How is God Calling?
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This little children’s rhyme is simply put, but profoundly expresses the reality revealed in Scripture of Jesus’ sacrificial love and faithful witness centered on love. Not only is humanity deeply loved and individually known, but the heart of Jesus’ teaching was to “’love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all our soul and with all your mind…and a second, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28).
It is from that place of love that God invites everyone (yes, including you) to receive the gift of love evident through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ and into following Jesus’s footsteps (the church-y word is “discipleship”). We can follow Jesus’ footsteps through doing things that he actually did (like acts of justice, mercy, teaching, etc.) and also remembering that “we can have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16) who works in and through us to mature and get “stronger” as Christians.
The resources below are here to encourage you, challenge you, and provide some “fuel” to sustain you as you consider how God may be calling you to grow as a follower (a disciple) of Jesus.
A Dictionary for Deeper Discernment
Paul writes in Philippians 1:9-11:
And this is my prayer: that your love may about more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
- A Holy Nudge—an inner conviction or encouragement that comes from a place of Love that moves me to step out in faith.
- Calling—God’s invitation to a person to participate in God’s good work in the world; it could to for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
- Experience—from a Wesleyan perspective (the history of the teaching of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism), experience is a way that we talk about our personal encounters with God, our history, our privilege, and our pains.
- External Confirmation—the encouragement of others who acknowledge the gifts, calling, and opportunities that a person is hearing internally that might be from God.
- Gifts—natural talents or spiritual attributes that have been given by God that build up the people of God (the Church) and serve others.
- Holy Spirit Movement—the Third Person of the Trinity who is the source of energy and initiative that nurtures, compels and unites a community for God’s glory
- Ordination in the United Methodist Church—the formal act of being set apart for God’s purposes that is done by the Bishop after a process of discernment by the group within the Annual Conference who are empowered with that responsibility.
- Spiritual Disciplines/Holy Habits/Means of Grace—the practices that we engage that attune our heart to hear God’s voice and grow God’s character in us; Wesley taught of things like reading and meditating on scripture, prayer, fasting, attending worship, sharing in the sacraments, doing good works, feeding the hungry, visiting prisoners, and addressing the needs of the poor as examples
- Vocation—a job that reflects God’s calling to follow Jesus by being a tangible expression of God’s love in a particular place.
Conversation/Personal Journal Topics:
- In what ways do I think I might hear God’s voice? Who could I ask about what God’s voice sounds like? What would I want to know? Read Psalm 29—what does this text illuminate about God’s Voice?
- What gifts, passions, unique experiences, or relationships do I have that could be used for God’s work in the world?
- Whose faith do I admire? What about them compels me?
- What (holy) habits can I engage to be able to pay attention to God?
- What affirmations have others made about my gifts? Am I growing in confidence about something that God may be calling me to do?
Quotes:
- “Vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” Frederick Buechner
- “Calling—the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism is lived out as a response to his summons and service.” Os Guinness, The Call
- “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go and do that. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman
- “Vocation at its deepest level is, “This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.” Parker Palmer
- “Nothing short of God can satisfy the soul.” John Wesley
Exploring your call
How is God calling you into ministry? Does it feel like God might be calling you to ministry? There are many ways you can follow God's call, but how can you tell where and in what capacity God is calling you to serve? The Great Plains Conference offers many opportunities for those wishing to discern their path to ministry, vocational and otherwise. Let us help you answer your call.
If you feel called to be a pastor
- Call your pastor or your district superintendent
- Attend Candidacy Summit
- Consider seminary to be an elder or a deacon, OR...
- Consider course of study to be a licensed local pastor
- If you need money for your education:
If you're leaning toward training as a lay person (non-clergy)
- Consider attending the Laity Summit
- Become a certified lay servant or speaker (CLS/CLSp)
- Explore what it means to be a Deaconess or Home Missioner. Reach out to Leah Wandera, a Deaconess who serves from here in the Great Plains Conference.
If you want to jump in and use your gifts for ministry now
- Consider serving on a church staff in youth ministry or other specialized area (check GPUMC classifieds)
- Consider becoming a global mission fellow or volunteer with Global Ministries of the UMC
To learn more please visit https://www.greatplainsumc.org/exploringcall
