“I Am a Pastor Because Jesus Wants Me to”

This article investigates how a group of Evangelical and Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors negotiate calling in their pastoral ministry in northwest Côte d’Ivoire. The focus is not the calling as such, but what function the experience and stories of calling serve in their ministry. The material is constructed from qualitative interviews with pastors working in geographical areas where Christians are a religious minority. Findings show that calling relates to legitimacy, divine intimacy, and motivation for and endurance in ministry. A recurring theme in the interviews was the distinction between pastors called by God and pastors who, according to our informants, called themselves. This distinction applies to the self-referential process of calling as an individual and internal experience. The self-referential problem refers to the quest for an outer confirmation of their internal and individual calling experience. Their legitimacy as pastors depends on the trustworthiness of their calling; consequently, their calling must be demonstrated in their everyday ministry.