Romain's Testimony: Answering the Call to Pastoral Ministry

Introduction

Romain has just been installed as the new pastor of Church Like Home. Standing before the congregation, he doesn't preach a classic sermon: he tells his story. From a seven-year-old boy looking up at the sky in a garden, to a gardener who stumbles onto a pastor's YouTube video, he traces how God prepared him, long in advance, to answer a call that was already "deeply rooted" in him. His testimony speaks of thirst for God, of patience, of the Bible as a foundation, and of the humility of a servant who needs his church.

Message Outline

1. A thirst for God since childhood

• Romain wasn't born into a Christian family, but very early on he longed to know God.
• At seven years old, in his parents' garden, he looks up at the sky and receives a conviction: "God existed and he loved me deeply, personally."
• He feels surrounded by that love, and from that moment he starts talking to God.
• He also carries the conviction that "something special with God" awaits him, as though God were calling him in a particular way.

2. A long journey, with the Bible as the foundation

• Romain doesn't become a Christian right away. His youth carries a share of frustration: he wants to know God, he prays, but he feels limited.
• Over time, and with God's help, he encounters him especially through the Bible, "a book that changed my life."
• He wanted to do everything on his own, to understand everything on his own, but he discovers that we need outside help: the Bible is the foundation, otherwise "you can quickly head off in every direction" amid all the spiritual noise.
• The first time he discovers what a pastor is, he's working as a gardener and stumbles onto a YouTube video of Paul Washer. He's overwhelmed: "If I could put into words what I feel about God, that's how I'd say it."
• He goes to his coworker Thomas and tells him without hesitation: "I want to be a pastor." Neither of them really knows what that means yet. Thankfully, Romain says, he doesn't become one right away: it will take years.

3. A humble servant who needs God and his church

• For Romain, becoming a pastor means "living out my passion," a grace not given to everyone. Getting up in the morning to serve God and his neighbor resonates deeply in him.
• He knows "it won't all be rosy," but he's glad to step out of his comfort zone and do what's in his heart for God.
• He owns his limits: "I'm just a simple man who serves God... a small man with a great God."
• He rejects the idea that there are "professionals of the faith": everyone is called to serve Jesus, whatever their context, their work, their life.
• He asks the church for its help, its friendship, its feedback, its prayers. He also wants to learn from those who aren't part of the church.

4. Following Jesus together, on a narrow path

• His wish for Church Like Home: to grow together in love and passion for God, and in love for one another.
• To keep following Jesus on the path he has traced specifically for this church, without letting anything but God's will steer the way.
• Following Jesus means being on the move, sometimes leaving comfort or ease behind: "We're not the most comfortable church."
• The path is narrow and hard, but when you walk it, you can be sure he's there: "He is not disappointing. He is fully sufficient for us."
• Romain recalls the promise Jesus left his disciples before ascending to heaven: his presence with his own, even in the hard moments.

Key Takeaways

• God can make himself known to a child who received no religious teaching: his thirst for God comes from God himself.
• God's call can be planted very early in a heart, and take years to unfold. God's timing is not our calendar.
• The Bible is the foundation: without it, you head off in every direction amid all the spiritual voices.
• There are no "professionals of the faith": every Christian is called to serve Jesus in their own context, with their own gifts.
• A pastor is not a superman. He needs God's grace and the community around him.

Personal Application

1. What is your earliest memory of sensing that God existed and loved you? What did you do with that conviction?
2. Is there a call from God you've carried for a long time but haven't dared to embrace? What's holding you back?
3. Is the Bible truly your foundation, or does another voice (social media, vague "spirituality," your own head) take up more space?
4. Where do you stand on the idea that "serving God is for professionals"? How is God asking you to serve him in your work, your family, your life?
5. Who in your church could you offer friendship, prayer, or feedback to this week?

Verses Cited

• Matthew 28:20 · "I am with you always"
• Matthew 7:13-14 · The narrow way
• 1 Peter 2:9 · A people called to serve
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 · "My grace is sufficient for you"
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 · All Scripture is inspired by God

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to grow up in a Christian family to be called to ministry?

No. Romain wasn't born into a Christian family, and yet God made himself known to him at age seven, with the conviction that God exists and loves him personally. His story reminds us that God's call doesn't depend on a religious upbringing but on God's own initiative.

Is serving God reserved for pastors?

Romain says it plainly: there are no "professionals of the faith." Everyone is called by Jesus to serve him, "whatever your context, your work, your life." Each person's gifts are a true richness for the church.

Why does Romain insist so much on needing others?

Because he rejects the image of a pastor who is "self-sufficient, who can do everything alone." He explicitly asks for the church's help, friendship, feedback, and prayers. A pastoral ministry doesn't rest on one man's strength alone: it rests on God's grace and on the community around the one who serves.