I want to pass on something I learned as a young pastor in the early ‘80’s. I finally accepted that God was calling me into a life of ministry after two years of fighting against it. Surrender was a powerful victory, but I did not understand how God worked in the call. I chose my first church. I never consulted the opportunity with God. I somehow thought that was how I could please Him. I lasted a year. I knew I was not where I was meant to be, but I did not yet understand why. I went on to finish seminary.
After seminary, I still did not understand how God worked this pastoring thing. I put together a resume as best I could; wasn’t that hard, not much to put on it. I sent it out to a few places, and I was invited to a few churches in view of a call. The first church was in the San Jose area of California. I discovered that the search committee was planning to leave the church as soon as they found a pastor. I did not accept a call there.
The next invitation was to Corona, California. I spent about three days there and really fell in love with the people and they loved me. On Sunday night there was a questioning period followed by a vote on a call. While the church was discussing and voting, I sat in the vacant pastor’s office planning how I would arrange things to suit myself. The chairman of the search committee came in with the vote count. The whole congregation voted to extend the call to me with one vote against; that negative vote was from the church’s Spanish pastor who wanted control of the whole thing. I was about to verbally accept the call when I heard myself saying, “I’m sorry, can’t accept that vote; it was not unanimous.” There it was, I said it; I couldn’t take it back. I was broken hearted! The church was broken hearted! We all cried, but I could not change what God apparently moved me say.
Then there was a period when I did not receive any interest from churches. During that time there was a church in the association where I was living that had experienced a severe split. It was hurtful to the church and the surrounding community. I had read about it in letters to the editor of the state paper, and I told God that I wanted nothing to do with that church situation. However, a retired pastor where I was attending church asked me every Sunday morning if I had sent a resume up to that church. Each Sunday I had to confess that I did not. I finally thought that I could get him off my back by sending one to the church; so, I did. I had concluded that with my lack of experience, they would put me at the bottom of their stack of resumes.
A week later, I was surprised at work by a couple of men from that church who came to take me to lunch and talk with me. They drove about 50 miles for this. At lunch they expressed that because of my nearness to the church they wondered if I would be their supply preacher until they found a new one.
I thought that I could do this without any serious commitment. I needed practice preaching, and I could “hit’em hard” and go home for the week. I agreed to their proposal only to be told that I needed to meet with the rest of the search committee. I went that night, and everyone was agreeable. On the way to the parking lot after the meeting, the one gentleman walking with me wanted me to see the sanctuary and he took me up to the balcony so I would get a better overall view. Standing there, looking at the lower room in semi-darkness, I heard the LORD speak to me so clearly that I was frightened. He said, “Jerry, you will serve me here.”
In what felt like a long time, I responded to what I had heard. “LORD, if that is what You truly want, I will, but I will not tell anyone, nor try to promote myself in any way. You will need to make it happen.”
In a few months, we had gone through all the resumes the church had received. Every time a prospective pastor was invited in view of a call to spend a weekend of questioning and preaching, the church insisted that I would moderate the whole process. I remember one candidate was so impressive in all areas that I began to question what I had heard earlier from the LORD. If I were a member of the church, I would have wanted to extend a call to this guy. As he was leaving to return to Washington state where he lived, he came over to where I was and said, “Brother Jerry, God has a place in mind for you.”
The church was to meet with the search committee on the following Wednesday evening. By the time of the meeting, that favorable candidate had contacted the committee saying that he did not feel that the Spirit of God wanted him to serve there. This had been the last resume the church had received. There were no more candidates to consider.
The search committee met the following week, and for the first time they asked me to attend. They were concerned about what to do next, and they wanted my input. This was in the beginning of November with the holidays approaching, so I suggested that they take a break until after the first of the year and start fresh by sending invitations for resumes from interested persons through sate papers and associations and such. By this time, they had asked me to be interim pastor and helping the church on Wednesday nights, Saturdays, and of course all-day Sunday. I would continue to serve in this way through the whole process if they were agreeable. This idea was agreed upon as they were becoming worn down from the months of searching.
A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, the search committee called an urgent meeting, and again they asked me to attend. The committee had been hearing from several of the church’s membership, and they wanted to share with me what they were hearing. “Brother Jerry, we think God wants you to be our pastor. Would you be willing to go through a weekend of questioning and in-depth interviews concluding with a possible vote next weekend?”
God was in control of the whole process, and I simply watched and waited. I served 12 years in that church, and God told me when it was time to leave. I did not want to leave that church. In my mind, I would have stayed until I died, but God spoke as clearly to leave as He did to serve Him there.
I have served in two more churches since those days, and neither one of them were places I wanted to be. Each time I heard God state that He wanted me to serve Him in each church, again, against my desires. The pattern of the processes in each church was the same: supply, interim, call. Many pastors were quick to tell me that it was not ethical to accept a call where you were serving as interim. But beloved, when God speaks, you must follow.
That third church I served a mere five years, and God told me when it was time to move on, though I did not desire to leave. This present church, church number four, where God placed me in service will soon be 19 years, I am now 77, and I have no idea of how or when it will end. This one is my wilderness journey and filled with many victories. God is so very good to me.
What am I saying in all this? It is not about politics! Our God knows where He wants to use us. God will share that direction with us when we seek that wisdom from Him, and Him alone. Don’t go until you know but when you know you must go.
