Are We Asking the Right Question of Ourselves When It Comes To God’s Call?

I have met a number of men and women who continually have a conversation with themselves and ask the question, “What is God calling me to do?” They never seem to be able to answer the question. I knew one person who felt the nudging of God to go into ministry a number of times during their lifetime. The first nudging came when he was attending a junior high church camp. The second nudging came when he was in the third year of college taking a Bible as History class. And the third call came one day when he was commuting to a job that continued to suck the life out of his soul. In twenty years he never got past that one question, “What is God calling me to do?” 

When he was at camp and looked into the campfire he felt the Holy Spirit moving in his life. He knew at that moment God loved him. That evening he looked around and saw friends who had not experienced God’s love and although he felt God calling him to speak, his voice was silent. When he was in the Bible as History class he began to realize the Bible was more than history. The Bible came alive and his faith was deeper. He listened to other students and at times felt God to share his faith, but his voice was silent. He was not happy in his job. Yes, he made good money, but he was not fulfilled by his work. He discovered that he lived for the days when he taught Sunday school, filled the pulpit when the pastor was away, and worked on mission teams. Yet, he never was able to move beyond the question, “What is God calling me to do?”

The reality is that God has called many people, who really don’t believe God is calling them to ministry. They see themselves not qualified to be a minister because they are not smart enough, wise enough, good enough, committed enough, and the list goes on. But what would happen if they began asking themselves, “Why am I not doing what God has called me to do?”

God has nudged some of us to go into ministry and we keep getting stuck on the first question when we should be asking the second question, “Why am I not doing what God has called me to do?” And, most importantly, to accept that with God’s help, we will be smart enough, wise enough, good enough, committed enough, and anything else we can put on the list.

Certainly, we will have many reasons why we are not doing what God has called us to do. However, if we realize the joy we experience as we share God’s love with those who have not experienced God’s grace, the hope God brings as we dig deeper in scripture, and fulfillment we feel from a job which gives our lives meaning we will begin to look for ways to begin doing what God has called us to do.

There are many who have not given up their day jobs. They have discovered they have a ministry in their job. At the same time they have discovered they can be a part time minister and fulfill their call.

The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries has two programs to help people move from thinking about the call to ministry to taking steps into ministry.

The Discovering Your Call to Ministry class helps lay persons focus and explore their call to ministry and the Foundations for Ministry class gives lay persons the tools and the confidence to begin the journey toward serving the local church.

More information is available at The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries website or by contacting Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis at cellis@tasmcm.org or by calling 785-445-2595.