As a member of my...
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As a member of my denomination's Board of Ordained Ministry, I am concerned when someone hears the call to the ministry and doesn't initially reject it. There are too many hardships in the ministry for someone to be called and immediately respond, "Yes, that's what I want to do," without carefully weighing the cost of saying yes. Prospective clergy need to consider seriously the cost of serving before they take the plunge. There are omnipresent pitfalls to be aware of -- constant, unceasing demands upon one's time and attention, subsistence pay, and minimal prestige and/or appreciation for the job that is done. The "brightest and best" in our society want to be physicians or lawyers. Those who become members of the clergy are entering a servant ministry. In order to be a fruitful member of the clergy, one has to enter the profession with one's eyes fully open. One should reject the ministry as a career option unless the call is so persistent that one can do nothing else. A district superintendent told me that when people came to him and indicated their interest in the ordained ministry, he would gruffly reply, "Go away and don't come back! Don't come back unless you can do nothing else but come back." In his eyes, potential candidates were only made of the right stuff if they couldn't be put off, no matter what was said to them.
-- Van Der Wall
-- Van Der Wall
