Craig Troxel talks about how ruling elders can help men consider a call to pastoral ministry.

A call to pastoral ministry has several parts, one is the internal sense of call, another is the recognition of the church, the actual call to a congregation or mission work. Ruling elders help shepherd men in both and in this podcast we discuss the early stages of recognizing a call, or even encouraging men to consider if they are called.

Discussion centers around Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry: With an Inquiry into the Causes of its Inefficiency, (Banner of Truth Trust). See especially Chapter VI, The Qualifications of the Christian Ministry, pp. 24-31.

Craig quotes John Newton, "Beware, my friend, of mistaking the ready exercise of gifts for the exercise of grace." (Letter #5 - "On the Snares and Difficulties attending the Ministry of the Gospel") Works of John Newton, vol.1 (Banner of Truth Trust, 2015) p. 108.

See also Newton's letter Marks of a Call to the Ministry.

We highly recommend Craig's own book,

A. Craig Troxel, With All Your Heart: Orienting Your Mind, Desires, and Will toward Christ, (Crossway, 2020).

Craig's Recommended Reading

• John Calvin, Institutes Of The Christian Religion, translated from the first French edition of 1541 by Robert White, Banner of Truth Trust. (Especially Chapter 17, The Christian Life)
• Campegius Vitringa, The Spiritual Life, trans. and ed. by Charles K. Tefler, Reformation Heritage Books.
• John Flavel, The Fountain of Life: A Display of Christ in His Essential and Mediatorial Glory, Vol. 1 of the Works of John Flavel, Banner of Truth Trust.
• John Flavel, The Method of Grace In the Gospel Redemption, Vol 2 of the Works of John Flavel, Banner of Truth Trust.

Pastor Shane Lems talks about his recent Ordained Servant review of John Swinton’s book Finding Jesus in the Storm: the Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges. (Eerdmans, 2020). Shane is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Hammond, Wisconsin.

Read the review and read the book. The review can be found here.

The Ruling Elder Podcast on Prescription Medication with Jason Poquette (Season 2, Episode 6, June 2024) is available here.

Shane’s book recommendations
Lost Connections by Johann Hari (Bloomsbury USA, 2018)
The Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck (Westminster Seminary Press, 2020)
Rediscovering the Holy Spirit: God’s Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life by Michael Horton (Zondervan, 2017)

Ruling Elder Mike Cloy talks about how ruling elders and churches can support and shepherd military families. Mike served in a career of 27 years that included combat commands at the battalion and brigade level, and having served and retired in the rank of full colonel.

Mike speaks of the dedication to service and the pressures it places upon those serving, and their families. He speaks of the deep bonds formed in combat and of the importance of elders and churches reaching out to those in military service with the good news of Jesus and the power of the gospel.

To read more about Mike (and a pair of night-vision goggles) see Christopher H. Wisdom’s article, “A Chaplain in the Lord’s Service” in New Horizons, (Feb, 2020).

Mike’s recommended reading…
A. Craig Troxel, With All Your Heart: Orienting Your Mind, Desires, and Will toward Christ, Crossway, 2020.
Nick Thompson, Growing Downward: The Path of Christ-exalting Humility, Reformation Heritage Books, 2022.
Nick Thompson, Restless Devotion: An Urgent Call to Godward Discontentment, Reformation Heritage Books, 2025

If you would like to contact Mike his email address is opcmikecloy@gmail.com