Why Clarifying Your Call Matters Today

Your call to ministry matters. Discerning and living out your call in the world today, however, can take several different forms. Some people are called to become pastors, chaplains and youth ministers. Others are called to become Christian counselors or therapists, teachers and professors, missionaries and more. Many respond to their call to ministry by applying the truths of God’s Word in their work and vocational passions by becoming servant leaders in their companies, in their families and through their personal lives.

Craig C. Hill, Dean of Perkins School of Theology, states that “It is not enough to study Christ - vital as that is. We are, in the words of the New Testament, to ‘put on Christ’ and to “have the mind of Christ.’” 

Now more than ever, the need for servant leadership continues to increase due to several factors, including the growing polarization throughout the world and in the church. 

The World Is Facing Tremendous Obstacles

As society evolves, so do its challenges. Technology and social media have paved the way to allow everyone to connect with a simple click of a button. But some might argue that social media has done more harm than good. Not only does it lead to low quality sleep, it also affects mental health. 

According to Enough.org, nearly half of young people have received intimidating, threatening or bullying messages online. And according to the JAMA Network, adolescents who use social media for more than 3 hours a day are at a heightened risk to experience mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, aggression and antisocial behavior. 

The National Alliance on Mental Health reported that in any given year, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness and 1 in 20 experience serious mental illness. Since 1999, the overall suicide rate has increased by 35 percent, making it the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. for people over the age of 35 and the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.

Not only are the communities we live in plagued with mental health disorders, they are experiencing social friction, too. Domestic and sexual assault and violent crime has been reported to continually increase since 2000. 

And speaking of community, many in the church and in your neighborhood feel isolated and alone. According to a study published in the American Sociological Review, the average person in the U.S. only has one close friend, whereas one in four people report they have no confidantes at all. 

This isolation is felt in our African American communities, too, along with the unhealed sin of racism that permeates not only U.S. culture but also the entire globe. Amid George Floyd’s tragic death and the protests that shot across the nation and the world, a KFF Health Tracking Poll found that six in ten Black adults have reported unfair treatment in various settings such as while shopping, at a bar or a restaurant in the past 12 months.

Seven in ten Black Americans say they have experienced serious incidents of discrimination in their lifetime, including half who say they have felt their life has been in danger at some point solely because of their race. And, 30 percent of Black men reported they have also been a victim of police violence.

Every day, there are signs of weakening and increasingly fragile communities in America. The contributing factors are many ranging from the global pandemic and heightening political divisions to issues surrounding families. 

There are nearly 400,000 children in foster care in the United States on any given day. This staggering number is partially a recent result due to the opioid crisis and drug epidemic facing America. In 2019, over 90,000 kids were removed from their homes due to parental drug use, according to the Administration for Children and Families.

It’s difficult to reconcile these harsh statistics and realities of turmoil with the belief that there is still good in this world - and yet, God is still at work. And it’s up to people like you - those who feel a call to ministry and servant leadership, in such a time as this, to make a difference. 

“Love calls us humbly to understand each other. To do otherwise is flatly un-Christian. It defies both the heart of the law and the clear teaching of Jesus.”  

- Dean Craig C. Hill, Perkins School of Theology

The Church Needs Leaders

It’s not just a lack of community that people are feeling, but there is also a decline in church communities. Gallup reports a 5 percent decline in adults attending religious services weekly in the past decade - resulting in only 38 percent of the population attending church. In 1950, these same attendance rates were around 50 percent. This is the result of many factors, including an increased lack of religious affiliation. In fact, about three-in-ten U.S. adults now identify as religiously unaffiliated.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 4,000 churches close their doors every year, while only 1,000 new churches are built. And every year, 2.7 million church-goers fall into inactivity.

There is an overall decline of active Elders in the United Methodist Church, too. Eighty percent of the losses have come since 2019, dropping by 24 percent. Young Elders (under 35) began to decline in 2017 and followed modest gains after the low point of 2005. The 2021 number of young elders is 742, a record low number since the start of the church. 

People attend church for self-reflection, worship, community and learning from God’s message. Church leaders, however, are not immune to the very real challenges of contemporary events and polarization. Instead of putting on Christ [Rom. 13:14], today’s church leaders may succumb to the pressure and polarization that surrounds them. 

In the environment of today, the church is looking for leaders who are other-centered; leadership that can consider the whole person and the whole community rather than just an ideological position. The church needs leaders who will work to unify and to heal brokenness. 

The Need for Servant Leadership Is NOW

The world is suffering. It needs people like you to bring peace and light in these times of darkness. We are all called to ministry.

2 Samuel 22:29 “Indeed you are my lamp, O Lord, the Lord lightens my darkness.” (NRSV)

Vocational ministry is much more than just teaching and preaching God’s Word every week. Just like it states, pastors are to care. If you see the need for servant leadership, and love to spread Jesus’ teachings of kindness and peace, entering vocational ministry may be a great option for you. 

Beyond delivering a sermon or recording a podcast, pastors visit and care for the sick, disciple members of the congregation, provide biblical counseling, assist those who are suffering or struggling, pray for or with those experiencing pain and more. Pastors are to shepherd their sheep.

There are other ways to exemplify and participate in servant leadership in and outside of the church. A servant leader must start with an unselfish mindset and have a passion to do something for the greater good of the community. A servant leader uses their talents and gifts to add value to other people or institutions. 

Practicing Christian leadership skills through servant leadership can look different for everyone. Devoting your free time to running, volunteering or serving on the board of a non-profit, serving the sick and homeless, teaching youth ministry and even bringing servant leadership skills into your workplace are all great ways to practice and promote those skills.

Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. are a few examples of selfless (if human) servant leaders. Just because you may not accomplish as much as they did in their lifetime, don’t let that discourage you. They are fantastic role models and servant leaders to live by.

Matthew 23:11-12 “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NRSV)

Perhaps you don’t feel that you are being called to become ordained or to enter full-time vocational ministry, but you still want to have an active role in the church community. If so, lay leadership is a great option for you. These roles will vary depending on your denomination, but some of the options include: 

• Serving on the board of the church’s committees
• Reading scripture
• Teaching in children’s church or Sunday school
• Participating in choir
• Acting as a liturgist
• Ushering

Lay leadership roles can also result in working with the pastor or other church leaders to bring the church’s vision and mission to life and represent the congregation.