Andrew Fitch
Pastor Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
New Berlin, PA

Call Story

Hearing the call to ministry began at a young age. I am the son of the pastor, but I did not want to "follow in my father's footsteps" as so many people in church encouraged me to do. I was happily heading in the other direction. Not quite as dramatic as Tarshish versus Nineveh, and I am thankful for the lack of large fishes, as well. My good friend at the time wanted to be a Navy pilot, and I thought that being an Air Force pilot would be a nice career. I liked planes. I had a huge poster of an F-15 in my room. It was my favorite plane, the one I wanted to fly. If the recruiters would have said anything more than, "come back in a few years," I would have been on the first boot camp bus. Then, I began my freshman year in high school. A beautiful girl came into my life, and I was smitten. God was giving me a love and more. After she got to know me, she asked me the hard question one day. We were sitting outside on the side porch. A spider or an ant came near where we were. I picked up a leaf and moved it away. Most people would have just squished it. So she asked, "Why do you want to be a pilot? I mean, you won't even kill a bug. Do you realize that you will be required to drop bombs and fire missiles at people?" I might as well have been swallowed up by a large fish or smacked on the back of the head. I asked her what then should I do. "I think you should be a pastor. You seem like you would be a good pastor." I said that I didn't want to be a pastor and that I didn't want to be like my father. It was too late. God had already used his secret weapon. I didn't even see it coming. The seed had been planted. The more I thought about it, the more it grew inside me. Other people seemed to see it, too. Before long I found myself asking the Office of the Bishop what kinds of majors in college would be a good foundation for seminary. The more I did things like youth leadership and worship assistance, the more I knew that ministry was the right path for me. That cute girl has been a wonderful wife, too. Thank you God! So, if you are discerning a call listen to those around you who know you best, and let their good counsel echo into the deep secret recesses of your heart. You will then be able to see if it echoes and bounces around in harmony to the beat of God's whisperings, you better hang on!


Project Connect is an initiative of the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries. Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.