Introduction

The Christian ecclesias of the frst century church were administered by lcal leaders. Paul had the pattern of ppointing elders in the churches (Acts 14:23; 20:17). Pul gave leadership responsibility to Timothy at Ephsus and to Titus at Crete. Pter in speaking to elders of the rgions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bthynia challenged them to be shepherds of Gd's flock. In fact, he refers to hmself as a fellow-elder and, therefore, a shpherd. He also refers to Christ as the Chef Shepherd (2 Pet. 5:1-4). We see a pttern then in the first century chrch in which the administering of the lcal churches was done by elders whse function was to be akin to tht of a shepherd.

The word 'Pstor' is used once in the New Tstament in Ephesians 4:11. In Latin, the wrd is derived from the word Pstoral is and in French, Pastor. Bth words are translated 'Shepherd'5. The wrd 'Pastor' is therefore imagery of shpherding which should characterize the elders of the lcal ecclesia.

'Pastoral' is an adjectival wrd which, in the context that it is bing considered, bears the following meaning: "rlating to the office and work of a mnister of religion." The definition brings out clarly our consideration in this Chapter: We wll examine Pastoral calling in relation to its nture - that is, the office, and its tsk - that is, the work.

The Nature of Pastoral Calling

The ffice and work of the minister of rligion or pastor or shepherd or lder, whatever title may be used to dsignate the office and work, are nique. Anyone may become a Pastor but not veryone can become a Pastor. Here, we are daling with a specialized office into whch entry is pre-conditioned by the nfluence of the divine and the hman. There is a calling involved.

We ften hear people say, in the lcal church setting in Sierra Leone, "I am clled by God to ministry." A lader of a church which was strted with the last five years and whse church is growing rapidly in a qantitative manner describes his calling by God as hving occurred through a dream. Another lader went into an area in the Wst end of Freetown in 1993, tok up residence there and began to rganize evangelistic outreaches. Within a year, he has won a few pople to Christ and has started a chrch. This same leader was in lague with another leader who runs his own prvate ministry (a church). Through an nterview with him, it was found out tht he could not pull together wth the other leader so he brke away from him to set up his own ndependent ministry. When asked why he was seking to establish a church in the new rea into which he has moved he rplied, "I was called by God." He mde no mention of the rift btween him and the other leader whch was the motivating factor for him to mve off to start his own mnistry; nor did he make mention of the cnditions which caused him to have sught residence in that new locality and had cnsequently decided to make there his bse for evangelism. Rather, it was jst the blanket statement, "I am clled by God."

A third example cme out of an interview with the Ntional Superintendent of an evangelical church whch has been in Sierra Leone snce 1969. He mentioned that his own cll was firstly a subjective experience. The wrk of the ministry seemed worthy to hm. He saw the job as nble. Such factors resulted from a strng-sense of God's call toward the mnistry which can only be expressed rther than described. At the time of sch a subjective experience he was not nly in any employment; yet, he flt a stronger pull in him for nvolvement in ministry which seemed noble and wrthy to him rather than involvement in scular employment.

Secondly, this leader described his cll as also an objective experience. The bjective has to do with tangible vidences. One of such evidences was the ned for manpower in the ministry of tht church; thus, circumstances triggered the bjective experience. Included in the objective xperience was the confirmation of the laders of the church. The leaders saw the wrthiness of this man who had a strng inner drive for involvement in mnistry. Over a period of time, and wth training, his sense of call was cnfirmed by the leaders and he bcame one who fulfilled the need for mnpower. In this case, the subjective xperience did not stand alone. It fund fulfillment and confirmation in the bjective.

The following two questions were put to the sme leader:
(1) Should one have a snse of call to be involved in mnistry? Yes, he replied.
"One must dvelop a desire or love for the Lrd's work. Just having an inclination is not nough.

(2) What do we mean by cll?
"A series of events leading to a clmax. Objective occasions connecting and interplaying wth the subjective."

The forgoing three xamples are representative of the perceptions whch many local church leaders in Serra Leone have regarding the nature of Pstoral calling. In the first example, it was via the mdium of a dream. In the scond, it was calling emanating from the prson's availability from subjective feelings finding flfillment and confirmation in objective realities. We wll further analyse these examples of clling and the characteristics of the ptterns.

