“Am I called to be a shepherd?
I’ve been a pastor for 29 years and the question also exists in my heart!Let’s move on to theological reasoning.
- Our personal vocation is totally subjective and prone to the mistakes of the heart itself.
- Make no mistake about it.
- If you have no doubt.
- I hesitated! This will help you find a clearer answer.
The objective way to verify and test the call (a lifetime test) is
1) Have an aspiration (and not let yourself be carried away by the opinion of others; who aspires to the episcopate, yearns for good work (1 Timothy 3:1).
2) The steps to know if this call is legitimate is to look at yourself in the mirror of the scriptures and see if it meets the conditions found in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 (?Is it therefore necessary?). Some requirements can be worked and determined, others are definitive and preventive. (See also Titus 1: 5-9)
3) Should the local Church through its authorities recognize these things in which it aspires (attention to misleading opinions, to local “prophecies”, to the desire of mother and grandmother?From the bride, from the bride).
4) Undergo rigorous theological studies. Don’t look for shortcuts. If you have an aspiration, pray to the Lord to open the doors for you, a few years of learning. Find a serious school and show that you can learn to teach.
5) After all this, remain under the authority of your church for the final test until the time of your ordination. Should it take years of trial before the final confirmation (?Put your hands on someone in a hurry?1Tm 5. 22)
In the denomination of which I am pastor, the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, this process lasts more than 5 years.
And don’t forget, after all this, it will be tested and tested to the end.