Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with a college student that has recently sensed God’s call to vocational ministry. He was a thoughtful young man with a long list of questions about everything from which seminary he should attend to whether or not he would be able to feed his family on a minister’s salary. He conveyed a deep understanding of the responsibilities and challenges faced by those in ministry. He was aware of the fact that many ministers are prone to burnout, isolation, and moral failure, so I wasn’t surprised when he asked how he could protect himself against those things that might threaten his ability to fulfill his calling. While this can and should be done in a number of ways, my suggestion was to find a group of peers with whom he could meet and interact with on a regular basis.
While a call to ministry is unique in many ways, those that are called are just like anyone else. They need be surrounded by others that will offer them encouragement and strength as they do the work to which God has called them. My experience as a minister has been that peer groups offer a level of support and understanding that’s hard to find in any other setting. Peers are those that know the challenges you face on a day to day basis because they face those same challenges in their own setting. They have learned from their experiences and care enough to carry you through your struggles as well.
CBF has given strong support to peer groups over the last several years by providing ministers of all stripes with resources that enable them to meet, to encourage one another, and to grow together. Additional grant funds are now in place to support the development of a youth ministry network among CBF congregations. This network is still in the developmental stage, but the desire is to create a focused network of support, encouragement, and resources for those that work with teenagers in our congregations. Whether you work with teens in a full-time capacity or simply volunteer, the work that you do is important, and we hope that our commitment to building a network of peers will help sustain you in the work that you do.
Good thoughts and discussion. A website and podcast was recently created to help teens identify, explore and nurture the call of God. Pastors can use this resource as a platform to mentor those exploring the call of God to ministry. The site features a weekly podcast to help teens explore God’s call, cool downloads, resources and helpful web links, a chat room and blog to interact with other students exploring God’s call, as well as access to online mentors. You can access the site at http://www.explorethecall.com.