"non-vocational" ministry

A friend of mine and I were recently talking about the church, culture and the future. Not that there is any relevance or connection of those three topics.

Anyway, our conversation gravitated toward the lack of young people entering seminary and the efforts of schools to get next generation students to attend. I said that it was a waste of time and he exclaimed that they would have to close down the schools if attendance did not increase.

Well, first off, if there are no students, then by all means, close the school. Why perpetuate an institution that serves no purpose. Secondly, the reason that they are having a difficult time is due to the recent scandals involving church leaders, the present stated of the economy and the overall distrust of pastors. Why would anyone want to go into ministry in these times? Lastly, the institution of the church is changing and has a rough future ahead. Who would want to go into such a questionable future?

That being said, I don’t believe it’s time to close the doors. There is plenty of need for well trained individuals to lead the body of Christ. Where we have to change our way of thinking is in regards to a term that I have used for years to describe what I do. I tell people I am in full time “vocational ministry.”

It’s a funny term. I would love to tell people that I am in full time “non-vocational” ministry. That would raise some eyebrows.

The truth is that the “church” is filled with people doing non-vocational ministry. How come only the pastor gets paid if all of the gifts are essential? Why do the elders volunteer their leadership, but the church staff are compensated for theirs?

I am sure you could argue why that is so, but there is no reason it couldn’t be different. What if everyone volunteered on Sunday morning and in all of the ministries throughout the week? What if churches we comprised of people who all served and then the money was used to meet real needs? Could such an idealistic concept work? I would love to find out.