Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Those who know him hear his voice and follow him (John 10:11). A call to ministry is very specific for those whom God calls. My calling relates to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. I heard his voice and I followed.
Still, my decision to enter into ministry was a process that took a number of years to realize. The impetus for considering ministry was the joy and fulfillment I had in teaching the word at my house church, and through working out conflicts with friends and family over deeply held beliefs from scripture.
I had to dig deeper into my faith and delve into the word to discover what it had to say about topics like divorce and remarriage within the church. Grappling with these questions awoke a desire to discover the truth. This drive propels me as I pursue my education and a call to serve the church.
Pursuing a call to the ministry is a hard road. It does not guarantee a steady income, nor does it present an easy life. But life is empty without meaning and my meaning comes from glorifying God by teaching and preaching the word.
My desire is to equip and strengthen God’s church. I believe God is calling me to do this by being trained to correctly interpret the word and to then teach these truths to the church. My pastor referred to this process as “evangelizing” the church. The church needs to be constantly reminded of the gospel and its power to transform believers into the image of Christ. It is this desire that God has placed within me, empowered by the Spirit, which propels me forward into ministry. My belief that a life of meaning is more critical than a life of ease leads me to follow this call, even though the reality is often a meager living, little recognition, lots of criticism and long hours. Paul the Apostle addresses the struggles of serving the church by saying that it is Christ within him that empowers him to continue in the work of teaching (Colossians 1:28 – 29).
I believe that God has placed me within the Presbyterian Church for a purpose. While I do not know what the specific purpose is, I will follow His call to “feed His sheep” to the best of my ability.
About Mark Carter
Mark Carter attends a Presbyterian house church in B.C. He plans on attending Regent College in Vancouver to complete a Master of Divinity degree.
