I recently received and am now considering a Divine Call to leave my current congregation and serve as pastor at another congregation in another state. As I deliberate on this call, I thought it might be helpful to explain the thought process I go through, which I imagine is similar to that of other Lutheran pastors and might help congregations understand how their pastors contemplate a call.

For those unfamiliar with the method used by The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod and many other Lutheran denominations, here's a nutshell and grossly oversimplified summary:
A congregation without a pastor needs one, so they form a Call Committee and start gathering names of pastors they might want to consider. They get these names from members (maybe someone met a pastor during a vacation or heard a sermon online) and from their District President. A bio of each pastor is available from that pastor's district. The congregation considers each pastor relative to their needs as a congregation and, many prayers and meetings later, calls a pastor. That pastor then looks at the congregation and prays for guidance, finally either declining the call and staying where he is or accepting the call and leaving for the new congregation.

This is a difficult process for all involved, and I can only speak from the pastor's perspective.

On receiving the call, I begin praying immediately and frequently. I inform my current congregation and ask for their prayers. I pray for wisdom, guidance, and for the welfare of both congregations, and these prayers continue throughout the process.

When the call papers actually arrive, they include information about the church's situation and needs, the salary and benefits package, housing information, and generally some information about the community. At this point, a lot of pastors make a pros/cons list to compare the two calls, including both the congregations and communities. I look at the distance from our extended families, school information for our children, and the makeup of the community.

But that information doesn't become the deciding factor. Unlike many careers, instead of looking at what benefits and salary I can get, I look more at what I can give. What are the needs of each congregation? What are my specific specialties and gifts? How do those compare/contrast? I became a pastor to help people, so while God can use me anywhere, where would I be most responsibly using the gifts with which God has entrusted me? (I would encourage anyone, regardless of your vocation, to approach career decisions this way.)

The process can produce a lot of anxiety. Pastoral ministry is a bit like a marriage, and when considering a call to another congregation, I feel a bit like a cheating husband. While I'm still serving this congregation, if I leave, needs will go unmet. A vacancy pastor will do his best to fill in until another pastor comes, but a vacancy pastor just can't meet the congregation's needs to the extent of a pastor called to that congregation. We don't want anyone hurt or abandoned, but there's always the possibility that such will happen. Then again, the calling congregation will feel abandoned if the pastor declines the call, either way, someone experiences loss. A call is not "until death parts us," but it's still a strange and uncomfortable feeling.

But ultimately, the question boils down to, "Where does God want me?" Sometimes, when a call first arrives, we think we know how we'll respond, but that's not always the case. Often, decisions change like a yo-yo. But somehow, God points out to us where He wants us, and that's where we go. He has a plan for each of us and will carry out His plan through us.