I am an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Pastors in our church are itinerant, meaning that they are moved from church to church as directed by the Bishop.

On Sunday, January 6, 2019, I preached my first sermon as the Pastor of New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dublin, Georgia after two years of service at Mitchell Chapel and Hall Chapel in Sparta, Georgia.

In updating my LinkedIn profile, I was asked for a job description for my “new position.” As a seasoned professional in writing job descriptions, I started to put down the normal boilerplate phrases, until it hit me - being a Pastor is not a job it is a calling. This is what I wrote:

Being a Pastor is not a job but is a calling from God. My solemn duty as a pastor is to feed God’s sheep, the flock of people inside the church that I have been assigned to serve.

My call is aligned with Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 4 to equip the saints for work of service, as we build up the body of Christ.

My call is to not do all the ministry, but to prepare others so that we can contribute to the call of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) as Jesus instructed to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

How do I do this?

- I do this by teaching the Word, in as many public and private platforms as possible in person, through blogs, print and video.

- I do this by being concerned about the lives of the people of the church praying for them, caring for them and being present for them.

- I do this by living a life that is set apart in prayer, reflection, writing and study while at the same time fully living and interacting in and with the people of the church in our shared community.

Along with “all other duties as assigned” I am humbled by this call and eager to do God’s will as a servant of Christ Jesus.