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.
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.
[1]Jason K Allen,Discerning Your Call to Ministry, Moody
Publishers: Chicago, 2016, 19-21.
[2]Ibid., 21.
[3]George Barna,Growing True Disciples, Waterbrook Press:
Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, 168.
[4]Kristen Padilla,Now That I'm Called: A Guide for Women
Discerning a Call to Ministry, Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2018, 7.
