Tony Morgan is pastor of administrative services at Granger Community Church.
I still remember the thoughts and emotions as if it happened yesterday. God had been growing a passion inside of me to commit my life to full-time ministry, but not just any ministry. My heart was for the local church. I wanted to see the local church regain its effectiveness in reaching a world filled with lost people. I firmly believed I could help make a difference.
I had received two degrees and committed more than 10 years of my life to my career in the marketplace. On that day, however, I sat in a restaurant across the table from two of my pastors trying to explain to them why they should hire me to join their staff. By most standards, it probably made no sense. I was essentially throwing away a promising career, significantly more income and the comfort of a job I knew well. Was it the right call? I believe it was, because I know with all my heart that it was God's call.
God calls some people into full-time ministry. But obviously not every Christ-follower gets that call -- most don't. Understanding whether God is calling you into ministry can be very confusing. The Scriptures point to several instances when there was no question that God wanted someone to give up their job in the marketplace and serve in ministry full time. There are also examples of people who were prepared to step into full-time ministry, but God had other plans.
In looking at God's Word, there are times when the call comes before a person thinks he or she is ready. Simon Peter is the perfect example of someone who wasn't quite sure God had chosen the right person.
In Luke 5, we learn about Simon Peter and the rest of the fishing crew after an unsuccessful day on the lake. At the end of the day, Jesus hops on board the boat and tells them exactly where they need to go to catch fish. Simon Peter reluctantly follows the new plan. As a result of this trip, they caught so many fish that the filled boats began to sink and they "were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken."
Right away, Simon Peter recognized that he had lacked faith in the words and wisdom of Jesus, and he admitted, "Lord, I am a sinful man!" Even with this said, Jesus asked Simon Peter to leave his fishing job and join his ministry full time. The truth is God doesn't wait for people to become perfect to call them into full-time ministry leadership.
Moses is another example of someone who did not think he was the right person for the job. God told Moses he was going to be the point person to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, but Moses questioned God. He just didn't think he was qualified. Remember, he is the one who pleaded to God, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it" (Exodus 4:13). Moses felt inadequate for the task set before him -- he feared failure.
The fascinating aspect of Moses' calling is that it came in the twilight years of his life. Moses was 80 years old when God called him to speak before the Pharaoh and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 7:7). The fact is sometimes it takes an entire career in the marketplace for God to prepare us for the real mission of our lives.
Other times in the Scriptures, it's just as clear that God doesn't call someone into a specific ministry. An example of this occurred when the believers gathered to find a replacement for Judas. Out of the group of 120 Christ-followers, two people proved faithful and qualified to fill the role: Barsabbas and Matthias. We can only assume that Barsabbas was prepared for this ministry role. This passage says nothing to suggest he felt like he wasn't ready; however, after the lots were cast and God's will was revealed, Barsabbas was not called (Acts 1:12-26).
In fact, most Christ-followers aren't called into full-time, paid ministry. As an example, consider the situation when Matthew, also called Levi, was asked to join Jesus' ministry. His invitation came after Jesus had taught a "large crowd" that had gathered beside the lake (Mark 2:13-14). This implies there was a large crowd of people Jesus didn't call into ministry leadership that day. It also implies as you look around your church and your circle of relationships, most people you know will not be called to serve in full-time, paid ministry either.
Reasons to stay in the marketplace
For most people, their marketplace position is their full-time ministry calling. There are a number of reasons why people should remain in the marketplace. Here are just a few for you to consider.
Your Influence. When you enter ministry full time, you lose your ability to bring your influence as a Christ-follower to the secular marketplace.
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God still specifically calls some individuals to leave their marketplace positions and transition into full-time ministry. Is this what God wants you to do? |
Your Witness. One of the biggest disadvantages of serving in full-time ministry is that your contact with non-Christians is limited. It is through your day-to-day connections with people that you have the opportunity to share life together, offer biblical wisdom when trials develop and create dialogue that leads someone to church or more importantly to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I have found that I have to be much more intentional about how I spend my time outside of work now that I'm in ministry full time. If I'm going to have the opportunity to share Christ with people who need to know him, I need to develop relationships through things that I do on a regular basis -- I try to be intentional about how I interact with the people who repair my car and cut my hair. It also means "church leagues" aren't an option for my recreation time. I need to be out in the community trying to build relationships with people who need to know Jesus.
Your Time. Full-time ministry is a huge commitment of time and energy. I had some pretty significant responsibilities in my previous marketplace positions; however, it always seemed like I could easily distinguish between work and non-work activities. Now the lines have really blurred. The "work" never ends because there's always one more person who needs to hear about Jesus and the opportunity to experience life change. That makes the challenge of maintaining balance between ministry life and family life much more critical if you're going to maintain effectiveness for the long haul. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so protecting time for family and renewal is crucial.
Your Resources. In most cases, transitioning into a paid ministry role reduces your ability to financially support not only your own household, but also the ministry of others. Frankly, there are some high capacity individuals working in the marketplace whose most significant contribution to advancing the gospel may be earning money so they can in turn fund ministry activities. Regardless of your income level, finances certainly need to be a deciding factor in determining whether or not you should make the transition into a paid ministry role.
Is God Calling?
Keeping these things in mind, God still specifically calls some individuals to leave their marketplace positions and transition into full-time ministry. Is this what God wants you to do? Often times, it's not a black-and-white decision. Here are some questions to help you confirm whether God is calling you to take that step:
Do you have a growing passion for the specific ministry you are considering? Does it make your heart beat fast?
Are you already serving in a volunteer or part-time capacity to help confirm if the ministry role is a good fit?
Have others suggested you should pursue full-time ministry?
What is your motivation? Are you just fleeing a bad job situation? Are you just trying to please God? Are you thinking others will see you as "more spiritual?"
If you are married, does your spouse support the change? How will the change impact your family?
Can you afford it financially? Should you get your financial house in order before making the transition?
Is the timing right?
Full-time ministry has huge rewards. It's both honoring and humbling to know what you do each day will impact people's lives for eternity. I made the transition into my ministry role about three years ago, and to this day, I still can't believe I get paid to do what I do. I'm on the front lines every day helping people take their next step toward Christ, and I get to do it with an incredible team that loves Jesus and loves serving together.
I've heard people joke about the feelings they experience deep in their souls. Laughingly they'll question whether it's a prompting of the Holy Spirit stirring their heart or just indigestion. The truth is, knowing God's will for your life is not always clear. When considering the opportunity to transition into full-time ministry, it's important to remember that God calls most people to remain in the marketplace. By the same token, He needs high caliber people who are willing to take a step of faith and serve in ministries that will impact the world. Better pick up. That might be God calling.
Tony Morgan, who transitioned from a career in local government administration to church leadership, is the Pastor of Administrative Services at Granger Community Church (www.gccwired.com) near South Bend, Ind. In addition to his role at Granger, Tony has helped resource other churches through training and consulting experiences and is the "cheerleader" for WiredChurches.com, Granger's ministry to church leaders. You may contact him at tmorgan@gccwired.com.
