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Why I Would Never Become an Adventist Pastor (Of My Own Volition)
A Commentary on Church and Calling
The safest place to be is in the will of God.
I sincerely hope that His will for me never includes a call to pastoral ministry.
This is not a random, moot, irrelevant, abstract concern, unfortunately.
Over my lifetime, quite a few well-meaning people from all walks of life have hinted at the idea of me pursuing the pastorate as a vocational calling. The most recent suggestion came a few months ago.
Issa no. It is a firm, “NO.”
I’d like to think that these individuals are well-intended but sorely misguided.
Some friends invited me to lunch this summer because they were concerned about my emotional state. I was trying to find a new job and they sensed my discouragement. They were a Brazilian, gay Jewish couple that I had gotten to know through group fitness classes that I teach as a side hustle. My fitness philosophy is anti-oppressive and I am a staunch advocate of full inclusion — all bodies, all sizes, but especially of larger individuals and people with marginalized identities — and my approach quickly won them over.
In our burgeoning friendship, our conversations were often filled with interfaith…
