Episode 20

#20. Pastoral Leadership — Is It Character, Calling, Qualifications, or Aspiration?

Pastor Bobby Jamieson sketches a map for the pastorate: character, competencies, qualifications, heart, and hiring process.

For a church’s search committee, he pushes back on some common ideas about ministerial qualifications that are not found in the Bible.

For someone hoping to be a pastor or an elder, he discusses ways to nurture a desire to serve.

In practice, Pastor Bobby offers insight into the ministry of a large, urban congregation in the nation’s capitol where there are lots of opportunities to ‘love across lines of difference'.

What You’ll Learn:

  • What a church's search committee needs to look for when hiring a new pastor
  • Character and qualifications of a pastor or an elder
  • Where to begin if you desire to be a pastor or elder

About the Guest: 

Bobby Jamieson serves as an associate pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in the nation’s capital, an economically and ethnically diverse congregation that is a short distance from the U.S. Capitol Building.

His pastoral responsibilities include overseeing the church's pastoral internship program, as well as preaching and teaching.

Bobby is a husband and father. He has an M.Div. and Th.M. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a PhD. in New Testament from the University of Cambridge, where he also taught Greek.

He is the author of several books including his latest, The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring, where he draws upon his experiences working with numerous pastoral interns. He encourages men to ask the question ‘am I qualified for ministry?’

Scripture Related to Episode:

Ephesians 4: 1-6; Walk Worthy of Calling

1 Timothy 3: 1; Aspiring to be an Overseer

Galatians 6: 6; Sharing with Teacher

1 Timothy 5: 17; Honor Those Preaching and Teaching

John 13; New Command Love One Another

Galatians 3: 27-29; Neither Jew or Greek, Slave or Free

1 Timothy 3: 1-7, Titus 1: 5-9; Pray through Scriptures

1 Timothy 4: 8; Value of Godliness

Links Related to Episode:

The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring

Biblical Reasoning: Christological and Trinitarian Rules for Exegesis

Bobby Jamieson, Author

Capitol Hill Baptist Church - Pastoral Intern Program

Timestamped Show Notes

01:25 - Family, Music and Classical Greek Geeking

03:18 - Path to Being a Pastor: Aspiration vs Calling

04:44 - What’s the Difference between a Pastor, Elder and Overseer?

06:23 - What Does It Mean to Be Called to Ministry?

08:51 - The Qualifications of Character

12:46 - Being a Pastor and an Immigrant

13:46 - To Seminary or Not to Seminary, Is It Really a Biblical Question?

14:22 - Looking for a New Pastor

17:07 - Catalyst for Writing Book

19:44 - Challenges and Benefits of an Urban Church

22:10 - The Cost of Diversity

23:17 - Growing Spiritually Despite Relocating Often

24:37 - Practical Tips for Aspiring Ministers, Pastors and Elder

27:17 - Scripture, Interpretation, Systematic Theology and Biblical Exegesis

29:43 - Ambition and Character