Book review
Called to the Ministry

Full description of book:
Edmund P. Clowney, Called to the Ministry (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing: Phillipsburg, NJ, USA, 1964). ISBN 0-87552-144-4.

Review:

It is always a surprise when one picks up a small book which exposits God's Word and speaks to the heart in a manner that belies its size. Clowney's book Called to the Ministry is indeed one such book which looks very unassuming in size and the (inartistic) design of its book cover. If not for the title (and probably the name of the author), this book would scarcely attract anyone's attention. As it is, the solid biblical principles taught in it is surely well worth the investment.

Clowney splits the book into two parts: Part one presents the topic of What is God's Calling, while part two describes What is God's Calling to the Ministry. Despite the seemingly ministerial orientation, the book is actually a very good book for Christians in general, not just those considering full-time ministry. Part one especially details the way Christians ought to live as God's people — a topic surely very pertinent for ALL Christians. For example, in pages 4-11, Clowney talks about what it means to be called by God's name; that God calls us by His name - CHRISTians. If there is any proper biblical answer to the problems of inferiority complexes and low self-esteems the people of our culture suffer from, the answer does not lie in having high "self-esteem" or thinking highly of ourselves (which we do already), but of self-forgetfulness and finding oneself in Christ. As Clowney wrote:

You learn to know yourself only as you learn to know Christ. Self-knowledge cannot be an end in itself. Paul never cries with Socrates, "Know thyself!" Rather he says, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead" (Phil. 3:10,11). "For me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21) is the text of Paul's life. (p. 11)

And that should be the text of our lives as well.

Secondly, with regards to serving our God, Clowney in the section under Calling to the Cross calls us (all Christians) to surrender our lives to Him. We are not to follow the ways of the world even if it seems that we would thus be wasting our talents in business etc. As Clowney states, 'the history of the Christian church is the history of "wasted" lives' (p. 14).

The Christian may tabulate all the assets of his personality and take inventory of his preferences, but he casts all these at the feet of Christ. He is not seeking fulfillment but expendability. He counts not his life dear to himself, for he holds it in trust for Christ. His goal is beyond the grave; the crown of his high calling is in the hand of his risen Lord. (p. 14-15)

The world would scorn us Christians for "wasting" our lives in wordly-wise unfruitful ventures, but our calling is always through the Cross of Christ. Jesus as our Lord commands us to come and die to ourselves and live for Him (Lk. 9:23-24). How can we who are called by His name refuse the loving call of our Savior?

Thirdly, Clowney further mentions the idea of ministering to the world around us. There is no such thing as a secular and sacred divide with regards to the calling of Christians. All Christians are ministers before God. 'As a kingdom of priests and a holy nations, it [the church] declares the praises of him who called it from darkness to his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)' (p. 20). All Christians are to 'seek first the purpose of God's saving rule in Christ' (p. 20), whatever their vocation is. We are to honor and glorify God and serve Him wherever we are in whatever station of life we are in, advancing the Kingdom of Christ through our lives and witnesses. There is no such thing as pastors, elders and deacons doing all the job while the "laity" just fulfil their "duties" by warming the pews on Sundays and maybe occasionally take part in various church committees. That is most certainly NOT what Christ has called us to. The difference between ordinary believers and office-bearers in the church is one of responsibility and the type of service before God, not one of relative commitments to Christ (not to mention status). As Clowney wrote:

The distinction commonly made between secular pursuits and Christian service comes dangerously close to the distinction between what the Gentiles seek and what the children of the kingdom seek. Christian calling cannot be secular. The man who hesitates between a money-making career and the ministry is not merely in doubt about his calling to the pastorate, he is questioning his commitment to Christ. (p. 20)

The last section in the first part talks about preparation for service to our Lord. Factors such as our spiritual gifts, the fellowship of believers and the opportunities presented to us shape how we serve Christ in our lives, and we are to serve God in light of these factors to give Him glory in whatever we do.

The second part of the book on God's calling to the Ministry focuses on two aspect of the calling: its distinctiveness and its clarity. Clowney through Scripture shows what exactly is the distinctiveness of the office of pastors and evangelists in terms of the aspects of authority, function and giftings. Here, Clowney seems to embrace something analogous to a 3-office view of the ministry of the church, or at least a stricter 2.5-office view of the ministry. Nevertheless, that is a relatively minor issue in this book. One good thing which Clowney does is to tell even those who are considering entering the Ministry to fulfil God's call now for them as Christians instead of sitting down to wait for the Lord's call (p. 67). God will show us His direction for our lives while we are in the process of living out the Christian life as He has called us to at the moment, not while we are just sitting there waiting for some mystical revelation to occur. As Clowney reminds us, 'the call to stewardship is found in stewardship' (p. 67). Alluding to the parable of the talents (Mt. 25:14-30), we are reminded that 'to the servant who is faithful in little the Lord entrusts much. The fruit-bearing branch is pruned for greater fruitfulness' (p. 67).

We are then brought to the issue of the calling of God us-wards individually. The personal calling by God is essential for those who aspire to the office of a pastor (and I would add an elder). There must be an element not only of the love for souls but more importantly a passion for God and His Word, such that God's Word becomes like fire in his bones (Jer. 20:9) (p. 80). The calling is also manifested in growth in wisdom and discernment in handling the Word of God, thus proving the calling of the person so called. As Clowney wrote, 'you prove your calling as you improve your gifts ... Your calling will be clear as God's blessings crowns your words and deeds for him' (p. 83). Conversely therefore, those who do not have the gift of handling God's Word properly are manifested not to have been called to the office of a Minister of the Word (pastor/elder).

Personal calling alone is insufficient however. The Church must call, by which it is meant that the Church is to recognize the giftings and accept the minister as such (p. 86). This does not give the minister any authority per se, for only God's calling is effectual. The Church is to recognize what is already there and regulate its use for the growth of Christ's body, not to try to create a calling out of thin air. God's role is creation; the Church's role is recognition. A properly functioning Church is to recognize the call of God and call the minister in conjunction with God's call, and therefore a minister which is called by God but rejected by the Church is impossible, serving only to show that that particular local church is going against God. This does not mean that anyone claiming the call is to be blindly accepted, but that all such calls are to be evaluated according to the guidance of the Spirit according to the Word of God, and the call as such would be shown to be true or false. If true, the Church MUST recognize it, but if false, the Church MUST similarly reject it.

In conclusion, therefore, this book is a solid book by Clowney targeted for those considering the Ministry but applicable to all Christians, especially the first part of the book.