This is the fourth and final in our four part series, God’s Call to . . . Life, Faith, Vocation and Ministry. As we have said, God calls us to life, to faith and to vocation. We do not call ourselves into being. We do not choose to be conceived, nor do we choose to be called to faith. As for our vocation, this too is a calling and gift from God. Notice how well we are sure of what we are doing when God is the one who is doing the doing.
It should not surprise us, then, that when it comes to being called into service to the Lord in the Office of Holy Ministry, we believe, teach and confess that a man does not call himself into the office of Holy Ministry. And we might also add, God does not call all men into the Office of Holy Ministry. God calls some men into the Office of Holy Ministry.
God is not chauvinistic, God does not play favorites, but He is a God of order and even good order. In the beginning when God created all things, out of nothing, He first created the man and then, from the man, from His rib He created a helper suitable for him. This is the order of creation, and this order has never changed nor has it been negated.
There are those who would believe that with the order of Redemption, that is the fact that we are all equal in God’s eyes according to our sinner/saintness, the order of creation has been negated. However, that is not the case. Again, God is a God of order. God knows that a family, a business, a country, His Church cannot have two heads. A two-headed monster would mean no peace. Thus, God, in His infinite wisdom, mercy and knowledge has given the order of creation and the order that there is someone He will ultimately hold accountable and that person is the man that He has called.
Paul speaks of this order of creation and the place of men and women in the church as he writes in several places, “33For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says” (1 Cor. 14:33-34 (ESV)). Further he says, “1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer [pastor] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:1-2 (ESV)). And He adds, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2 (ESV)). Finally, one last quote, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15 (ESV)).
As we have said before, God’s usual way of coming to us, of giving to us, of working with us is through means. The same is true for His calling into the Office of Holy Ministry. God does not simply call a person into the Office of Holy Ministry, and especially not simply through one’s “feeling” a calling from God. When a woman suggests that she “feels” called by God to be a pastor, we might well ask if she tested the Spirit and calling. Since God does not contradict Himself and since He has kept the Office of Holy Ministry for the men He has chosen, perhaps she might realize that her emotional feeling is not necessarily from God, at least not the God of Holy Scripture. God calls through means, and He validates His call through His Church. In other words, God’s call is through His Church so that as a local congregation meets, prays and issues a call, then the one who is called has the call from God into the Office of Holy Ministry validated, and they are certain that their calling is from God.
And God’s call into the Office of Holy Ministry is a calling of service. God call is not a calling to be a chief executive officer (CEO). Pastors are not trained to be CEOs. God’s calling is not for the pastor to send his members out to be ministers. His members are not trained to be ministers. This type of activity is a reversal of what God has given. God has called the laity to run the congregation and the pastor to serve the Lord by being His servant in that place, by being in service. Thus, the Pastor is called to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments and forgive and retain sins.
As Christians, we believe, teach and confess that God has called some men into the Office of Holy Ministry, that He has validated that call through the calling congregation, and that He has given pastors to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments and forgive and retain sins. Thus, as Christians, we do not believe that a person can call themself to be a pastor, that God calls women to be pastors, nor that pastors are to be the chief executive officer of a congregation.
