Exploring a Call to Ministry

Pray – Continue to pray through this time as you seek to discern God’s direction. Often our understanding of our calling develops gradually and over time, so it is important that prayerful seeking become a continual part of the process.

Search Scripture – As you explore your calling, seek out God’s word as a source of instruction and understanding about the church, God’s work in the world, and how you fit into that work.

Talk to your family – Not only may your family members be able to provide guidance or prayer support, but open communication with them will be important to your future opportunities to minister. You may sense a great deal of anxiety in trying to communicate your growing understanding of your call with your family. Perhaps you are fearful they will not affirm this calling or that they will not understand you, but it can only lead to distrust and frustration if you wait a long time to talk with them about where you sense God is leading.

Talk to a minister you trust – Your pastor, youth minister, BSM director, or college minister may be able to provide stories, resources, and encouragement from their own experiences in following God’s call. By talking to another minister, you may also find new opportunities to work out this calling through different avenues of service in your local church.

Communicate your understanding with your church body – God not only speaks through our times of prayer or through Scripture, but also through the body of Christ. By communicating your calling to the church, they are able to commit to pray alongside you, to support and encourage you, and often to affirm the work that God is doing in your life.

Explore your options – Talk to a number of individuals, research possibilities online and through your church. There are full-time and bi-vocational opportunities to minister as well as ministry opportunities in a variety of locations and with a variety of different roles: local church, chaplaincy, denominational ministry, etc. You may want to consider theological training through seminary.

Questions to ask yourself:

Your Relationship with God
What are my basic assumptions about life?
How do I understand God’s presence in my life and in the world?
How do I express my commitment to God? Am I fully committed?
How is God’s purpose related to my career decisions?

Motivation
What do I want to accomplish in life?
What activities and experiences are “life-giving” which drain energy from me?
What rewards or results do I most want from my career?
What do my friends or family think about me? What do they admire in me? What do they dislike?
Whose opinions do I value when I consider my career plan?

Interests And Abilities
What most concerns me about today’s world? What would I change if I had opportunity and means to do so?
What are my gifts or abilities?
How do others understand my gifts and abilities?

FAQ

Am I too old to be considering vocational ministry or attending seminary?
Not at all. You might be surprised how many individuals sense a calling to vocational ministry later in life. It is not at all uncommon to enter seminary after a full career in another field.

Should I go to seminary?
Perhaps. What is important is following God’s calling. Often in order to teach or preach effectively as well as to provide pastoral care and leadership to a church you will need some kind of training in addition to that you already have. This may mean that seminary is the right option for you. Click here to explore theological education opportunities related to Texas Baptists.

Do I have to leave my current job in order to follow my calling in ministry?
Not necessarily. Some ministers serve their churches full-time and their churches are able to financially support their ministers in this way. Many others continue to work in other vocations, much as Paul was a tent-maker. By continuing to work in another job alongside their ministry as a pastor or music minister, they have greater numbers of opportunities in which to serve.

I’m a woman; is it true my opportunities to minister will be limited?
While a number of Baptist churches in Texas are not yet comfortable or open to the idea of calling a woman to serve in all church staff positions, we believe that God will provide opportunities for those who are faithful to follow the call placed on their lives. Consider attending our Women in Ministry conference to meet others who are currently serving in ministry or who are also exploring God’s call.