Called Into Full Time Ministry

I have been in ministry for over 17 years now and a born again Christian for almost 19.  I still remember my first step into what would later become my vocation; not just my job but my life.  I had been counseling with the pastor of my grandmother’s church for several weeks. I was 18 years old and suffering from deep depression.  After several sessions he invited me to come to a Sunday morning worship service. I excitedly told my mom about the invitation and she agreed to come with me. When we arrived to church that beautiful Sunday morning I decided not to sit on the back row like many first time visitors do because I wanted the pastor to know I was there and I wanted him to see me. I found three available seats on the second row and me my mom and my sister all sat down.  The pastor  saw me sit down and he came over and hugged me. He introduced himself to my mom and my sister and I remember feeling like I was home.

It was unlike any other church I had ever been to my entire life. There was something different in the air. As the service proceeded, the people around me raised their hands and shouted “Praise the Lord”.  Everyone seemed happy to be there; in fact they acted as if there was no other place they wanted to be. The pastor’s message was moving and when he was finished I felt a tug deep down inside of me to move to the front of the church towards the altar.  As I made that first step out of my pew and towards the front of the church I felt a warm stirring in my stomach that felt like a fire was starting inside of me but created from something good and peaceful and not from something bad. As I walked forward I began to cry. Everything the pastor and I had been discussing in counseling flooded my mind. It all came together in that moment. I fell into his arms and wept like a newborn baby crying out for his mother to pick him up and comfort him.  The pastor’s hug felt like love and kindness and peace and I felt like the only person in the room. Little did I know that one day I would learn how to love people the way he did. He prayed with me and then he turned me around to face the entire congregation. I was quickly reminded that I was not alone. He spoke in a loud authoritative voice and he told everyone to watch me. He said God had great things planned for my life and that I had a calling on my life to work in ministry. I did not have the first clue what he meant by being called into the ministry, but I knew I felt something inside of me that agreed with it; I also knew I had always felt different. I felt like I marched to the beat of my own drum and no one else had the same beat…until now.  And that is where this 18 year chapter of my life begins.

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)

 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

After that first Sunday morning worship service you could not keep me out of church. I attended every Sunday School, Worship service, Wednesday night Bible Study and met with the pastor in between. I called him and his dear wife continuously with questions about God, Jesus and the Bible. I was living a new life and the excitement needed to be fed. I am sure there are days he looked at his caller ID and thought “here we go again”, but he never complained he only smiled and patiently answered my novice biblical questions with love and sincerity. He took me under his wing as his apprentice and mentored me until I could stand on my own two feet.

 I have always been someone who wants more and I can’t wait to move on to the next thing. I like to master something and then move on to the next challenge.  I had become so full of knowledge that I needed an outlet to share it so I could continue to fill up and learn even more. After praying and seeking the Lord my mentor and I felt it was time for me to start “working” in the church.

I started off working with the little ones. I have always loved babies and at that time I was single, in college and having babies was the furthest thing from my mind. Working with them at church was fun. I loved holding them and playing with them. It also gave their moms a break. I didn’t quite understand it then, but 18 years later and three babies of my own; I get it, boy do I get it. Moms really do need a break sometimes. I quickly moved from babies to what the church calls the youth. This encompassed every child that could run and play all the way up to teenagers. I spent about 12 years in this department. This is where God taught me patience and self-control. I learned so much from this group. I learned that if you are going to have a lock in then you better be prepared to stay awake all night long or you would have some sort of writing somewhere on your body the next morning.  I learned that 10 large pizzas, eight (2) liters of soda, five bags of cookies, two boxes of popcorn and umpteen bags of chips is not enough food for a lock in.  I learned that even if you tell the boys and girls to stay in their designated areas of the church they will find a way to sneak passed you; have your guard up and your coffee on an IV drip.   I learned that you really can pull a muscle from laughing too hard. I learned that a child’s laugh is contagious and that children really are a gift from God. Working with the youth has made me feel young and old at the same time. I feel young because I am kept up to date on the current generations vocabulary and use of slang; while at the same time understand that if I try to use their slang I am observed as ancient and should revert back to words like cool and groovy; epic is semi-acceptable but only when used at the exact moment it should be used and do not over use it or you will lose your status as a “cool” youth leader and you will be reverted back to “old” like the senior pastor.  I learned that their trust is earned very quickly and it should be handled with the utmost care.  I learned that you are not their friend, but an adult who has a major influence on their lives and that responsibility should be taken very seriously.  I learned that you must listen to them if you want them to listen to you. I learned that old saying “it takes a village to raise a child” really is true and I was a part of a village helping to raise children that were not my own, but that God and their parents had entrusted me with while in my care. As Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility”.

