Discerning a Divine Call

To the St. Peter’s Family,

I pray that the Lord is giving you a blessed Friday.

I wanted to update you on a Divine Call I received from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church out of Clay Center, Kansas. They are calling me as an Associate Pastor to work alongside the Senior Pastor there. When this Call came in, I was not looking for a new position nor actively putting my name out on Call lists. It is, however, my preference to hear out any interest in my ministry because the Spirit of God directs the ministry of His word as He wishes (John 3:8). 

The Call process for a pastor can be a little nerve-wracking, but it is part of the healthy workings of a church body. Churches with vacancies need pastors, and so they pull names from a variety of sources. They whittle those names down by various processes and interview a few pastors. After that a church issues a Divine Call to one pastor. A Divine Call is a congregation saying we believe that God is calling this pastor to our church. It is now the pastor’s turn to see how the Holy Spirit is moving. He will be in prayer and may ask his congregation and the calling congregation for more information and guidance. After careful deliberation the pastor can accept the Call or refuse the Call. 

As Lyndi and I deliberate this Call, we ask for your prayers. Please, pray for guidance, wisdom, and that the Lord would clearly make known His will. Please, continue to keep our church in your prayers especially for her continued ministry as well as her Senior pastor vacancy at this time. I would also ask that you pray for St. Paul’s, Clay Center, and her ministry, as we are called to pray for the entire ministry of God (Ephesians 6:18) since they are seeking God’s guidance with their Call process. 



Lyndi and I, along with our children, will pray for discernment with God’s grace and for the two ministries as well. 

May the Lord continue to watch over His Church,

Pastor McDowell