After reading Jason Allen’s book, Discerning Your Call to Ministry, what stood out
most to me was around the calling in the introduction, Called to minister, as all
Christians are called to do, then called to ministry as well as called to the ministry,
which are two different callings.[1] It was in the New Testament when the early
church was figuring out how to minister that we were told to appoint people in
leadership positions with specific qualifications that are required, through the Old
Testament priests were from certain families from the twelve tribes, that has
changes in the New Testament. The spirit gives us different gifts and we are to
use those gifts to bless others, this book only looked at the offices of “pastor,
evangelist, and teacher.”[2] It is those offices are to be held even more
accountable for our action or inaction, as the case may be than those that have
been given other gifts to use. As pastors, evangelists, and teachers we need to be
sure that we are “devoted to the process of spiritual growth and to allowing God’s
Holy Spirit to shape you on that journey, how you end up will bear scant
resemblance to what you were when you began the journey.”[3] I do believe and
agree that men should be over the church and with the requirements of 1 Timothy
3, teaching and preaching over everyone, women do have a place in the church
and teaching as long as they are not teaching over men. I know many do not
agree with this but as I have studied this, this is the conclusion that I continually
come to.
c c c c c c c c c c I am not sure what my exact call to ministry is, I originally felt it towards
children’s ministry, but lately it may be to woman’s ministry or even teaching at
the college level. I do know that as God sees fit to show me more he will do so
and I pray that I will be receptive to answering that call, while I continue to answer
the call to minister to those around me right now, but also should I be called to
ministry or to the ministry in some way that I would be sensitive to that call.
Thomas Oden said the following “Let an initial impression grow quietly in a
community of prayer until it becomes a sustained conviction.”[4] Knowing that
God is at work in me while I am studying and preparing myself for what he is
going to do, is my job at this moment and working on being a disciple to those
who I come in contact with daily, right now that has been my children and helping
them to find their faith and learn further from God and his grace and mercy
towards us. I do think that at times it is okay to ask God what his plans are for
ministry, as long as we are ready to listen and do as he tells us to do, not in a
laying out the fleece questions although I am sure there is a time and place for
that as well. I hope I answered the questions appropriately it was difficult for me
to understand fully the questions.
c c c c c c c c c c c c c [1] Jason K Allen, Discerning Your Call to Ministry, Moody Publishers:
Chicago, 2016, 19-21.
c c c c c c c c c c c c c [2] Ibid., 21.
c c c c c c c c c c c c c [3] George Barna, Growing True Disciples, Waterbrook Press: Colorado
Springs, CO, 2001, 168.
c c c c c c c c c c c c c [4] Kristen Padilla, Now That I'm Called: A Guide for Women Discerning a
Call to Ministry, Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2018, 7.
