Am I worthy to be a pastor?

These were the first words of the last line of my presentation to the Men's Fellowship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church this morning. The whole line actually reads: "Am I worthy to be a pastor? No. But by God's grace and at the time of His calling, I will be a pastor."

A couple of months ago, I was invited to address this group before leaving to begin seminary this summer. I've met in fellowship with these men for several years; however, this was the first time I had been asked to address them.

Early on, I was not sure what I would say; the presentations are usually biographical and the speakers are usually taken from the group itself. The purpose of the talks is to get to know the speaker better. Since I knew I would be leaving for an extended absence immediately after this presentation, I was not sure if I should use the opportunity to take the presentation in a different direction.

In the end, I opted to do both. In the words of Pastor Flammann: "It was long." It really was. These presentations usually run between 20 to 30 minutes; mine was not so concise.

After receiving several requests to discuss what the call to ministry has looked like for me, I did so after doing a "fast forward" biography. (Pastor, can you imagine how long it would have been if I hadn't fast forwarded? ) I organized my talk about the call to ministry around the three questions that Fort Wayne has recommended men discerning the call ask themselves: Are God's people nudging you? Do you find joy at the thought of this service? Do you feel utterly unworthy for this service?

It was a great privilege to address these men this morning. Afterwards, they presented me a gift bag containing: Ole and Lena fortune cookies, a Men's Fellowship coffee mug, and a short-sleeve shirt with clerical collar for use in the coming years. Thanks, guys!