Rediscovering Your Calling

For each person in the ministry, there was a point where she or he received a sense of calling. God worked with each of us in a unique way in calling. Perhaps it was a friend or mentor who challenged you to consider the possibility of Christian service. Maybe it was a sermon or Bible study on a particular verse of scripture that caught your imagination. It may have come because of a life-changing event. Whatever the precipitating experience, you started down that path of Christian ministry.

During the past two years, some of us may have questioned that calling. Perhaps you have even said, “This is not what I signed up for.” The sense of calling may have become less clear, motivating, or empowering.

Often coaches help clients define their vision for the future, their calling. This is true for both laity and clergy. In these days, however, a coach may help someone not to discover their calling but to rekindle it and act upon it. This is a time for each of us to ask, “What really led me into the vocation of Christian ministry?”

The answer will be unique for each person, but I doubt that the following were motivators:

“I want to make a lot of money.”
“I want people to like me.”
“I want to build a great institution.”
“I want to work only on Sundays.”

More likely, the answers will be along these lines:

“God has done something wonderful in my life and I want to share that with others.”
“I like people and want to invest in their lives.”
“I believe that the Gospel can make a difference in the lives of individuals and society.”
“Christian community provides healing and changes people’s lives.”

In most cases, this calling has led us into service in the local church, a Christian denomination, a caring ministry such as chaplaincy, or an educational role. Although any of these venues can provide a meaningful outlet for one’s calling, recent volatile events have made this much more challenging—pandemic, polarized politics, economics, social turmoil, and racial inequity. Even in our places of ministry, these forces have an impact.

The big question for those who have a calling to ministry is, “What’s next? Given who I am and Who I follow, what’s the next step for me?”

Only you know the answer, but you do not have to come up with a response on your own. Family, friends, trusted advisors, mental health professionals, and leadership coaches are available to help you process your experiences and chart a way forward. Most importantly, the God who called you is still calling, encouraging, and guiding. The journey continues.

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