Discerning Your Call to Ministry. By Jason K. Allen. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2016. 154 pp., paper $12 USD. https://www.amazon.com/Discerning-Your-Call-Ministry-About/dp/0802414664

The ten questions Allen asks, each with a chapter devoted to them, are; 1) do you desire ministry, 2) does your character meet God’s expectations, 3) Is your household in order, 4) has God gifted you to preach His word, 5) does your church affirm your calling, 6) Do you love the people of God, 7) are you passionate about the Gospel and the Great Commission, 8) are you engaged in fruitful ministry, 9) are you ready to defend the faith, and 10) are you willing to surrender? He ends the book by reiterating some of the most important points discussed in each chapter and explains the next steps if the reader can answer yes to all of the ten questions. He has also provided an appendix that gives a brief exhortation for aspiring pastors to pursue theological training.

This book’s strength is found in its simplicity and saturation in Scripture. Allen has broken up the confusing and daunting task of the call to ministry into ten digestible questions with around ten pages devoted to each which allows the reader to consume the book slowly and piece by piece. Alongside the deep wisdom and insight Allen has provided he also makes his case with Scripture well and often. Any man who is looking to discern his call to ministry can look to this book for simple wisdom and scriptural direction. Allen is also matter-of-fact throughout the book as to the importance of being able to answer yes to every question. While not being able to answer yes doesn’t disqualify anyone from ministry, Allen encourages future ministers to ask God to help them conform to these scriptural principles.

The book’s weakness also comes from its strength in simplicity. A few of the questions felt like there was more that could be said about them, and though there is more that could be said about all of them, explaining these questions further would be beyond the scope of the book. The simplicity of the book makes it a great reminder for those already surrendered to ministry who are pursuing it, but there are many other detailed books out there that might be better reads for an audience that already knows they are called to ministry, but are working through what that calling looks like rather than if they are called.

Two great points of application are found in questions eight and nine. Question eight asks if you are engaged in fruitful ministry. This is something that might not be often asked of aspiring pastors. Pastoral ministry is not the only ministry, and if you are not already serving in a fruitful ministry you might not be fit for pastoral ministry. He says fruitful ministry does not have to be defined by outward success, but at the very least is your ministry bearing the fruit of faithfulness in you.  Question nine asks if you are ready to defend the faith. He used the story of Charles Spurgeon to show the reader that faithfulness to the word of God can be costly. In this day aspiring pastors need to know they will have to defend the faith and their congregation against a plethora of false teachings. This defense could be costly.

Overall, this book is a great read for any man, young or old, who is wrestling with a call to ministry. I would also recommend this book as an easy read to anyone who has already surrendered to ministry but is currently in the process of fleshing it out and training for pastoral ministry. Allen’s ten questions are a good checklist for any aspiring pastor to make sure that he is on the right path to proper pastoral ministry.