How to Become a Pastor
by Dr. Tammy Dunahoo and Jaime Handley
You’ve felt a call to Christian ministry and are wondering how to become a pastor. While the path varies greatly by denomination, there are some common steps to move toward vocational ministry:
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Discern your call
Discernment is the beginning step in pursuing a call to professional ministry. This discernment comes first from your commitment to Christ and, secondly, from your community. Often, your call will become clear through the voices of other people in your life.
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Participate in discipleship
Once you’ve discerned your call, seek pastors who model healthy shepherding and leadership skills and share your call with them so they can disciple you! We aren’t called to ministry in a vacuum. Finding and investing in healthy mentors is a must.
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Do a denominational deep dive
Each denomination has its own steps for officially recognizing and authorizing pastors, known as ordination, so it’s important to know what will be expected of you for the denomination where you want to serve. (See the list below for various denominational requirements). Also, if you aren’t yet connected with people in your denomination outside of your local church, now is a good time to reach out to others and expand the network of people who will help you on your journey toward becoming a pastor.
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Apply for a denominational appointment
For some denominations, there is simply an application process. For others, you must be formally approved for candidacy. Most denominations have an official first step to becoming a recognized pastoral candidate.
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Gain ministry experience
Hopefully, you have already been working in a lay capacity with a local church and have discerned your call and participated in discipleship. Now is the time to gain mentorship and boots-on-the-ground training in a local congregation, as most master of divinity programs eventually require a supervised field education placement in a church.
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Seek training
Once you’ve discerned God’s call and sought mentorship under the leadership of a local faith community, your next step is education. Training in biblical studies, historical theology, Christian formation, and practical pastoral skills (such as communication/preaching, leadership, administration, and pastoral care) is imperative.
Some denominations require a master of divinity degree or ministry-related master’s degree for ordination, while others require no degree but have internal training programs. It’s best to determine which denomination you plan to invest in and inquire about their educational requirements, as that may influence your educational path. (See examples of ordination requirements for different denominations below.)
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Get final approval
Most denominations require a final authorization for ministry. This can vary from a simple interview or approval by the denominational conference to an examination and formal installation. This final step recognizes that the inner call a candidate feels to serve the community of Christ must also be accepted by the community and recognized by the denominational governing board.
A Brief Sampling of Denominational Requirements
- Seek a recommendation to become a “ministerial student”
- Spend one year as a ministerial student and complete ordination coursework through a BA, MA or adult education program
- Complete seven licensing courses and be appointed to a local church ministry
- Complete two years of ministerial service
- Complete an ordination interview
- Be approved and granted a local ministerial candidate
- Approval based on a review of a portfolio and interview
- Complete prescribed coaching, assignments, coursework and assessment
- Expand the portfolio, showing progress through the coaching plan
- Be interviewed and recommended to the elder’s order
- Be approved by the annual conference and ordained
Source: Free Methodist Church USA
- Consultation call and orientation to the ordination process
- Application payment and background check
- Application review and coaching assignment
- Licensing course focusing on heritage, identity, doctrine, polity and ministry practice
- Coach endorsement for the licensing panel interview
- Two-hour licensing panel interview
- Final board approval for licensure
- Begin a two-year growth pathway to ordination
Additional pathways to ordination as a pastor by denomination:
How Long Does it Take to Become a Pastor?
The honest answer? A lifetime. With years of personal formation, continual growth in the knowledge of God in community, and increasing experience, we become pastors – a true shepherd with the heart of the Good Shepherd.
Practically speaking, pastoral preparation for ordination varies from a few months to several years, depending on the denomination or church. Connecting with your denomination to discover the requirements for becoming ordained is essential as you begin your pastoral journey.
What Should I Major in to Become a Pastor?
Choosing a non-ministerial undergraduate degree may give you the best advantage in ministry and your wider vocational life. As a profession, pastoral ministry is seeing a growing trend towards co-vocational ministry. In the past, pastors have more often been “bi-vocational,” meaning they were a pastor first but needed to have a second job for financial stability. Today many pastors now choose to have a primary career while they engage in a pastoral role, an approach known as “co-vocational” ministry.
A 2021 National Congregations Study found that 35% of congregational leaders are now co-vocational. More pastors are choosing this lifestyle, recognizing that it allows them to keep a better pulse on the wider culture and engage in pastoral roles within their particular tradition without abandoning other vocational paths.
