calling

What Is A Call?

/ jerrythinks / Leave a comment

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.

Discerning a Call

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

It’s a regular occurrence. It seems to happen in close proximity to spiritually dynamic milestones in someone’s life: A question that erupts from under the surface of normalcy, complacency, and routine.

The question is something like: Is there more (or something radically different) that God is calling me to?

While the answer is almost always “Yes”, the resulting changes are where most people get stuck. And when people get stuck and aren’t sure exactly what to do, the normal default setting is to do nothing.

I want to open up this conversation by using the term “call” or “calling,” but I want to put some disclaimers on that.

Those in the flow of church life and spirituality can sometimes over-mystify the concept of calling. Many people think it’s a higher level of living out one’s purpose, and further that some are “called” while others are not. This is not my understanding of calling.

So, as we get into this discerning, know that there is no exemption I have found from what I understand in scripture. Certainly, there are callings placed on certain people for specific tasks, but that does not mean others are less than or uncalled altogether.

So when considering one’s “calling”, what should be remembered, considered, and what should weigh in most heavily? These are not questions only for pastors, ministry leaders, or missionaries. These are questions for every person of faith who has decided to follow Jesus.

The very fact that Jesus called disciples in the first century (called the first century because of His birth, and therefore preeminent in centrality in terms of His place in history) should indicate to us that faith in Jesus always includes following Jesus. You cannot have one without the other. Simply put: If you say you have faith in Jesus, you better be in motion following Jesus.

Go back to the gospels and Jesus calling His first disciples (student followers). The plain invitation was “Follow Me.” Not “Believe me”, or “Agree with my claims”, or “Watch me save the world”, or “Stand there and I’ll change you”, but “Follow Me.” That is connotative of placing yourself behind Jesus and, by nature, leaving where you are to move in the direction that Jesus is moving.

Okay, having that well established, how do we discern the direction that Jesus is moving us in? Or more to the point: In what direction is Jesus moving in YOUR life? Is there a way to detangle experiences, emotions, passions, logic, giftedness, opportunity, and desires so that we can see clearly what God would have us do right now at this point in the story? I say yes.

I’ll throw in right here the statement I have made to countless (mostly young) people over my 32 years of pastoral ministry: God will show you what you need to know, but only when you need to know it. I believe this is His way of fortifying your faith-filled intimacy with Him. He wants you close, and giving you the journey one step at a time will ensure your reliance on His ever-present help. So the question isn’t “What should I do in this situation?” as much as it is “What single step should I take NEXT on this journey?”

Don’t confuse Jesus’ invitation to “Follow Me” with “Know everything before moving an inch.”

Discerning the call of God regarding your step-by-step journey is meant to be exhilarating, not exhausting. The very fact that you care to ask discerning questions is an indication of God’s Spirit working in your life. So, take that as a victory regardless of the outcome.

Questions to ask in discerning calling:

  • What are the things that God is passionate about? What are the things that I am passionate about? Where do those intersect?
  • What giftedness can I identify in my life, and do I confess that they have been given to me by God?
  • What are (and where are) the most obvious opportunities right now to leverage my passions and giftedness for Kingdom work?
  • What step might be a next step to move in that direction?
  • While I might be content with where I am now, have I become complacent about where I am now?
  • What open doors are in front of me? How might those open doors be verified as God’s leading? Is it possible that this “good” thing might not qualify as a “God” thing?

Addressing these questions can help to start to crystallize some sense of discernment of God’s leading. But there’s an important aspect of God’s character that should be highlighted at this point. If you feel/think differently than I do about this, I’d love to hear that.

I believe you can be squarely within God’s will whether you are pastoring a local church or stocking shelves at the local Home Depot. I believe God can use a surrendered life as easily in the public school classroom as well as the corporate boardroom. I believe the life of a missionary is no more useful than the life of a plumber in the hands of God.

In other words, there is no scale in terms of God’s will. You’re either surrendered to it and actively following Him, or you aren’t. The details like location and vocation are incidental and secondary to that surrendered condition.

Now, if I have seen verification that I am gifted by God in some area (for me, it is preaching/teaching, writing, and encouraging discipleship among those who follow Jesus primarily in the context of the local church), and yet I am not seeking the place of greatest usefulness according to those gifts, then I do think changes need to be made.

As this is an ongoing batting around of thoughts in my mind and heart, I’ll stop here. I’d welcome any/all of your thoughts about how you define “calling” and what you think are good, helpful questions to ask when seeking to discern God’s calling on your life.