-by Joyce Jansen, LPM Board Member, Michigan, USA
“But I don’t feel called to serve as a lay pastor.” How often we hear those words as an excuse for not being involved in lay ministry! Many church members seem uncomfortable with the concept of being called into service. Yet, we know that each of us is called “to belong to Jesus Christ….to be saints” (Romans 1:6-7), “to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29), and “to live a life worthy of the calling” (Ephesians 4:1). (For additional references, see II Timothy 1:8-9, I Peter 1:10, and II Thessalonians 2:13-1.)
But we are called not only to belong to Jesus and to live a life worthy of that calling, we are called also to serve Jesus. Some Christians are called to serve as lay pastors.
As we help new and potential lay pastors understand their call, we should also help them recognize what that call looks like. We see it in our response to Christ’s call to us. In a sermon dealing with “call,” Rev. Tom Mayo of Sunshine Community Church, Grand Rapids, MI, used Peter’s response to Jesus’ call as the pattern for our response. It is found in Luke 5:1-11.
The story is family, yet it provides a valuable lesson for us in answering Christ’s call to serve him. Peter’s response is our model. As a called follower of Christ, we must be:
Available (vv. 1-3)
Teachable (vv. 4-5)
Able to see Christ’s holiness (vv. 6-9)
Able to our sinfulness (vv. 6-9)
Totally committed to Christ’s cause (vv. 10-11)
Despite Peter’s fatigue from an all-night fishing trip, he and his boat were available to Jesus. Getting into Peter’s boat to avoid the press of the crowd, Jesus asked him to push out from the shore. Peter did so, providing a place from which Jesus taught the people. Afterward, Peter, the professional fisherman, accept the advice for Jesus, the itinerant preacher, about where to catch fish. Having a teachable spirit, he submitted to Jesus. Peter saw the majesty and power of Jesus in this miracle, recognizing his holiness alongside of his own sinfulness. Peter (and others who witnessed this miracle) became totally committed to Christ and his cause, having previously left everything to follow him and now, continuing to be available to him. We need to be like Peter in accepting the call to specific service in Christ’s kingdom. In our case, the specific service is lay pastoral care.
As a believer and as a lay pastor, ask yourself these questions:
Am I available to Christ?
Am I available to my flock/LP families?
Am I teachable?
Am I taking advantage of equipping opportunities?
Do I see Christ’s holiness and my own sinfulness?
Do I respond in gratitude and obedience with loving service?
Am I totally committed to Christ and his call on my life?
Am I keeping PACE with his call?
Paul writes in II Thessalonians 1:11, “We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.” Let’s respond to God’s call and rely on his power to do the work he calls us to do.
(Other biblical accounts of specific calls to serve:
Moses: Exodus 3:1-10
Isaiah: Isaiah 6:8-9
Peter: Matthew 4:18-19 (His first call to serve)
Peter: John 21: 15-17 (His second call to service)
Paul: I Timothy 1:12, 2:7 (“appointing” is ‘calling”)
Timothy: II Timothy 2:14 (“entrusted” is “called”)
For further reading on “call,” see pp. 83-85 in Can the pastor do it alone? and pp. 150-13 in The Lay Driven Church.)
NOTE: Using the references listed, this article can be expanded to provide material for an informational or equipping meeting for new and/or potential lay pastors.
-by Joyce Jansen
