How do you know God has really called you to lead?

Many leaders guess, pray vaguely or wait for a feeling, and some step into ministry uncalled while others never step in at all.

In Part 2 of the Shepherd School teaching God's Call, which picks up where Part 1 left off, Pastor Scott Thom gives five keys. A call is unique, with no set formula: God sent the scholar Paul to the Gentiles and the fisherman Peter to the Jews. Training often starts long before the call.

God places the call on your heart (Psalm 37:4-5), which Pastor Scott shows with the night he rode along with Los Angeles County sheriffs through three emergency calls in a row.

The call is confirmed by the authorities in your life: parents (Colossians 3:20), church leaders (Hebrews 13:17) and employers (Colossians 3:22), as with Daniel and Nehemiah serving pagan kings. It is confirmed by circumstances (Romans 8:28) and by the pursuit of inner character, like Timothy's proven character in Philippians 2:19-22.

To train with Pastor Scott in Shepherd School, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Not sure what God is calling you to? Most leaders were never trained to recognize a calling or to grow into one, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach.

CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify.

Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Want the kind of character that confirms a calling? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back.

Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps.

Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

Have you ever felt unqualified to lead your family, your team or your ministry, or wondered if your past rules you out?

Most leaders quietly step back when ministry is not happening, when someone challenges them, or when the voice in their head says they are not good enough.

In Part 1 of the Shepherd School teaching God's Call, Pastor Scott Thom shows why knowing your calling keeps you in the game. He tells the story of George Truett, whose church voted him into ministry before he was willing.

From Ephesians 4:11-12 and Luke 10:1-2 he shows that every believer, and especially men, is called to shepherd at home, at work and in ministry.

Then he walks through why knowing your call matters: when ministry is not happening, when you are challenged in your mind, when you are challenged by others, as Moses was by Miriam and Aaron in Numbers 12, and so you can see God's call on others (1 Timothy 5:22).

You only fail if you quit.

To train with Pastor Scott in Shepherd School, text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Feel unqualified to lead? Most leaders were never trained to shepherd their home, their work or their ministry, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach.

CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify.

Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Struggling to stay faithful when you feel disqualified? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back.

Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps.

Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

What separates a true leader from someone who simply holds a position? Pastor Scott Thom, in a crossover with No Other Doctrine, says it is often what a leader refuses to accept. First, leaders reject groupthink for independent thinking: they "test all things and hold fast what is good," unlike the Pharisees who would not question their own, or Rehoboam, who listened only to friends who thought like him and split his kingdom. Second, they reject simple answers to complex questions; Nehemiah prayed, planned and inspected the walls before he built. Third, they often reject their own first idea, examining their thinking as Paul urged in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Fourth, they reject social pressure dressed up as truth and look for the evidence, as Peter and John ran to the tomb, without demanding unreasonable proof like Thomas. If you see yourself in these, Pastor Scott challenges you to use that gift at home, at work and in ministry, or risk sliding backward.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you see these leadership instincts in yourself but have never been trained to use them? Most leaders were never given that kind of development, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

Build Habits That Change Your Life

Is going along with the crowd, or settling for the easy answer, a habit you want to break? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom