What Does It Mean to Be an Ex-Pastor?
I recently blogged on how I understand the call to ministry. I mentioned in passing that I felt called to ministry (even though I understand that call differently now) but that now I am not in congregational ministry.
I was ordained as a pastor with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. I pastored at four churches during a period of fourteen years. I earned theological degrees to improve that ministry. Yet today I am not a pastor of a church.
What happened?
Unlike some other ex-pastors, I did not have a bad experience. I loved all my churches, including the last churches I pastored. I really left those churches to be closer to my daughter. It was not a firm decision to never pastor again but I did have a sense that I was closing a chapter in my life.
Am I still involved in ministry?
Most definitely. I am an army chaplain and I teach the Bible and apologetics. I also do guest preaching at churches. My writing and blogging are also a part of my ministry.
But what about the call to be a pastor?
Well I don’t really remember God telling me that I was going to be a pastor. We don’t need to over-spiritualize these things. The biblical teaching is that we are to be faithful with the gifts that God gives us. I can be faithful with those gifts in or out of the pastorate. I feel that I am using my gifts, perhaps in a way better than when I was a pastor.
Will I ever be a pastor again?
I am a pastor as a chaplain but at this point I have no intention to seek a church to be a pastor of. Obviously I have no idea what the future holds but I suspect my ministry has taken a different path for some time.
I have always felt that I was called to pastoral ministry–but sometimes the context shifts. I was at a congregation for two years as an assistant pastor; I taught five years at Covenant Seminary; I’m in year 6 at my current congregation as senior minister, while also teaching at RTS. Even as I’ve gone back and forth between theological education and congregation ministry, ever since I was ordained in 2003, I’ve been in pastoral ministry. I suspect it is the same for you as well.