Call vs Career

The Call to Ministry

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?” Apostle Paul - 2 Cor 2:15-16.

The question strikes most pastors and ministers every once in a while, if we are honest with ourselves: “Who am I, of all people, to tell the congregation what God thinks?”

We have no right, no reason, no hope in ministry if not for one thing: Almighty God, in his inscrutable wisdom, has called us to it. That is all. God has willed it; not me. The Spirit blows where he wants (John 3:8), and he has blown some into the clergy; some into laity.

Like the new birth, we were born into this thing not by the will of a person, or an institution, but by the will of our Father in heaven.

Yet we still puzzle over this thing we designate a “call.” What is it? How does it come? How do we know when it does come to us?

Hearing the Call

There is much we may not understand about the call to ministry but one thing must be clear in our minds: a call is not a career. This pivotal distinction between the two may be the most important thing we ever understand about the call of God, especially in these times.

“Career” is derived from the French carriere, meaning “a road,” or “a highway.” The image suggests a course that a person sets out on, road map in hand, goal in sight, with stops marked along the way for food, lodging, and fuel. With hindsight, we can speak of one’s career as the road one took in life. But more often we speak of it as we look forward, as the path we choose and plan to travel professionally, an itinerary charted and scheduled. The destination is primary. The roads are well-marked. The rest is up to the traveler.

“Call” on the other hand, has no maps, no itinerary to follow, no destination to envision. Rather, a call depends upon hearing a Voice. The organ of faith is the ear, not the eye. First and last, it is something one listens for. Everything depends upon the relationship of the listener to the One who calls.

Careers lend themselves to formulas and blueprints; Call, only to a relationship. A career can be pursued with a certain amount of personal detachment; a call, never.

When Moses heard God call him to free the slaves in Egypt, he first responded as though he were presented with a career decision. Was he qualified? Did he have the proper experience and unique skills required by such an undertaking? He talked to God as though he were in a job interview: Who am I to do such a thing? What if the people don’t follow? Doesn’t God know that I am a poor public speaker?

All of this was irrelevant to God. All that mattered was that Moses believe God could be trusted when he said, “I will be with you.”

In short, all that mattered was the call, and that Moses bind himself to the One who issued the call. There was no road map, only the Voice.

Ministry is not an occupation but a vocation. It primarily demands not professional credentials but the ability to hear and heed the call of God. Therefore, we must stay quiet enough and close enough to hear his voice and be held firm in our impossible task by his everlasting arms.

Coming Next…”Discerning the Right Voice”. Stay tuned….

Christian Vision In Short Supply

TRUE ministry begins with vision. For a Christian leader – that is, an individual chosen by God (not man) to move His people forward – vision is not to be regarded as an option. It is the insight that instructs the leader and directs his or her path.

If, for whatever reason, you are attempting to lead God’s people without God’s vision for your ministry, you are simply playing a dangerous game – a game that neither pleases God nor satisfies people.

George Barna - The Power of Vision: How You Can Capture and Apply God's Vision for Your Ministry.

Five Contrasts - Which Ones Best Describe You as a Leader?

1. Careful is cerebral; Fearful is emotional.
2. Careful is fueled by information; Fearful is fueled by imagination.
3. Careful calculates risk; Fearful avoids risk.
4. Careful wants to achieve success; Fearful wants to avoid failure.
5. Careful is concerned about progress; Fearful is concerned about protection.

The leader who refuses to move until the fear is gone will never move. Consequently, he will never lead. There is always uncertainty associated with the future.

Uncertainty presupposes risk. Leadership is about moving boldly into the future in spite of uncertainty and risk.

- Andy Stanley

Courage Establishes Leadership

LEADERS love progress. Progress is what keeps them coming back to the task of leadership. Nothing is more discouraging to a leader than the prospect of being stranded in an environment where progress is impossible.

Progress requires change. If an organization, ministry, business, or relationship is going to make progress, it must change. That is, over time, it must evolve into something different. It must become better, more relevant, more disciplined, better aligned, more strategic.

But organizations, like people, resist change.Organizations seek an equilibrium. People in organizations seek stability. both can be deterrents to progress because progress requires change and change is viewed as the antithesis of stability.

Keep in mind that everything you loathe about your current environment or organization was originally somebody's good idea. At the time it might have been considered revolutionary. to suggest change is to suggest that your predecessors lacked insight. Or worse, it is easier to leave things as they are, to accept the status quo and learn to live with it.

While that may be easier, it is not an option for a leader. Accepting the status quo is the equivalent of accepting a death sentence. Where there's no progress, there's no growth. If there's no growth, there's no life. So leaders find themselves in the precarious and often career-jeopardizing position of being the one to draw attention to the need for change. consequently, courage is a non-negotiable quality for the next generation leader.

Leaders challenge what is (present) for the sake of what could and should be (future). that's the job of the leader. But challenging what has always been and what has always worked before in the past requires courage.

Simply recognizing the need for change does not define leadership.

The leader is the one who has the courage to act on what he or she sees.

Andy Stanley - "Next Generation Leader: Five Essentials For Those Who Will Shape The Future"