Dear Young Minister,
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.
You have asked one of the most important questions a servant of God can ever ask and I am grateful that you are asking this question now. It is far better to seek clarity before going into ministry than spending years running without divine direction.
We live in a generation where ministry is often admired from a distance. The visibility, influence, and opportunities associated with it have made many people desire the platform without first understanding the burden. But you must understand that ministry is not a profession to be admired but a calling to be obeyed. It is not a career path that you choose because it suits your interests, but a life that God lays hold of for His own purpose.
The Scriptures remind us, “And no man takes this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” (Hebrews 5:4).
You must pay very close attention to those words. Ministry is an honour, but not one that a man confers upon himself. It begins with God.
Before a congregation recognizes a minister, before an organization ordains him, before anyone invites him to preach, there must first be the unmistakable work of God in his life.
Don’t think that a call to ministry must always come through extraordinary experiences. Some have been called through visions, dreams, or remarkable encounters. Moses met God at the burning bush. Isaiah saw the LORD in His glory. Saul of Tarsus encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Yet God is not confined to dramatic moments. Many of God’s servants discovered His call through a growing conviction born out of prayer, the study of Scripture, and faithful service. The method may differ, but the Author of the call remains the same.
Permit me to say this before I go on and I strongly believe every young minister needs to hear this. Enjoying preaching is not necessarily evidence that you are called to preach. Speaking well is not the same as being sent by God. There are gifted communicators who have never carried the burden of the Lord, just as there are men with ordinary speech through whom the LORD has shaken nations. Don’t confuse gifting with calling because gifts may attract people, but only a divine calling will sustain you when the road becomes lonely.
One of the clearest marks of God’s call is a burden that refuses to leave. It is an inward constraint that keeps drawing you back to God’s purpose, even when obedience is costly. The Apostle Paul expressed this burden when he wrote, “Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Those are not the words of a man chasing recognition, but a man who knew he had been apprehended by Christ.
You must also understand that God is more interested in the man than in the ministry.
Before He entrusts you with public responsibility, He will make sure He deals with your private life. He will teach you to walk with Him when nobody knows your name. He will expose your pride, impatience, self-confidence, and hiddensins, not to destroy you, but to prepare you.
It’s quite unfortunate that many young people today so much desire the anointing, but only few welcome the process by which God shapes His servants.
Don’t despise seasons of obscurity, because some, if not all of God’s greatest work in a minister’s life is done where nobody is present to give a loud applause.
David learnt to worship before sheep long before he was anointed to lead a nation.
Joseph learnt faithfulness in prison before he was honoured to govern Egypt.
Even our Lord Jesus spent many silent years before stepping into His public ministry. If God is keeping you hidden for a season, perhaps He is protecting the ministry He intends to entrust to you.
A genuine call will also find confirmation among mature believers. This does not mean that they created your calling.
However, those who walk closely with Him often recognize His hand upon your life. In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit instructed the Church at Antioch to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which He had already called them. The Church simply acknowledged what Heaven had already determined.
As you seek God’s will, resist the temptation to pursue titles, positions, or recognition. Give yourself to prayer. Immerse yourself in the Scriptures. Serve faithfully wherever the LORD has placed you. Love people. Share the Gospel. Be dependable in the small things. If your calling is genuine, you don’t need to advertise it. In due season, God Himself will open the doors that no man can shut to you.
Finally, remember that the greatest evidence of a divine calling is not the story you tell about the day God called you. It is the life you live afterwards. Calling is authenticated by faithfulness. The man whom God calls, He also teaches to obey, to persevere, to suffer, to serve, and to remain steadfast until the end.
My prayer for you is that you will never mistake ambition for calling, popularity for fruitfulness, or opportunity for divine appointment.
May the Lord make His purpose for your life unmistakably clear. And when He has made it clear, may He give you the grace to embrace both the privilege and the cost of serving Him faithfully all the days of your life.
May you be found among those of whom it is written, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Grace to you!
Your Brother,
Peter Jerry
