We have a problem: we don’t have enough vocational ministry workers (e.g. people in paid ministry).
We’re not the only people with this problem: there is a pastor drought (and para-church ministry worker drought, etc.) around the country. But we still have a problem and, unless we address it, it will seriously impede the spread of the gospel in South Australia.
It’s not as if paid ministry workers are the only people who can spread the gospel or lead churches. We believe passionately in the ‘priesthood of all believers’ (1 Peter 2:9) and that every Christian has a role to play in building the kingdom.
But God does set aside some people to lead churches and ministries for so much of their time that they need to be financially supported to do it (1 Timothy 5:17). These people can then give all – or a large amount – of their working time to ‘equipping God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up’ (Ephesians 4:16).
So where are these people going to come from? Well, maybe you’re one of them!
How would I work out if I’m suitable for vocational ministry?
Thankfully, the Bible gives us helpful questions to ask.
Am I a person of good character?
The first question is: am I a person of good character? This is the first and most important qualification for anyone in gospel ministry.
So, Paul writes a list of qualifications for church leaders in 1 Timothy 3:2-8, and nearly all of them are about character, not skills. His heading is that leaders should be ‘above reproach’ (1 Timothy 3:2) – not meaning that they should be perfect, but that a reasonable person should not be able to find major fault with them.
Of course, good character is something all Christians should aspire to, not just leaders. But it is essential for leaders, as those who hold out the gospel to others.
So that’s the first question to ask: am I a person of good character?
Do I have word gifts?
The next question is: do I have word gifts? Can I teach the Bible?
Going back to 1 Timothy 3:2-8, one of the only two skills that is listed as a qualification is the ability to teach (the other is leadership). That is, leaders must be able to teach the Bible.
The reason for this is that it is the gospel that saves people and builds the church. That is why the people God gives to ‘equip his people for works of service’ (Ephesians 4:12) are all Bible teachers: ‘So Christ … gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers’ (Ephesians 4:11). The gospel is what fertilises all of the rest of our gifts. Therefore, the people God appoints as gardeners are to be good at teaching the gospel (without in any way making them more important than those who don’t have those gifts: we are all a body: 1 Corinthians 12).
So that’s the second question to ask: can I teach the Bible?
Do I have the opportunity?
The third question is: do I have the opportunity to do vocational ministry?
A person might have both the character and the gifts for ministry, but not the opportunity. They might have a chronic illness, elderly parents to care for, or financial obligations that mean they can’t go into ministry yet, or ever. And all of these reasons are fine. The Apostle Paul was sometimes hindered from doing ministry by his circumstances (e.g. Romans 15:22-23), so it’s okay if we are too.
But you may have the opportunity: a life-package that allows you to go into vocational ministry. So the last question to ask, therefore, is …
Do I have the desire?
Do I want to do ministry?
This is actually a perfectly legitimate question. Peter says that he only wants people to serve in church leadership if they want to: ‘Be shepherds of God’s flock … not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be’ (1 Peter 5:2). And so we must only do this if we want to.
Of course, there might be bad reasons we don’t want to go into ministry: greed, laziness, selfishness, etc. In these cases, we shouldn’t go into ministry either (though probably on character grounds! See above).
But there are legitimate reasons we might not want to go into ministry, and that’s okay. God doesn’t want us to be bullied into leading. He wants us to do it willingly.
A next step
So if you satisfy these criteria, what should you do next?
I think you should seriously consider going into vocational ministry.
Of course, you may want to consider it more than just reading an article! In that case, talk to your pastor and see what they think.
And why not come to CV Conference on Friday 25 to Saturday 26 September to think about it more? You’ll be in a room with a bunch of people who are all wrestling with the same question, so it will be super helpful.
We have a great God who has promised to build his church (Matthew 16:18). But he has also called us to partner with him in that, some of us as under-shepherds (1 Peter 5). And he has said that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37).
So if you’ve got the godliness, the gifts, the opportunity, and the desire – what’s next?