Old Pastor, New Adventure

Reinvent your appeals by inviting others to join the pastoral calling.

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Over forty years ago, my local pastor, Freddy Sosa, made an appeal to serve God that deeply touched my heart. It wasn’t a direct call to pastoral ministry, but rather an invitation to dedicate one’s life to serving God in any area of duty. I accepted that call quietly, in my heart, without standing up or going to the front. But I said to God, “Lord, use me in whatever You desire.” And for the past thirty-three years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as an ordained minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

A few years ago, I attended a pastoral training at the Florida Conference. I was moved when Pastor Gerardo Oudri challenged us to make intentional and specific appeals to the younger generation to consider the call to pastoral ministry. Among the realities he shared were the following statistics:

The Barna Group reported that in 2022, only 16% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. were 40 years old or younger. Thirty years ago, that figure was 33%, with a median age of 44; today, the average is 52. Furthermore, the average age of pastors in the North American Division is approximately 55. Of the current 4,300 pastors, 2,500 are expected to reach retirement age within the next 7–10 years. Another analysis shows that nearly 50% of pastors will be at retirement age (66.5 years) within the next decade.

This reality ignited a fire in my heart. I remembered my local pastor and his appeals. Even though I had served as youth director at both the conference and union levels, and had helped train more than fourteen pastors, I realized I had never made a direct call to pastoral ministry. I had made hundreds of evangelistic appeals, many calls to surrender to Christ, but never a specific appeal to embrace the beautiful responsibility of becoming a church pastor.

Months later, while preaching at my church in Miami, that strong impression came to me again to make a direct appeal to pastoral ministry. I couldn’t resist any longer. I made the appeal, and one young man stepped forward. I was surprised but overjoyed that once again, God had fulfilled His purpose in calling a young person to serve.

These appeals are both important and necessary. The evangelistic mission is far too vast to rely solely on the pastors currently in the field. Moreover, God has always taken delight in calling young men and women to ministry. He still longs to use them powerfully to bring about the necessary changes to win souls for Christ.

While I’ve been blessed with a successful pastoral journey and the opportunity to mentor others, I’ve come to realize that I must now reinvent part of my ministry by including this vital strategy: inviting others to join the pastoral calling.

Society changes. The church changes. Workers come and go. But the gospel remains the same. That is why we need a new generation of pastors—men and women—who can lead this changing world to the feet of Jesus. We need new pastors with new visions, fresh strategies, and renewed strength. Yes, they will make mistakes just as my generation and those before us did, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can all fulfill the sacred responsibility of inviting others to take up the noble, though weighty, calling of ministry.

“Let the leaders in the church exert a strong influence to encourage young men and women to prepare for service in the cause of God. Consecrated workers are needed” (Ellen G. White, Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 66).

I’m speaking to you, pastor, who have been in ministry for many years. It’s not too late to begin this new adventure. Dare to invite this new generation to join the pastoral mission for the sake of Christ.

Abiezer Rodriguez is the senior pastor of the Central Miami Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church.