With co-vocational trajectories on the rise, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in a non-ministry field would allow one to hold a traditional job and pursue seminary for ministry preparation. Pastors preparing for ministry (co-vocationally or full time) would then be able to lean into shared experiences of work life outside of ministry as they shepherd within their chosen ministerial context.
Another trend that has been growing for the past three decades in various denominations (and most notably among non-denominational churches) is church planting. In church planting, there is no history or existing culture to manage, so a pastor – alongside their community – can establish something new. Being co-vocational as a church planter can be a significant advantage, as engaging with the community through a non-ministerial work setting allows church planters to build authentic relationships and model Christlikeness in everyday interactions, fostering trust and genuine connections. It also helps with transparency and deflates the “pastor on a pedestal” model many young people have come to mistrust.
Choosing Your Theological Training
As described above, while some denominations require a master of divinity degree or ministry-related MA for ordination, others require no degree but have internal training programs. It’s best to determine which denomination or network you plan to join and inquire about their educational requirements, as that may influence the seminaries/training programs you consider.
As you discern where to pursue your theological education, look for spaces (whether seminaries, colleges, or denominationally-specific programs) that align with an approach of spiritual formation that seeks to help men and women form into the likeness of Christ for the benefit of the body of Christ. A pastor is not simply a professional clergyperson with a degree; they are a surrendered person on the lifelong journey of becoming.
In his writings to Timothy and Titus regarding the appointment of elders (pastors), Paul emphasized Christlike character, relationships and competency. He wrote to the Ephesians that pastors are gifts to the church to equip the people for ministry. Equipping the church requires a faithful person with a growth mindset who walks in humility and models followership. Your education is the platform that will provide you with the tools you need, including foundational skills in biblical studies and historical theology, as well as personal formation and practical self-awareness.
At Portland Seminary, we value the formation of pastors, both women and men. We have a proven approach for development through online education with students connected in cohorts, as well as annual in-person experiential learning environments. We provide a firm foundation in biblical studies, historical theology, personal spiritual formation, and practical skills. We weave this approach into every program so a strong cord is formed in the students that is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
Is Seminary Necessary for Ordination?
Not all denominations require a seminary degree to enter a formal pastoral or leadership role within their congregations. Many Baptist and non-denominational churches put heavier consideration on experience within the church as well as leadership qualities and one’s personal faith journey. Other churches, like those within the Pentecostal tradition, may prioritize what they see as someone’s personal spiritual gifts and the development of those within a lay ministry context over a formal seminary education.
While a seminary education is not the only path to ordination, a transformational seminary education is part of forming the inner life, providing a solid biblical foundation and wisdom for reading and applying the Scripture to our current cultural context.
A formational seminary education goes well beyond a simple step in the ordination process. It equips potential pastors for the everyday life of ministry and is essential preparation for a resilient, joy-filled life serving Jesus’ church. In this cultural moment, we must be well-equipped to be faithful to the Gospel while serving our communities. We must be people who can bridge the divide and promote unity.
Related Article: Why Go to Seminary?
Beyond the How
Whatever the pastoral role, one must see it as a holy assignment. Walking with people from all backgrounds and being part of their spiritual formation journey is truly a privilege. Nothing is more important than being fully present with and caring for people as they walk through significant life events. Having a strong sense of the purpose of the church helps form within the pastor their mission and assignment. An important question is, “Do we use people to grow the church, or do we form the church to grow the people?”.
The bottom line is that we need more pastors. We need people who exhibit the characteristics Paul shared with Timothy – people who are whole and healthy, formed in character, solid in relationships, and educated with competency.
For many denominations, where there used to be two pastors for every open church, there are now two open churches for every qualified pastor.
If you feel the call to shepherd – the call to hear the word of God for the people of God and walk through life with them – you are invited to respond: “Here I am. Send me.” Pastoral ministry is a high and holy call. It is a life of joy and sorrow, reward and challenge, and it is all part of the privilege of shepherding the flock of God.
Jesus will have a church, and he’s building it now.
So discern your call, participate in discipleship, seek training, and find alignment.
If you’re ready to begin your journey to becoming a pastor, Portland Seminary has three hybrid-online masters programs to help you on your formational education journey:
- Master of Divinity (MDiv)
- Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS)
- Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation
With a focus on formation into Christlikeness, a master's degree at Portland Seminary trains women and men to engage the world for the sake of Christ through an intentionally designed spiritual formation curriculum with investigation of theological and biblical topics, language studies in Hebrew or Greek and cohort opportunities.