dr. Don Haynes used to tell his students, “If you can do anything other than ministry, do it.” This is good advise and encompasses the understanding of the difficult journey that comes with being a preacher.
The Rev. Wesley said, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!”
The rules for becoming an ordained minister differs from denomination-to-denomination. After God called me into ministry, one of my first steps involved being licensed to preach. Along the way, I was ordained a Deacon and then after further examination, I was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church. It was a journey of ten years.
Yet, I could not have done it without the support and prayers of so many saints. Some bright morning, I look forward to seeing them again. Today, the steps to ordained ministry are different in my church, the journey is longer and includes a great deal more examination than I had. It was tough then; it is tougher now.
On Aug. 2, Robbinsville First Baptist Church announced Ethan Ramsey and Frank Cline would start one-year apprenticeships to learn the complexities of pastoral leadership. Ethan and his wife Sarah, and Frank and his wife Jasmine have a passion to serve Christ. This will be quite a challenge as they discover God’s direction for their lives.
Not long after my wife and I were married, one of her uncles asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a preacher. He said, “I know that, but what do you do for a living?”
“That’s all I do,” I responded.
When people asked me why I became a minister, I tell them, “Because I was called.” As older ministers are being set out to pasture, it is a blessing God is calling younger couples to serve. Please pray for Ethan and Sarah, and Frank and Jasmine, as they enter this year of apprenticeship.
If you would like to support the apprenticeship, please go to robbinsvillefbc.org/apprenticeship/.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.