Preach the Call: Calling Men and Women into Ministry

Pastor, do you remember the moment you sensed God was calling you into ministry? Who was it that recognized something in you, spoke into your life, and helped you take that next step? And now - you have the same opportunity for the young people sitting in your congregation?

There is a growing gap in pastoral and ministry leadership in our churches. Pastors are aging and approaching retirement. Seminaries are not producing ministry leaders the way they once did. If the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and vocational ministry leaders is going to emerge, it is going to happen in and through the local church. That means it starts with you in your congregation.

Pastor, you have a critical calling - not only to preach the Gospel, but to preach the call into ministry. Whether that means encouraging someone toward pastoral ministry, missions, or other vocational ministry, it starts with us in the local church.

The Example of Paul

We know the names of people Paul invested in - Silas, Onesimus, Priscilla, Aquilla, John Mark, Timothy, Titus and more.  These developing relationships started somewhere - in a gathering, on a walk, over lunch -  and all of them happened as the Holy Spirit worked in multiple directions to accomplish God's purpose.

A Personal Example

I have had the joy of watching this play out firsthand. We have a young man in our church who grew up within our congregation. On his own, he began to sense that God might be calling him into ministry. Our church took that seriously. We made him an intern, and over the past couple of years, multiple pastors have poured into him, walked alongside him, and helped him develop. Watching him grow into ministry has been one of the great joys of pastoral ministry. This is what it looks like when the local church takes ownership of raising up the next generation.

What You Can Do

So how do you begin? Here are four practical steps:

1. Preach the call. Regularly and intentionally, when the text warrants it, call young men and women from your pulpit into ministry. Let your congregation hear that God still calls people into vocational ministry and that it might be them.
2. Identify young people (second career people too) showing potential. Look for those in your congregation who demonstrate spiritual maturity, a heart for people, and a willingness to serve. Don't wait for them to come to you.
3. Give them opportunities. Put them in situations where their character and abilities can be tested and developed - leading a small group, preaching occasionally, serving in a ministry role. Let them grow through experience.
4. Connect them to something bigger. Bring them to events where they can encounter God's call alongside other young people wrestling with the same questions.

Michigan Pastors, if you are in the Michigan region and want to bring your high school and college-age young people who are showing interest in ministry, or who you simply believe could be, the Send Me Conference is a great next step.

This one-day event is designed to help young people gain clarity and courage as they explore a potential call to vocational ministry. The next Michigan Send Me Conference will take place this November.

Learn more and register here

Pastor, the gap is real. But so is the opportunity. The next generation of ministry leaders may already be sitting in your church. It is your responsibility - and your privilege - to call them forward.

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