On July 8, WSC hosted “Consider Your Calling: A Zoom Conversation with Dr. Dennis E. Johnson.” This new online event was designed to help future seminarians determine if they may be called to pastoral ministry. The live Zoom call featured WSC’s own Professor Emeritus Dr. Dennis E. Johnson and included participants from Japan, the Philippines, Ukraine, Kenya, Washington, Southern California, and other areas of the United States. As a professor, academic dean, and director of field education for WSC, Dr. Johnson has spent countless hours in conversation with prospective and current students alike who are wrestling with the question of whether God is calling them to pastoral ministry. He also brought significant personal experience to the conversation, having pastored in both the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and now in the Presbyterian Church of America, where he currently serves as an assistant pastor of Westminster PCA in Dayton, TN.
Dr. Johnson unpacked this concept of calling in four major aspects: Desire, Godliness, Giftedness, and Confirmation. Highlighting a number of biblical passages including 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, he emphasized the inextricable connection between a calling to pastoral ministry and God’s Word. He also underscored the role of the Church in identifying and confirming a desire to lead and teach the Scriptures. Expounding on this irreplaceable value of a local church in determining one’s call, Dr. Johnson drew participants’ attention to WSC’s Field Education program.
“Westminster Seminary California…has a robust Field Education program that pushes you into churches,” he said. “Seven hundred hours of supervised ministry in churches, 9-10 areas of ministry that you need to get some exposure to—preaching to not just seminary classes with other seminary theologians, but preaching to real people, ordinary Christians and having them give you some feedback—and sending that all back to the Director of Field Education so he can look at it all…so the Church can get a look at who you are and get to know you and give you the kind of input you need.”
Participants in the Zoom call received a copy of Edmund Clowney’s book Called to the Ministry, a helpful tool for exploring this idea of calling which Dr. Johnson highlighted several times during his talk. Reflecting wryly on his own temptation as a young seminarian to speed through this little book, skipping Part 1 which highlights God’s calling for all believers, he encouraged participants to read both parts thoughtfully and with prayerful self-reflection. The last 20 minutes of the Zoom call were spent in a Q&A with Dr. Johnson, during which he shared personal stories of his own journey of being called as an encouragement to participants.
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for this special event!
