Over the years, I’ve had many people ask me about my “call” to ministry. While I do muster up an answer, I have–on occasion–responded with something like, “I’m still figuring that out.” and even “I’m not entirely sure I am called to ministry.”

Such responses are pretty surprising, especially given the fact that, at last count I’ve logged over 3 decades of life to full-time pastoral ministry. And I freely admit that hearing that your pastor wonders about their own call to ministry might be…well… jarring for some. But don’t fret. I’m 100% sure of what I’m 100% unsure of.

What first must be reconciled and embraced in your mind is that (at least to my knowledge) not one pastor has ever stepped into ministry with full confidence in what they’re doing. No one discerns their call to ministry and automatically has a sense of “I feel so prepared. I’m gonna absolutely crush every situation that comes my way. Man, do I feel fully equipped!”

Nope. It’s probably much more like that sense you have when you’re strapped into that new roller coaster you’ve never ridden before. The harness is in place, the coaster starts rolling forward, and you’re hoping for the best. Quick breathing, heart pounding, white knuckles, and uncertainty that you should’ve gotten on at all. Every day.

Did someone say roller coasters? Let me take a side trail for a second here and tell you that I love riding the “Pantheon” roller coaster at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

The first time I rode Pantheon, I had no idea what to expect. I thought it broke mid-ride (if you know, you know). It was a gut-twisting thrill from start to finish. It does things other coasters only dream of doing. And every time I visit Busch Gardens, it’s my first stop. Am I now very familiar with each twist and turn? Yes. Do I still love the thrill and the heart-pounding adrenaline I get from riding it (I don’t know how many times)? Absolutely.

So after 30+ years of ministry, I might wake with a sense of familiarity, but I also wake with a sense of anticipation and excitement over the twists and turns of conversation, interactions, and yes even surprises that come my way.

Later this week, I’m going to meet with a young man who is just now beginning to wrestle with his own sense of calling to pastoral ministry, just shy of being twenty years old. I know our stories are different, but I can’t help but look at this as an opportunity to climb into a time machine and talk to a much younger me, sharing what I’ve learned, what I wish I knew, and how to best leverage the experiences that God is laying in front of me.

So that we don’t simply sit and stare at each other, or worse yet, that I subject him to my endless droning on and on of story after story from my long history of experiences, I’ve created a plan to walk him through what I believe are key truths for anyone discerning a call to ministry.

But to remain true to the title of today’s blog entry, we have to first understand what IS a call to ministry?

I should confess to you that I think we (as Christians, as the church, and/or as pastors) have done a disservice to the idea of calling, and we’ve done that primarily by overuse of the word, or by using it without a certain clarity of what we mean by it. That has resulted in the concept of “calling” or “being called” to mean either anything or nothing at all.

I’m of the opinion that someone who loves the Lord Jesus can be led by Him into plumbing, or teaching, or woodcraft just as readily and rightly as into pastoral ministry. I’m of the opinion that we have inadvertently mystified “calling” to the point where it often feels like a haves-and-have-nots scenario.

I think in simplest terms a calling can be defined as an undeniable compulsion. It’s something that has GOT to be done. It is a fire that is driving us. It can take many complexions, but it most often boils down to this: “If I don’t do this, I’ll always know that I’m not doing something I should be doing.”

I also believe that you can embrace any vocation, job, or career as a type of calling, even if for a season. It might not be what you always dreamed of, but you can still worship God by giving your best to make the most of every day. In that sense, you can view any job as a form of ministry and worship.

So how do you differentiate between a calling and a job? I believe that can be answered by what you view as your desired outcome. Do you desire to leverage your daily activities to point people to or draw people closer to Jesus? Do you desire your daily activities to be a reflection of God’s eternal Kingdom? Do you desire your daily activities to leave a mark on the world that, when observed, leads people to the conclusion that you are a child of God?

If yes, that’s a calling. If not, that’s a job. Both are good, beautiful, needed, and should not be construed as greater than or less than.

In reality, all are called. Every human is called into a relationship with Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Every other detail of life is–quite honestly–incidental to that question. So if you’re in a relationship with Jesus and you view your dig-ditching job as just a job, then rest assured that you have settled the most important question of calling. Same as if you’re a CEO, an accountant, or a chef. You’re called. You’ve answered. It’s settled.

Likewise, pastors and those in full-time ministry can erroneously consider their calling as something higher or greater. Nonsense.

No matter who you are, what you do, or any detail of your life– you can step into and live out God’s calling. You can leverage your time to draw closer to Him as your King, and in doing so pass along to others an invitation to do the same. That can be from behind a pulpit or hanging off the back of a trash truck.

There’s probably a couple more volumes of content swirling in my mind on this subject. But feel free to share with me your thoughts and opinions on this topic, even if (and especially if) they are in contrast to what I’ve shared here.