Now That I’m Called: A Guide for Women Discerning a Call to Ministry

In this sincere debut, Padilla, communications director at Beeson Divinity School, shares her call story. She begins with her early frustrations around the traditions of Christianity (“Why didn’t God make me a boy so I could be a preacher?”) and then quickly moves to her later belief that being a pastor’s wife was her only vocational option as she wondered, “Does God call women to gospel ministry?” Assuming a female readership from a wide theological spectrum, Padilla examines biblical call stories for both men and women before addressing I Timothy’s admonition that women should be silent in church—the verse often used to justify excluding women from ministry. Padilla’s use of male pronouns for God and generic persons and her warning that “our calls to ministry should never justify neglecting the ministry of the home and family” attest to her theologically conservative roots; however, her proclamation that the gift of preaching “is given to both men and women” demonstrates her spiritual evolution, spurred by her strong sense of call. Each chapter closes with questions for reflection and discussion, personal exercises, and a “ministry spotlight” focused on individual women engaged in vocational ministry who offer advice specific to Padilla’s audience of “young women... who feel called to ministry.” Those women are likely to find Padilla a nurturing, thought-provoking guide. (June)