One of the ministries I love and appreciate about 12Stone Church is how the team invests in the next generation of leaders through our Residency.
The Residency at 12Stone is a 2-year, post college, pastoral leadership development program that provides side-by-side ministry coaching so that the resident is equipped to fulfill their vocational ministry calling for a lifetime.
“Calling for a lifetime” — That phrase still captivates me and candidly is not a common thought let alone pursued in today’s culture. How does a ministry “calling for a lifetime” work in a culture that shifts, moves and often chases the latest trends?
Of course, all those who are followers of Jesus are called to serve, even for a lifetime, and there is freedom in that serving. But a vocational calling to ministry is a unique assignment from God and requires specific elements to make it work for a lifetime.
Let me ask a blunt question. Why do so many walk away from their work in ministry? We could focus on the few flawed or even toxic churches but that’s not a helpful approach, and most churches are “Doing good – Galatians 6:8-10” and remaining faithful in their work to serve Jesus.
A better approach to sustained ministry is to look inward and ask: What are the key elements necessary to fulfill a calling from God?
Looking back on more than four decades of ministry and looking forward to continuing in my calling, I’ve found several elements of that journey that have remained true.
The following list is not comprehensive, but this is a great starting point for you to consider.
7 questions to help follow and sustain your calling:
(Please feel free to add more for all of us in the comment section.)
1) Clarity – What is God saying to you?
Discerning a personal call to ministry deserves a post all on its own, but for now let’s focus on hearing God’s voice and gaining clarity about His will.
Full time ministry is not a vocational option, it is a clear calling of God. It’s imperative that we hear His voice to gain clarity. It’s not a plan that we “give it a try to see if it works out,” it’s an assignment from God.
There is a season of testing where you “practice” ministry in a local church to assess two things. First is there fruit from your efforts and second, is there affirmation from the leaders and elders.
We all need clarity from God in our calling in order to sustain us through the journey of lifelong vocational ministry. It might be in a moment like the dramatic calling of the Apostle Paul, or more of a process like Timothy. What is God saying to you?
2) Commitment – Are you prepared to pay the price?
God will never ask you to place your ministry above your family or live in a way that robs your body, mind or soul of health, but He will ask you to serve for His gain and not yours.
Our humanity makes serving according to God’s will and not ours more difficult.
No matter how sacrificial I think I am, I have found myself to be disappointingly self-focused at times. Its surprisingly easy to have an unintentional leaning to make it about us. The good news is that we can say “no” to that temptation every day, which I’ve found is a necessary intentionality.
The price tag of vocational ministry is not an ascetic and joyless approach to life, in fact, it’s a privilege and blessing like no other. But sacrifices will be required. There is no certain list, let Jesus make those clear.
The truth is there is no Church without sacrifice. Jesus makes that clear on the cross.
3) Competence – What is your gifting and passion?
God will align the gifts and abilities He places within you to match the calling and assignments He gives you over your lifetime.
The amazing thing is that God also aligns your passion with what He calls you to do. That doesn’t mean that every day is an easy or problem free day, that’s not realistic in any vocation, especially one that involves ongoing spiritual warfare. But the passion is important because it’s a source of energy that keeps you going.
Once we have a sense of our maturing gifting, affirmed by other leaders, we must still invest a lifetime developing our skills and abilities.
God’s favor, spiritual authority and power are the difference makers in our ministries. It’s a divine partnership. We roll up our sleeves and dive in, and God does what we can’t do.
4) Correction – Are you willing to follow first, make mistakes, learn and grow?
Any good servant leader must first learn to be a good follower. That requires our ability to receive direction and accept correction.
If you are not making any mistakes in ministry, you are not taking risks, trying new things, stretching, learning and growing.
Making mistakes is part of the process of growing as a servant leader, and because of that receiving coaching and occasional correction is healthy and good. Don’t fear or attempt to avoid mistakes, just don’t make the same mistakes twice. If you do, that signals that you are not learning.
The most important corrections we need to accept come in the form of prompts from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit often uses Scripture to teach us what is true, correct us when we have stepped out of line, and guide us to do what is right. (II Tim 3:16)
5) Consistency – Do you have the resilience to play the long game?
Ministry is more like a marathon than a sprint. Three foundational needs for the long game are: continue pursuing God, take care of your body, mind and soul, and invest in meaningful relationships.
Resilience is key to the process. The ability to bounce back from discouragements, our own mistakes and failures and people who disappoint you is essential.
Ministry resilience requires a mindset of the long game – think eternal values. And in the practical sense, the people we love and serve don’t change and grow on our schedule they mature spiritually in God’s timing.
We are merely spiritual guides and prompters in a larger story. That’s an important role, but its necessary that we think and pray with a larger scope and longer term.
This doesn’t in any way suggest a laidback, apathetic or “we’ll get there when we get there” approach. Quite the opposite actually. It requires more intentionality, patience, strategic discernment and lots of prayer.
6) Character – What keeps you connected to your values and convictions?
The pace and pressure of ministry will temp us to cut corners with our values and convictions. Hopefully not often, but its “the little things” that open the door to the wrong direction.
Calling, ability and passion gets you in the door, but its character that keeps you in the game.
Integrity is the unseen inner quality that helps us live most like Jesus. It requires deeply embraced biblical values, personal discipline and the power of the Holy Spirit.
In addition, a strong character thrives best in community with others who are honest with you and also maintain high standards. Ministry can never flourish or be sustained for a lifetime in an isolated life protected from genuine vulnerability with others.
7) Changed lives – Is your vision aligned with Heaven?
One of the great prayers of those who are called is “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
(Yes, there is more to that prayer, but I’d like to focus on this first section.)
Leading a church can create so much busyness yet so little progress. The tension is that the majority of the ministry we do is good! But doing all of it reduces our effectiveness.
The lesson is that we shouldn’t be trying to do it all.
That implies that we need to make wise choices of what we do and don’t do, and it’s so much better to seek God’s divine thumbprint for our ministries rather than coming up with it on our own.
It is not necessarily that we are insisting on our will over God’s, it’s just that in the natural course of ministry we make decisions according to our own biases and preferences.
The better we can keep our vision aligned with “Our Father in Heaven” the more we will see lives changed by His favor and power.
This is our great privilege and purpose.