I interned under my first pastor for many years. He literally poured into me continually for almost a decade. He asked me to pray about preaching from the pulpit. I immediately felt confirmation in my heart but heeded his advice and prayed about it. I knew that God was calling me to higher ministry levels and preaching was the next step. I accepted his invitation to take his place behind the pulpit on a Sunday morning service every now and then and when I did it felt like an old glove. I was amazed at how comfortable I was standing up in front of so many people. He took me to other churches with him and we would tag team preach. It was amazing. I learned, I grew, I continued to walk in the calling that God had on my life and I knew I had arrived. On Christmas day 2005 I was presented with a license to preach the gospel. No a license is not necessary, but I know he wanted to boost my confidence and help motivate me to keep pushing through. It was the greatest Christmas present ever. He gave it to me during our Sunday morning worship service in front of the congregation that had first witnessed his prophesy, “Watch her, God is going to do great things through her”. The fellowship erupted with cheers and praises to God. I cannot fully translate the feeling of knowing you have the support and prayers of so many wonderful people. I was humbled and blessed.

While maintaining my position as youth leader and growing speaker I felt another calling on my life. During my years as a youth leader I got married, had three babies of my own and went through many changes.  With God’s strength and guidance I was able to overcome marital issues, parenting challenges and being a woman minister. I had grown immensely and I wanted to help others overcome similar situations by applying God’s Word to their life and learning to depend solely on Him. I felt that I was being lead to minister to women.  Being a woman, a mother, a wife and a minister I have learned that the bond women share with one another is unique and a need that must be fulfilled for us to be successful in our life as Christian women. Yes, I said need. Women are different from men in their perspectives, desires, mindsets and love language so therefore we need each other to encourage one another and learn from one another. It is comforting to come together and see that we are not alone in our ways, our thinking and our challenges. By applying God’s Word to my everyday life I have seen miracles take place and I have seen the scripture “faith that can move mountains” literally come to life in my home, family, marriage and job. I am lead to share these experiences with other women to help encourage them overcome every day challenges in their own lives. This new calling in my heart to help women opened doors for television, women’s conferences, ladies night out speaking events, one on one sharing and mentoring and so much more.  While God is continuing to open doors in my life into all different areas of ministry I am still very active and passionate about helping women and mothers.

It has not always been a bed of downy soft feathers and victory after victory. I have walked on my share of glass and had my share of heartache however I have made up my mind to turn every test into a testimony. My mentor, my friend, my teacher, the one that God used to introduce me to the love of my life Jesus went home to be with the Lord in 2008 after battling brain cancer. Even through his illness he showed me faith that can move mountains and I will forever be grateful. As difficult as it was to lose such a great man of God I knew the work must continue. (Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”) Our new senior pastor had the same gentle and loving spirit as our first; a trait that is a necessity when pastoring. Unknown to me God showed him the same vision about my life that he had shown my first pastor. In December 2010 I became a fully ordained pastor and had the full support of my new senior pastor and congregation. I truly did not feel like that was the final calling God had on my life but I knew in my heart it was the path God wanted me to take to lead me where my final destination would be. I was then appointed Associate Pastor for the same church that had welcomed me 13 years earlier.

For the last four and a half years I have had so many life experiences while pastoring this church I really do need to write a book. I have grown while helping others to grow, I have performed weddings and funerals and preached and taught and learned and laughed and cried. I am humbled daily by the abundant grace and mercy of God.

Even though I work with all ages now I still have a special place in my heart for young people. I think I always will. I truly believe this part of my heart that belongs to them is due to the fact that I was only 18 when I gave my life to Jesus. I know, maybe not fully, what would have become of me if I had not made the choice to serve the Lord with my life and it is a pretty scary thought. I want to see the young people I work with devote their lives to God at a young age too so they can live the blessed life they were born to live.  I work with the young adult class in our church, on Wednesday nights, and their ages range from high school to early twenties. They are an amazing group and I love them like they were my own.   

I once heard a minister say that being a pastor or a minister isn’t a job it is a lifestyle. I completely agree. It is not just about me but my entire family is in ministry because of what I do.  My children have been labeled “preacher’s kids”; my husband is teasingly referred to by old men as “the preacher’s wife”. I tease my congregation that to get time off I have to go somewhere I do not have cell phone service or Wi-Fi because my phone rings constantly, texts are never ending and social media notifications are consistent; it is also common to get a call in the middle of the night that someone is sick or has died and I need to go to the hospital, or someone needs immediate prayer.  I am not complaining; I love what I do and given the choice for a do-over I would choose to answer the call of full time ministry all over again.

One very important thing I have learned over the years is that not everyone has a calling on their life to “work” in full time ministry, but we all have a calling in the Kingdom of God.  It has been almost 19 years since I walked into that pastor’s office and found my home church. It has also been 19 years since I was healed from depression.  I would not trade one tear, one hard time, one valley or one mountain for something different or easier. I am where I am today because of everything I have gone through and God has brought me through. I will continue to devote my life to helping Christians live the victorious life they were born to live and I will continue to look for lost souls that need the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  The bible says that “love” covers a multitude of sin; this isn’t just any love but the love of the Lord. When I received His love and gave my heart to Him, I found a life that I never knew existed. I pray that you will seek the Lord with all your heart with all your mind and with all your soul for the calling God has on your life and that when you find it you will run to it with all the power and grace the Lord gives you. You are a part of the body of Christ and only you can fill that special place that was created just for you.

Acts 2:17

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.

1 Corinthians 12:12

 There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ.