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| Q: | I have noticed that most pastors will take 2-4 weeks to decide whether or not to accept a call. It seems that they spend a great deal of time weighing the pros and cons of the new call along with the current call. Even though it is a divine call, they need to spend a great deal of time deciding which way the Lord wants them to go. With that in mind, why does the Synod Convention force pastors to decide a call within 24 hours (or less) if it is a call to a Synod-level office? Is that decision so much simpler or is it not viewed as the same level of calling, hence not requiring much deliberation? | ||||||
| A: | There is no biblical prescription for the time to consider a divine call. The time a pastor considers his call is a matter of custom and, sometimes, practicality. Our election process in our districts as well as in our synod presupposes that men are nominated and elected who are capable of making a decision within a relatively short period of time. On the local level, the election of your circuit pastor and his acceptance follows much the same short timeline as synod and district offices. The COP has opined that election to synod and district offices are calls on exactly the same level as calls to any other ministry office. | ||||||
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