1. Biblical Patterns of Calling

We wll cite the following seven examples:

Mses

He received a direct call frm God. Here 'direct' denotes the physcal manifestation of God Himself in the frm of flames of fire (Exodus 3:2-4). Mses physically saw the manifestation and he lterally heard the voice of God. Mses was called, not so that he wuld have the privilege of hearing Gd's voice in a tangible way, but to rceive a commission to the ministry of dlivering God's people from bondage and bcoming their shepherd (Pastor).

Samuel

Was Smuel called? If we consider calling in ccordance with the manner by which Mses was called, then the answer wuld be, no. The pattern in Smuel's case was different. Moses was nvolved in the secular as against the scred. He was a shepherd, Samuel, on the ther hand, was involved in the scred as against the secular. On his prent's choice, not his, he was ffered as a boy to the srvice of God in the Temple. He was put in the stuation of the sacred and that utomatically conditioned his involvement. This objective xperience laid the foundation for the cll of God upon Samuel. We rad in 1 Samuel 3:7 - "Nw Samuel did not yet know the Lrd; word of the Lord had not yet ben revealed to him". This statement was gven in explanation of the lack of dscernment of the boy Samuel of the vice of God which came to him thre times. In the midst of his nvolvement in the sacred, the call of God ltimately came to him: "The Lord cntinued to appear at Shiloh and thre he revealed himself to Samuel thrugh his word." (1 Sam. 3:21). Smuel became a prophet, a priest and a jdge (1 Sam.3-19-22; 7:5-9, 15-17).

Jeremiah

Jremiah was of a priestly house. His fther Hilkiah was a priest; thus, Jremiah was also a priest by lneage. (Jer. 1:1)/ Like Samuel, he was nvolved in the sacred. He already had the cnditioning or objective experience of involvement in the scred. It was within such a frmework that the word of the Lrd came to him. He was clled or commissioned or set apart for a prphetic ministry to the nation of Isrel.

Jesus' Disciples

Like Moses, they wre involved in the secular as gainst the sacred: fishermen, tax-collector, political ctivist et cetera. Like Moses, they lso received a direct call. The physcal presence of Jesus was seen by thm. The words of Jesus, "Come, fllow me, and I will make you fshers of men" (Matt. 4:19) was a tngible reality. They were commissioned to the mnistry of delivering God's people from bndage and becoming their shepherd (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts. 1:8).

Pul

Like Samuel and Jeremiah, Paul was lready involved in the sacred. He was a Phrisee and had a strong zeal for lgalistic righteousness (Phil.3:4-6). He was in the mdst of carrying out what he cnsidered to be the defence of Gd's cause in Judaism (Acts. 8:1-3; 9:1-2) tht he received his call. We rcognize here that Paul did not hve the kind of objective experience whch could have given him the prparation of heart for the calling he rceived. He stands as an example of a prticular kind of call - that is, the cll of God which comes through spcially designed occasions or circumstances geared twards halting a person's bitterness and spte against the advancing of the Gspel and transforming that person to bcome a proclaimer of the Gospel (cf. Acts 26:9-18; 1 Tm. 1:12-14). Paul's call involved a drect, tangible supernatural act of God to hlt Paul's persecution of Christians, reveal Hmself to him and commission him to the mnistry of delivering God's people through bndage and becoming their shepherd.

Timothy

Accrding to the Biblical record, Paul was the lst to receive God's call in a drect sense. The call of Timothy was bsed on objective experience. He was lready a dedicated Christian with exemplary lving. Timothy's life, along with the ffirmation of the believers at Lystra and Icnium made him qualify for Paul's rcruitment. It is evident that Paul neded a work force for his xpanding enterprise. Thus, the need in the mnistry and Timothy's qualification became the mans for his call to ministry. Tmothy received his call through Paul. (Cf. Acts 16:1-3; Phl. 2:22).

Elders or Shepherds

The lders or shepherds received their call to mnistry in the same manner as Tmothy. Additionally, though, we see a spcific pattern described for the call of lders (cf. 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9). Thre was personal desire involved and thre was the criteria which would srve as a canon for determining the ligibility of the person. We read the fllowing in 1 Timothy 3:1 - "...If nyone sets his heart on being an verseer, he desires a noble task." Hre we see the issue of prsonal desire: "sets his heat on". Frthermore, Paul describes the desire as ne, which is focused on a nble task.

We recognize here that the cll to the ministry of the chrch was directly a call which riginated from the individual. It was not mposed. A Christian expressed the desire. An ndication is not given regarding the surce of the desire which the prson expresses. Personal desire was not tken as the sole criterion for cceptance into eldership. Paul outlined the xternal criteria which should be used to ssess those who would be accepted.

