Take Your Next Step Into Ministry

Understanding God’s Training Program
for those in Ministry

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell

The Next Step | God's Goals | Starting Point | Learning from others
Pursuit of Christ | Experience | Evaluation | Spiritual | Training | Relationships

The Pursuit of Christ:

By Following up Agency Connections

Purpose

Following up Agency Connections is part of the Take Your Next Step into Ministry series that suggests various questions to evaluate one's relationship with mission and denominational organizations for an effective ministry.

Proper Mission and Denomination Contacts

Make the proper contacts with a mission or denominational agency and raise the needed prayer, financial, and other support.

If one is planning to go into full-time ministry, whether on a faraway mission field or in a pastorate, there are certain steps to take. If the process is not well understood, and often it is not, then delays often arise.

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Fortunately, mission agencies do well in helping their potential candidates understand this process. Unfortunately, candidates most often do not speak specifically enough or start early enough in the process.

While the process is obvious to some, others, usually due to a poor church background, have no clue to the process. This is the way it was with me when God called me during my freshman year at the University of Maine. God could and did lead me, but it would have been so much easier if someone had given me an overview of the process. Let’s try to do that here.

Steps to Serving Explanations

A call to full-time ministry God gives you an inward sense of call to serve Him. (This, of course, could be earlier or later on in life. Although it comes about in various ways, it always leaves a sense of burden or drive to guide the person toward ministry.

Affirmation by others

Others will see how God is using you and will encourage you to serve more.

Recognition by church leaders

Church leaders will give you increased responsibilities in the church.

Personal growth and increased service

You will respond to these matters by continually growing closer to the Lord and taking opportunities to serve.

Suggestion for further training

Often (unfortunately), the church will suggest you study at some school for full-time ministry. Ideally, they should first train you as much as they can in the local church.

Specialized training

Usually, formal seminary or Bible school training is required, but other, less expensive training programs are possible with proper oversight and deployment.[1]

Link up

Link up with the right mission or ministry organization. Like choosing a spouse, choose carefully.

Internship, first ministry

Serve time in ministry or as an intern with those who can observe and help you grow in your personal life and ministry.

Deputation

Raise support for full-time or specialized ministry. Pay off loans. Confirm home church. Strengthen church relationships. Possible ordination.[2]

Appointment

Discover the designated place to serve with a special ministry in mind.

Here are some more specific questions you can ask yourself to help you better prepare.

Seek home church support and confirmation for this direction

• Have you talked to your church/pastor/mission director about your desire to minister?

• Has the church set time aside to discuss this ‘call’ with you? What do they think?

• Has the church asked you to be responsible for any ministry?

• Have you faithfully carried it out? Do they think so?

• Has the church discussed further training at all?

Pay off all loans as soon off as possible

• Which loans or financial obligations do you have?

• Have you developed a concrete plan to pay these loans off before ministry?

• If so, evaluate how you have been doing. How can you do better?

• If not, develop a plan with needed guidelines to help you minimize this time of waiting.

Contact potential mission organizations and seminary trainings

• What potential missionary organizations/training institutes have you contacted?

• What is it that you liked or disliked about the different organizations?

• What were their specific suggestions? Have you carried any of them out?

• Have you followed up with any organization?

• What concerns do you have about this organization? Have you expressed them to them?

• Have you talked to those who are part of this organization? What advantages and disadvantages do they speak of regarding that organization?

Research potential training programs at a seminary or elsewhere

• What kind of training does the mission organization require?

• What kind of training does your anticipated area of service require?

• Have you looked into seminaries or other kinds of training?

• What do you want to gain from formal training?

• Have you examined the classes and class descriptions that you could actually take and see if you could take the needed courses?

• Have you spoken to other students about getting specific training in this area?

We recommend that you spend some time thinking about what you want from a training program. Just a few days ago, I talked to another person who said that though they attended a seminary focusing on missions, they never learned to disciple.

Much time and money are spent in this area of life. The goals of the institution are rarely the goals that you personally have. Remember to enhance any formal training with God’s training, which always requires shaping one’s character, knowledge of God through His Word, and the provision of skills and other knowledge.

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