While in Geneva, his aid was demanded by a local pastor of the city, William Farel. Farel explained to Calvin that his help was greatly needed. After Calvin refused, Farel continued to persuade him by saying that God would curse the remainder of Calvin's studies. Calvin felt a strong sense that God wanted him there. He decided to remain in Geneva to work with Feral and the local church. After only a year and a half, Calvin and Feral caused so much change in the city that they were banished.
After banishment, Calvin worked in the city of Strasbourg as a pastor. He encountered people such as Philip Melanchthon, Bucer, and Martin, who were all striving for the same goal as Calvin. In his three years preaching and meeting people, he never met Martin Luther. But while he was there, he did begin to rewrite his Institutes of the Christian Religion to confront some new questions that had risen about Protestants. He also wed Idelette de Bure in 1940.
In 1941, he was called back to work in Geneva. He began constructing a government based on the church he had founded. The theocracy that he created controlled almost the entire city. His goal was to encourage the acceptance of the Bible as the source of the law, and then interpret all of its contents to govern a society. He did this successfully. He used the rituals of Baptism and the Lord's Supper to bond Christians into following Christ. And in 1559, Calvin founded an Academy for training the children in following Christ the Protestant way.
While Calvin took so much upon himself, he could not handle all the stress. His health began to diminish. He suffered from illnesses such as migraines, lung hemorrhages, and gout and bladder stones. This made it near impossible for him to continue his preaching, but he found a way to persevere through it. In some cases, he was carried to the front so he could continue preaching for his followers.