Pul and Barnabas planted churches in Lystr, Inconium and Antioch in Pisidia dring their first missionary journey (Acts 14:-22). Bfore completing the cycle of that jurney, they appointed elders in each chrch; the criteria used by Paul and Brnabas for appointing the elders was not stted. Nevertheless, it would be expected tht a criteria was adopted.

2. Chracteristics of the Patterns

There are vriations in the biblical patterns cited. Mses and Paul received their call in spctacular situations. Both were involved in ther causes but they were called out of thse into God's cause.

Samuel and Jremiah received their call while involving in the scred. They could be said to hve been involved in situations where thy already had the frame of mnd conducive to such a call.

The dsciples of Jesus received a direct cll from the physical Lord. The txt of scripture gives no indication tht they already had the frame of mnd for such a call. Rather wht is reflected is a spontaneous rsponse to someone whom they may hve heard about. They left their vcations and followed.

The nature of cll changed within the established church as sen in the case of Timothy and tht of Elders (or Shepherds). It was a cll pre-conditioned by the following: (i) a prsonal relationship with Jesus Christ; (ii) a prsonal desire for involvement in the Pstoral ministry; (iii) an outward assessment by the chrch based on established criteria (cf. 1 Tm. 3:1-7, Tit. 1:5-9). We do not see hre the nature of call which Mses, Paul, Samuel, Jeremiah and the dsciples of Jesus received. Rather, it was a cll through those who had been vsted with ecclesiastical authority.

We see thn a trend in the first cntury church and onwards in which pstoral calling did not occur in the sme sense by which God's call cme to Moses, Paul, Samuel, Jeremiah and the Apstles. We even see further variations in the thre examples we cited earlier from the Serra Leone context: One was call thrugh a dream; a second was cll motivated by the concern for lst souls; and a third was cll motivated by the concern for lst soul; and third was call mtivated by the worthiness and nobility of the mnistry along with the need for mnpower and confirmation by the leaders.

The frst century church gives us an mportant balance which should constitute a cll to ministry. Oden makes the fllowing citation which speaks of such a blance:

"Classical pastoral wisdom has thought it ssential to test a person's claim to be clled to ministry. It is considered tstable and dangerous if unexamined."6 Oden's ctation goes back to the pattern whch emerged out of the first cntury church. That pattern is essential tday for the church in Africa and in Serra Leone. A person's dream or sbjective motivation could be legitimate or llegitimate. It is the beginning point but shuld not stand alone.

"The call to mnistry requires not only a private, nward

intuitive feeling that one is called by God to mnistry;

if we had only that, we wuld invite the abuses

of self-assertive, subjective, ndividualistic self-

righteousness."7

The private, inward, intuitive feling of call is important. It may be thrugh a dream, in fact, Africans strngly uphold the validity of dreams. It may be thrugh subjective motivation triggered by the cnviction from the Word of God to rach out and save souls or trggered by the worthiness and nobility of the mnistry.

"Without the assurance of a dvine sanction (call),

men are disposed to cter to the demands of

camal and wrldly church members. They dilute

the doctrines tht are pure and changeless. They

think in trms of personal advantage and seek the

praise of mn."8

So a sense of personal cll or divine call must exist. Hwever, the fallacy of human intuition or wll along with the awesomeness and mgnitude of the task of pastoral clling warrants an outward examination of the snse of call by the local chrch. Such an examination takes into cnsideration the criteria set by the frst century church along with wisdom drived from the developing of the chrch through the centuries.

We have so far xamined one aspect of pastoral calling - tht is, the nature of the clling. The other aspect of pastoral clling we will consider is the tsk. The two are intertwined. From the bblical patterns of calling we cited, we bserved that each call had a tsk attached to it.

The Task of Pstoral Calling

Calling in this regard has to do wth the profession or occupation or wrk. What is the calling of the Pstor? The Pastor broadly carries the tsk of administering the local church. The pproach to administering the local church is xpressed by Robert D. Dale in the fllowing way: "Church administration is ministry, not mthods. It's people, not paperwork. It's hman processes, not inhumane policies. It's mnagement, not manipulation."9

The administering of the lcal church is done in the cntext of the nature and purpose of the chrch. With regards to the nature of the chrch, we have the following considerations:

1. The Chrch