More on Pastoring

I would say what makes a person a pastor is a personal call and gift from God. It's something the person has on the inside. No man can give it to him. He knows that he knows he has it. It's not something he just decides to do out of necessity, nor of frustration. It's divine. It's true that a person can already be doing the stuff, and only later be given the title in the minds of others. But I would also say that while it's true that a person can enter a God-given calling before any man recognizes it, if his call is genuine, it will eventually be recognized in two ways: First, by his success; and Second, by other men - including other leaders - who will eventually recognize it and affirm it. Paul the Apostle is an example of this. So, perhaps, is John Wesley. Paul began preaching the Gospel before any man called him. Eventually he went to Jerusalem to become acquainted with the Apostles and Elders - perhaps to double-check that he himself was on the right track. After hearing of the success of Paul's work, the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem unanimously extended to Paul the right hands of fellowship and defined his ministry. Peter even wrote an endorsement of Paul's doctrine, in one of his own Epistles. Paul also had a local body of recognized Prophets and Teachers in his own sending-church at Antioch, men who heard from God about Paul's calling and who laid hands on him at the beginning of a new phase of his ministry. The laying on of hands equates to ordination. The same can be said of John Wesley. But even success and recognition may not be proof enough that someone is called by God to be a pastor. It's something the person himself also needs to know deep inside himself. I heard brother Hagin say once that he pastored (successfully) for 14 years before he got the revelation that he was never called to be a pastor. After God showed him, he assumed he was meant to be an evangelist. So he evangelized for some time, with a certain amount of success. But then, after seeking God more intently, it was revealed to him that he was never called to be an Evangelist either: he was called to be a Prophet and a Teacher. Once Hagin got his ministry in-line with his true calling, he quickly became known all over the world. Hagin says that it's possible for a minister to spend his whole life busy in ministry and yet not do what he was really called to do. Sobering. Hagin also taught that we can hinder our ministry if we don't prioritize our callings properly. His calling was to be Prophet and Teacher. God placed prophecy ahead of teaching. So long as Hagin prioritized his prophetic ministry, he fulfilled God's will. When he prioritized his Teaching ministry, it slowed his ministry down. Hagin also taught that when a person is called to pastor, he needs to prioritize pastoring. That's a reason few prophets will be called to be pastors - because although if a man is a pastor he needs to prioritize pastoring, yet prophecy is ahead of "governments" - so pastor/prophet will be a rare mix of ministries. Usually prophets won't be called to pastor - not longterm, at least. I really do think we ought to be more intentional about discovering our calling, rather than just to leave a church out of frustration, start our own group, and think of ourself as a "pastor" just because we are trying to do the stuff - even if we are doing it with a measure of success. What is the Holy Spirit saying? I think I've seen plenty of examples, over my 32 years as a Christian, of ministers hitting the sweet-spot in their callings, and others who appeared to struggle to identify it. Could this be helpful, or am I being too conscientious?