We Got Called!

Sandra and Peter each discovered their pastoral calling in different ways–Sandra through a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit at youth camp, and Peter through a life-changing moment of surrender as a teenager. Both experienced God’s clear leading that shaped their lives and ministry, reminding us that true calling is about answering His invitation to serve and love.

Defining Pastoral “calling”

At its core, a pastoral calling is God’s summons to shepherd His people – caring for their spiritual growth, guiding them and leading them with compassion.

Pastoral ministry is not just about preaching sermons or running a church. It’s about embodying the heart of the Shepherd, Jesus, who laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). Ministry is never simply employment – it is a sacred trust.

As one of my Bible college professors once said: “If you can see yourself doing anything else, go and do that – because ministry is not something you choose lightly.”

The Marks of a True Calling

1. An inner conviction from God – The Spirit places a deep and persistent burden to love, protect, teach and guide His church. It is not mere interest in leadership, but a holy compulsion that endures, even in seasons of difficulty.

2. Confirmation from others – Healthy leaders and churches recognize pastoral gifting, whether through preaching, discipling, shepherding or counselling with wisdom and care.

3. Alignment with Scripture – A true pastoral calling reflects biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1): character, maturity, faithfulness.

Ultimately, calling isn’t about position or title. It’s about knowing you’ve been chosen to serve and love. It’s God’s invitation to reflect His shepherd heart and lead His people into flourishing faith.

Sandra’s Calling

Peter and I met as teenagers – he was 16, I was 15. Peter was a brand-new believer at the United Church in Napanee, Ontario. I had grown up Pentecostal and was attending Evangel Temple.

We first met at a youth retreat in 1977, and instead of small talk, I fired off questions like: “If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven? Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour? Do you speak in tongues?”

Peter remembers it sounding like: “Dost thou speaketh in other tongues as the Spirit giveth utterance?” – because in those days, if it wasn’t King James English, it didn’t count!

Surprisingly, he didn’t run. He passed the “salvation test” but not the “Holy Spirit test.” I told him to go home and read the book of Acts.

That boldness in me came from an encounter just a month earlier at Lakeshore Pentecostal Camp.

I had accepted Christ as a child, but as a teen, my faith was mostly habit. That summer, during a service with preacher Maude Ellis, I went forward to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

I’ll never forget it – Maude with her long black dress, pointy shoes, salt and pepper hair pulled tightly in a bun pointed at me and asked, “Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit?” Nervously, I said yes. As she prayed, I fell backward, hitting my head on a pew (which I didn’t even feel). Suddenly, I was speaking in a language I had never learned. I was filled.

That night changed everything. I walked out “drunk” with joy, completely undone. From then on, I knew I was called. Others began confirming it. I dove into prayer, Scripture and ministry. By 1980, I enrolled at Eastern Pentecostal Bible College (now Master’s College and Seminary).

I never heard an audible voice or saw writing on the wall, but I had that deep, unshakable knowing. That calling has sustained me through mountaintops and valleys alike.

I was called – and that calling has meant everything.

Peter’s Calling

I grew up in a loving family that faithfully took me to the United Church. But truthfully, my earliest memories of church had less to do with faith and more to do with mischief – shooting spitballs from the balcony, sneaking leftover communion cups and eating so much cubed communion bread that I made myself sick.

Everything shifted in August 1977 when a friend at Bon Echo Park asked me, “Do you know Jesus as your personal Saviour?” I didn’t. But right there, in a trailer, I prayed and invited Him into my life. That was the beginning.

That fall, I went to a United Church youth retreat – and there was Sandra, the girl I’d noticed at school. She’s already told the story of our first meeting, so I’ll just say: yes, I stuck around.

At that time, I planned to follow family tradition – Queen’s University, law school, articling with a family friend. My life was mapped out neatly. 

But God had another plan.

Encouraged by Sandra, I began attending her Pentecostal church on Sunday nights and reading the book of Acts. I became convinced that I needed the baptism in the Holy Spirit. 

So, for six nights, I knelt by my bed and prayed: “Lord, please prepare my heart to be filled with your Spirit.” On the seventh night, I prayed, “I think it must be ready – please fill me with Your Spirit.” Suddenly, I began speaking in a new language.

That encounter changed me. Slowly, I realised law wasn’t my path. One winter night, walking to church, I heard a house phone ringing so loudly it seemed meant just for me. I stopped and asked aloud, “God, is that You?” In my spirit, I heard Him say: “That’s the call of God.”

In 1980, I enrolled at Eastern Pentecostal Bible College. Later, I completed my M.Div. at McMaster and began doctoral studies at King’s College in London, England.

Looking back, my calling has been my anchor. Pastoring has never been just a job – it has been a sacred privilege. And honestly, without that strong sense of calling, I wouldn’t have lasted 40+ years. But because I knew God had called me, I stayed.

I got the call.