How should pastors be trained and called?
Question 09011
The training and calling of pastors is a subject on which the New Testament says more than many churches realise and less than some seminary programmes assume. The modern pathway to pastoral ministry, which typically involves formal theological education followed by a search process and an institutional appointment, is not the only model Scripture allows. The biblical picture is both broader and simpler, and recovering it may help churches identify and develop pastors more effectively.
Called by God
The starting point is always God’s initiative. Pastoral ministry is not a career chosen by the individual; it is a calling received from God and recognised by the church. Paul described himself as “called by the will of God” (1 Corinthians 1:1), and his instructions to Timothy and Titus assume that the men being appointed to leadership are those in whom the Spirit has already been at work. The qualifications Paul lists (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) are not application criteria for a job; they are marks of a life that has been shaped by the Spirit for the work of shepherding God’s people. The desire itself is significant: “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1). The aspiration, when genuine, is itself part of the calling.
The church’s role is to recognise, confirm, and affirm what God is doing. This is not a passive process. It requires the existing leadership to observe, to invest in, and to test those who may be called. It also requires the congregation to affirm the recognition. A person who believes they are called to pastoral ministry but whose calling is not recognised by any local church should consider seriously whether the calling is genuine. The New Testament pattern is not self-appointment; it is mutual recognition between the individual’s sense of calling and the church’s confirmation of it.
Trained in the Word
Paul’s charge to Timothy, “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 Timothy 2:15), makes clear that competence in Scripture is not optional for those who would teach and lead. The pastor must be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2) and must “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). This requires serious, disciplined engagement with the whole of Scripture.
The New Testament does not, however, prescribe a specific model of theological education. Paul was trained under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and brought an extraordinary theological mind to his apostolic work. Peter and John were “uneducated, common men” whose competence was recognised as flowing from their time with Jesus (Acts 4:13). The diversity of educational backgrounds among the apostles and early church leaders suggests that the essential thing is not the credentials but the competence. A pastor must know the Bible deeply, handle it accurately, and communicate it clearly. How they acquire that competence may vary.
Formal theological education has genuine value. Studying under experienced teachers, engaging with the history of Christian thought, learning the original languages, and being stretched intellectually are all beneficial for pastoral preparation. What formal education cannot provide is the character, the calling, or the spiritual maturity that pastoral ministry requires. A three-year degree programme can produce someone who knows a great deal about the Bible without producing someone who is ready to pastor a church. The best training combines academic rigour with practical apprenticeship, the classroom with the congregation, and theological study with hands-on ministry experience under the guidance of a seasoned pastor.
Recognised by the Church
The New Testament pattern for placing pastors in churches is not a job-application process. Paul appointed elders in every church (Acts 14:23). Titus was left in Crete to “put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). The early church’s method was for apostles or apostolic delegates to identify qualified men and set them in place, with the congregation’s involvement and affirmation. In the absence of apostles, the responsibility falls to the existing leadership and the congregation together, recognising those whom God has raised up and equipped.
The modern pastoral search process, with its search committees, candidate profiles, and trial sermons, is not inherently unbiblical, but it can sometimes function more like a corporate hiring process than a spiritual discernment of God’s leading. The healthiest churches are often those that identify and develop pastoral leadership from within their own congregations, mentoring potential pastors over years of shared life and ministry before formally recognising them. External candidates are not excluded by this, but the internal cultivation of leadership reflects the New Testament’s organic, relational model more closely than an advertisement-and-interview process.
So, now what?
If God is stirring in you a desire to serve as a pastor, the path forward is not to pursue credentials in isolation. Serve faithfully where you are. Study the Scriptures with discipline and depth. Seek out a pastor who can mentor you and speak honestly into your life. Let the church observe your character, your teaching, and your love for people over time. And trust that if the calling is genuine, God will open the doors and the church will confirm what the Spirit has been doing. If you are part of a church leadership team, look within your congregation for those in whom the Spirit is at work. Invest in them. Give them opportunities to serve, to teach, and to grow. The next pastor your church needs may already be sitting in the congregation.
“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 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)