A consideration of the divine call to the ministry of the Word of God is greatly facilitated by examining the teaching of the sixteenth-century reformer, John Calvin. There is great advantage in reflecting upon Calvin’s pastoral doctrine. His pastoral experience was extensive, lasting for nearly thirty years. Apart from his three years of ministry in Strasbourg, his life’s work was done in the Republic of Geneva where he preached in various churches, mainly in the pulpit at St. Pierre Cathedral. It was in this setting of total engagement in the pastoral ministry that Calvin wrote on the subject of the pastoral office, largely in his biblical commentaries and the Institutes of the Christian Religion, but also in his letters. His teaching was based on meticulous exegesis of biblical passages dealing with the office of pastor.
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