What a great blessing it is to serve the Lord.

I’m privileged with a high calling of serving God and others through vocational ministry.  Every believer is called to serve the Lord, and many need to wake up to that fact. Quit groaning about everyday life and begin to serve Him through that arena. However, there is a definite calling into leadership ministry to which a few are chosen and gifted.

How do you know if God desires for you to serve in the ministry? Give this some objective thinking. Some say the presence of a gift is a definite sign of ministry calling. I disagree. But I do believe those who are called into the ministry will possess some gifts for that service. These individuals should not rest upon their giftedness, but grow and develop them for their best use in the Kingdom. A calling into the ministry, however, does not solely rest upon giftedness.

What about character? Yes, Scripture appears to be more concerned about morality and godly character than an individual’s competency. It’s not that we should ignore the competency side of calling. However, character should always trump competency. Why? Because a lack of godly character will be more destructive and harmful to the Kingdom than inferior giftedness.

Here’s how it all worked out for me. Early in my Christian life, it became apparent to me that I had some giftings that were suitable for the ministry. Yet, I made no assumptions. I got as involved as I could with serving the local church. After many months of prayer and seasons of fasting, I began to strongly sense a drawing toward the ministry. I differentiate this from what I was doing with and for my local church as knowing that I was being called into ministry leadership. I can remember the highly emotional release of finally coming to the reality that God wanted my entire future to be shaped by His call. I shared it with my wife, my pastor’s wife, and a men’s prayer meeting at my local church. Eventually, it all led to my local church family confirming my gifts, affirming my calling, and encouraging me to pursue ministry credentials (education) with our denomination. After more years of preparation, this chain of events led to my first pastorate.

During this season of ministry life, I have stepped out of serving in administrative leadership for my denomination. I’ve answered the call to once again serve one particular congregation and region. The burden for pastoral ministry is a beautiful calling that I enjoy immensely. However, I continue to find great pleasure in helping other pastors. I try to be a Barnabas to many and help others fulfill their potential in the ministry.

I’ve come to the conclusion that regardless of the season I will always have a passion, burden, and drawing towards pastoral ministry. This is also what keeps me connected to other pastors and ministry leaders. I sense their burdens, discern their dilemmas, and astutely know how to pray for them. At times, there even appears to be divine insight given to me to know how to help others fulfill their calling. God seems to have wired the DNA of my personality in that I sense a certain guardianship of the faith. This determination causes me to stand firm in opposition to the spiritual forces that come against our congregations.

What does ministry look like for you right now? How did you get to the point where you knew for sure that you were called into the ministry? Are you growing in Christ-like character as you exercise your gifts? Let’s keep the discussion going and maintain a grateful heart for the privilege of ministry. It’s about so much more than merely preaching a sermon or teaching a lesson.