Q&A for How to Become a Pastor

A pastor should be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, a Spirit-empowered student of the Bible, one who knows and meets the Scriptural qualifications for an overseer and shepherd, one who affirms the gifts and callings of the office of a pastor, a person of prayer, a respected person with a respectful heart toward all people.

No. You need to do a lot of praying, speaking in front of people (ask if you can do the weekly announcements at your church), reading and writing. Read the whole Bible, get a Bible dictionary, read Bible commentaries, and get good grades in school. Every subject you learn in school can be used in a sermon.

Read the word of God and pray about it. If God is calling you in that direction, every scripture you read will relate back to it and you will not be able to get your mind off of it. God confirms his calling for your life in many ways, but you need to be in a strong relationship with him in order to know if it is truly him.

Gods timing is the best. Never rush in as you may rush out. Seek God for guidance, wait on hIm and at the same time get prepared. Stay blessed.

Was Abraham too old to have children? Maybe in the world's view it's too old, but nothing is too old or too late for the Lord to work through them. However, if you're asking this question, maybe you should question whether the Lord wants you to minister the word of God, and whether you're ready to take on that role.

They should. If they don't, then they are not preaching a major part of who God is.

It depends on the church you're applying for. The Catholic and Protestant church usually require a degree in the respective theology or at least some degree and seminaries. Baptist churches do not. Furthermore, you are usually expected to train with another pastor after getting your degree. You also have to be good with people, for obvious reasons, and be able to convey the word to your flock. If you want to know more about it you should probably ask the local pastor of your denomination or contact someone via e-mail.

1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." Can they? I guess if they have the calling, then sure. You may not have the life experience to speak on certain topics or know every aspect of the Bible but you could preach in a limited capacity for the time being.

If God isn't calling you, then it's probably not for you. If you still want to be a pastor, pray to God for His guidance.

Because most pastors are full time pastors who have families and bills to pay as well. When there is a blazing fire approaching your home do you grab a garden hose to try to put it out? No, you call a firefighter who is trained to handle the specific situation. They get paid through tax dollars so you don't have to do it yourself. It's the same when it comes to pastors except they don't get paid automatically through your checks. When you give to a church you are paying a professional to help you understand what they have been trained to teach.

Study your Bible and stay involved in your church. Your pastor can help you prepare.

It depends on the specific rules of yor specific church. In general, the profession prevents you from taking a lot of jobs which require a set schedule. Pastors need to be flexible and available. You can have other jobs, but those have to adjust to you, not the other way around.

A missionary is an evangelist who breaks new ground for Christ, taking the gospel to a new ground where Jesus is not yet known. A missionary provides a ground of operation for pastors. Missionaries are build and develop souls through education, formal and informal training, etc. Pastors run the church, but missionaries build the foundation.

Has God called you to be one? If you feel in your heart and soul that He has, then do it.

Yes. A woman can become a pastor.

It's a good thing to want to advance in your knowledge. Apostle Paul made an impact because he was learned. Now, considering the grade challenge, I would advise you enroll for short-time courses in your desired field that wouldn't require many grades before offering admission, a private institution can be help too.

Certainly. There is a chance you will experience discrimination, either in the hiring process or within the congregation, as some people are old fashioned and have rigid ideas about who should be a pastor, but you shouldn't let this stop you.

No, you must be dedicated to God to become a pastor. This involves prayer and knowing, understanding and appreciating the Bible.

Sermons can be found anywhere God directs you. However, there are books on how to write sermons and build sermon outlines that you might find useful. Those can be found online or in your local Christian bookstore. You might also be able to find articles online written by other pastors that offer advice for sermon-writing.

Actually, whether we like it or not, everyone is a theologian; we all have our beliefs and opinions about God, even atheists. What everyone needs to be is a theologian who seeks God's truth.

Usually, the denomination or church you are a part of will have steps for how to attain certain titles.

Sincerely and fervently ask God if that is what HE wants. Be willing to go if He calls, and follow His leading after that. If God wants you to be a pastor, He will make it clear to you, and He will lead you where to go next; just look to Him.

Yes, a woman can be a pastor; any gender can be a pastor. There are some churches that believe they can't, but there are many woman pastors.

You can; however, it would be best to major in it. Different churches have different requirements. You may want to determine what church you want to work for and ask them what their requirements are.

It truly depends on the congregation and the denomination of the church.

Yes, you can. Saul (who become Paul), would have had several felonies in his day and wrote much of the New Testament.

It depends on the rules of the church/denomination you want to be ordained into. The Catholic Church requires having a formal education in theology or similar; in contrast, some churches are so freely willing to ordain that you can become ordained by just attending a ceremony. Check the rules for ordination in your Church.

No. The Pope is the man who runs the Catholic religion, and there is only one pope.

Women are allowed to hold virtually any position of authority in a Protestant church. Think of the Judge Deborah: she led Israel to victory against Sisera while married. It is a different story in Catholicism, though.

Some denominations will allow this, mainly protestant and nondenominational churches.