Am I called to...

Vocational or Volunteer Ministry?

  • Volunteer Ministry: Is God asking me to step up and lead in our local church on a volunteer basis – anything from leading a bible study, to preaching to organizing youth events.

  • Vocational Ministry: Is God asking me to think about full time ordained ministry as my day to day vocation?

  • Both are critical to God’s mission

  • Both are rooted in calling

  • The CBAC has opportunities and training in both

You Might Be Called into Vocational Ministry if . . .

  1. You have a passion to see people come to trust Jesus’ claim that he is the one way to the Father.

  2. You have a desire to read God’s word for the purpose of teaching others so that their lives are indelibly marked by its truth and hope.

  3. Your life would not be fulfilled in pursuing any other path of employment.

  4. You love the church.

  5. You have a deep compassion for people who are broken.

  6. You feel unworthy to serve in this way.

  7. You have and are developing gifts of teaching, shepherding, discernment, leadership, wisdom, apostleship, eveangelism.

You Might Be Called into Volunteer Ministry if . . .

  1. You have a compassion to support the people in your local church or a neighbouring church.

  2. You are concerned for the next generations in your congregation.

  3. You want to help your pastor by lifting some of the ministry load.

  4. You have gifts and skills that God is asking you to use in your church.

  5. You have a deep sense of God using you in your neighbourhood (home, work and play) to make a difference.

  6. You have and are developing gifts of help, encouragement, teaching, evangelism, leadership, hospitality.

You Might Be Called into Church Planting if . . .

  1. You love envisioning a BETTER day!

  2. You see neighbourhoods and communities in Atlantic Canada that need fresh Gospel presence.

  3. You are entrepreneurial in spirit.

  4. You love building things from the ground up!

  5. You enjoy building a focused team for a focused task!

  6. You have deep evangelistic passion for those who are far from God!

  7. You DREAM  of a re-shaped visionary Church that will leave a lasting legacy in a new day in Canada!

Struggling with the question?

If you’ve asked yourself this question – vocational or volunteer – don’t be surprised if you’re unsure of the answer. For some people, the call is crystal clear. But for most, it’s a process or a journey that God takes us through to get to that point. There’s not a thing wrong with that. It’s perfectly natural to have some doubts and ask:

  • Am I worthy?
  • What about the sin in my life?
  • Could I stand up and talk in front of people?
  • Would I know how to lead someone to Jesus?
  • Do I know my Bible well enough?
  • Can I handle the mess?
  • Aren’t people in the church mean to their leaders?
  • What if I don’t know the answer to a question?

So many questions, so many fears.

Most of us in ministry today had the same concerns, the same fears and self-doubt. God’s story is about using people who by many people’s opinions were disqualified – David, Jonah, Paul.

Most of us in ministry today had the same concerns, the same fears and self-doubt. Discerning a call is a spiritual event; you should expect that Satan will try and interrupt and cloud your thoughts through fear and self-doubt. As you seek God, ask for clarity and where He wants you to serve.

Rewarding Days… Tough Days

In ministry, many days are rewarding. You will have the privilege of walking with people during the high and vulnerable points in their life. You will celebrate in joy at spiritual rebirth and mourn with those who have just lost loved ones. There will be soaring days of spiritual victory and powerful reminders of how God uses you to help set the captives free.

But there will be tough days too. You will need reminders of your calling when someone takes advantage of you and causes you pain. You will experience days when you want to throw in the towel. Having clarity and a firm sense of God’s call at the beginning will be like a sweet nectar throughout the years to come (both good and bad).

NEXT STEPS

Talk About It

Talk to your family, friends, your pastor. What do they see in you? Ask them about your gifts, talents and potential.

  • Do they see in you a hunger for spiritual disciplines (Prayer, scripture reading)?

  • Do they see compassion for the broken or anger at the sinner?

  • Do they see a love for the church as it is or a frustration with the lack of purity and motivation that you want to change it to be more like you?

  • Do they see in you teaching gifts?

  • Do they see you as being someone who will obey God or given in to people’s pressure?

  • Would your pastor give you the opportunity to lead a Bible Study or preach?

Try It Out

We then would encourage you to get involved with the ministry at your local church to see what your natural likes and dislikes are. If you don’t like children you may not want to consider youth ministry. Are you gifted in leading worship, preaching or visiting? Do you enjoy helping with seniors?

Work with your pastor to see if the you find the tasks of ministry exciting; use it to discover you gifting.

Pray About It

Seek God’s direction in this. Spend time praying, journaling and retreating to ask God if in fact this is what he is calling you to do with your life. Read scripture about who God called, what were they like, how did God use them, how did he affirm them.

Listen

Here are a few video testimonies of other people’s experience with the call to ministry. Listen to them and use them to discern if God is inviting you too!
https://vimeo.com/217995839/7ee858eaf5
https://vimeo.com/217992537/bf10bf61f4